Times have changed and over the years, there has been a heavy reliance on cloud computing as IT has innovated through time.
A Wide-Area Network (WAN) connects a series of smaller networks, allowing them to communicate with one another over a large distance.
For example, a global bank with many international offices will use a WAN to connect groups of smaller networks at each office location together so they can interact to share or exchange information.
The majority of the world communicates today via the world’s largest WAN – the internet – which is a collection of many international networks that connect to each other.
However, traditional methods of WAN data processing and storage systems have presented many complexities, including latency issues, bandwidth constraints unpredictably and security vulnerabilities.
They are also prone to downtime and outages, particularly in the case of a failure in a critical component, such as a router or switch, and they can be costly to implement, particularly when using dedicated connections such as leased lines or satellite links.
Thankfully there is an alternative – a Software-Defined WAN (SD-WAN) is an automated and cost-effective approach to managing enterprise connectivity and transforming the way users connect to multi-cloud environments.
The purpose of secure SD-WAN is to simplify access to multiple bandwidth connections and seamlessly assign traffic to the most appropriate link. The result is maximised application performance, increased productivity and a reduction in costs associated with the need to continually increase bandwidth.
CMTG Technical Manager Nick Hughes said many companies are adopting the technology because of its extensive financial and operational benefits.
“This technology continues to be one of the fastest-growing segments of the network infrastructure market,” Nick said.
“The technology has evolved a lot in the last couple of years and one of the key benefits is increased cybersecurity.”
Nick explained it provides the highest levels of cloud performance with a variety of connection types while protecting the enterprise from threats.
“The SD-WAN solution makes internet connections secure and reliable by creating encrypted tunnels between every site in the SD-WAN,” he said.
“Ensuring businesses have better application significantly reduces risk and ultimately improves profitability.”
Nick highlighted that security is typically a major issue with traditional WANs with increased vulnerability to viruses and malware.
“The centralised controller in SD-WAN can set security policies for the entire network, allowing you to create and distribute security policies intelligently across the business, which can then be implemented and maintained centrally.
Implementing this key technology allows for remote management, meaning IT issues can be dealt with offsite and less interruptions to you and your people.”
CMTG uses SD-WAN to bring multiple sites together and create a single, secure network allowing businesses and organisations to deliver services, transfer data, communicate freely and continue evolving between locations at all times.
