We are living in a digital world, and I’m just a digital girl. Aren’t those the lyrics to that Madonna song?
We may have them wrong, but either way, you can’t deny the fact that our world is becoming more digital by the day. Businesses small and large are moving toward new technologies like the cloud and edge computing.
The use of new technology spawns even more innovation. Large, cloud-based systems call for the use of wide-area networks (WANs). And now, even more technology calls for SD-WANs and SD-WAN management.
If you’re unfamiliar with SD-WANs, we are here to help. In this article, we’re going to cover everything you need to know about SD-WANs. We’ll cover what they are, what they’re capable of, and we’ll even talk about how proper SD-WAN management can take your business to the next level.
So, buckle up. We’ve got a lot of information to cover and it starts right now!
Defining SD-WAN
So, what is SD-WAN. Well, as stated above, the acronym itself stands for a software-directed wide area network. But, what does all that mean?
Basically, an SD-WAN uses software to control the connectivity, communication, services, and management between data centers. The “wide area” part of it comes from the fact that these networks can also be configured to include cloud assets or remote data branches, as well.
What makes SD-WAN so effective is that it can manage multiple connections. These connections can vary from MPLS to LTE. Being able to accommodate a wide variety of connection types allows SD-WAN to keep all of your devices connected “under one roof.”
SD-WAN also gives you the ability to segment the traffic that is traveling through your wide area network. This ability to partition your traffic ultimately leads to more security as your data servers constantly communicate and process webpage requests.
The ultimate goal of SD-WAN is to simplify how businesses scale. New remote and cloud locations can add assets to a company’s IT estate. Where it may have been a pain to configure these new assets before, now your SD-WAN can do most of the heavy lifting.
SD-WAN and Network Security
How does SD-WAN management affect network security? A lot of businesses are relying on cloud-based software these days. These are the platforms we use every day like Microsoft 365 and Amazon Web Services.
These applications require secure remote access to work properly. Using an SD-WAN makes this possible. Customers can configure their SD-WAN into secure regional zones of traffic. This allows traffic to be securely directed to wherever it needs to go.
The beauty of SD-WAN is that it can weave security for platforms like Microsoft 365 and AWS into your system’s innate connectivity.
The ability SD-WAN has to compartmentalize your system’s traffic helps in other ways. Traffic and assets that are “mission-critical” can receive their own partition. This allows certain traffic channels to be protected from exposure and vulnerabilities in other areas of your digital presence.
An area where this type of partitioning is popular is in the healthcare industry. Healthcare companies are notoriously prone to hacking. The reason being that healthcare computer systems are usually rather large.
These systems house a lot of patient data. They also need to bring together a lot of IT assets that are could-based or positioned in remote locations compared to the main data hub. The result is a hacker’s dream.
However, if a healthcare business were to implement an SD-WAN, it would be a different story. More sensitive data could be partitioned into channels that receive more protection. This could help hospitals to shield information like patient data from potential hacking.
This is important because patient data is subject to federal compliance regulations under HIPAA.
SevOne and SD-WAN Management
So, by now you see the power of SD-WAN. The key to maximizing that power is to manage the system properly. It can be a lofty goal, but it’s entirely possible with the help of the professionals at SevOne.
Let’s go over what we can do to help you get the most out of your SD-WAN.
Reduce Risks
SevOne is a great complement to the traditional management allowed by SD-WAN controllers. Partnering with us will allow you to continuously monitor your WAN infrastructure.
We can equip your team with customizable dashboards. These can be persona-based and cover everything from network operations to network engineering. Users will also have greater insight into the network services that are running.
Make the Switch Easy
SevOne can help your team every step of the way as you migrate to an SD-WAN system. It can be a challenge to move over from traditional MPLS segments to a new, unified SD-WAN dashboard. Let SevOne set you up so you can continuously monitor your IT estate as soon as your SD-WAN is deployed.
Visualize SD-WAN Channels
SevOne can help your team by creating visual representations of different SD-WAN channels. Each channel can be customized to show traffic, alerts, and availability. Not only does this help with security, but it will also simplify access to important KPI data.
It will also make the troubleshooting process a breeze.
Full-Stack Visibility
With networks growing larger and larger, full-stack visibility isn’t just a cool concept anymore. Being able to see all of your assets and all of your data, across your entire digital presence, is now a necessity.
SevOne will help you to gain visibility of critical network assets on your main campus, as well as on remote branch Wi-Fi.
Integration
SevOne also allows your team to integrate their system with operational models. You can modify any of the SevOne dashboards to show operational views and business views. This makes reporting easy and efficient.
By changing the views your team can make sure everyone is getting all the information they need and none that they don’t. App owners can take a more executive, “high-level” look at the numbers, while your IT staff can break down the nitty-gritty of the KPIs they need to see.
Everybody wins!
SD-WAN For the Win
We hope you enjoy the information in this article. At this point, you see the benefits of running an SD-WAN and proper SD-WAN management. Technology is constantly changing and we need to do the best we can to keep up with it.
If you’d like some help keeping up with the ever-changing business landscape, give the pros a call. We’re more than happy to answer any of your networking questions, and we’d love to show you what we can do to help you!
Thanks for reading and we look forward to working with you!
