The idea that SD-WAN can improve the performance of your current MPLS network is a simple idea and one that has been backed with evidence from numerous companies that have made the switch.
But, to understand how it improves your network performance takes a little deeper look under the software surface.
Here’s the what. SD-WAN increases network performance by:
We’ll take you through why this is, highlighting the changes that an SD-WAN solution implements in order to optimize your WAN.
An SD-WAN solution creates a virtual overlay on top of your current network. With one software plugin, you create a central provisioning system that connects all of your data centers and branches.
This alone improves network performance quite a bit. With a traditional WAN architecture, one data center can communicate with only one branch at a time, and there is no branch-to-branch control, which causes for clunky communication and backed-up traffic flow.
This traffic backhaul through the datacenter can result in heavy network performance penalties. With an SD-WAN solution, this is no longer the case as traffic can flow between all network nodes optimally – and to the cloud and back.
Utilizing the central control dashboard provided with an SD-WAN solution, your IT team gains considerable visibility into network pipes. This clear view allows them to decipher areas that are experiencing high latency times or jitter so that they can go in and fix the problem without end users ever seeing the effects on the application side, ensuring optimal traffic flow in real-time.
An increase in pipe visibility also allows your IT professionals the opportunity to decipher if problems are occurring on your network end or somewhere out of your control, say on the side of your provider. This is where having a comprehensive SLA will come in handy.
Because SD-WAN is optimized for the cloud, you can ensure the improved traffic flow extends to cloud, as well as enterprise, applications.
A software solution simplifies the traditionally complex infrastructure of an MPLS-based WAN by utilizing policy-based routing, as well.
With this type of control over network routing, IT managers can define which network pipes certain packets travel through before ever sending them. This guarantees that packets will travel through pipes with the lowest latency and jitter, improving flow overall.
Even more control comes with the ability to see your network landscape in real time. There are many reasons, including aspects like latency, that your network view at any given point may be outdated, even if only by a few minutes.
But for many companies every single second counts. With real-time tracking, SD-WAN allows you to see your network as it is that very second so that you can see problem areas, see where things are running smoothly and dictate traffic accordingly.
You can also get in there quickly, within seconds of detecting a problem, to fix issues in the segmented area so that you don’t have to shut down your entire network. Being able to catch most problems immediately increases the likelihood that network performance won’t falter.
Don’t let MPLS bandwidth constraints limit your ability to give all parts of your company and your end users the optimal experience they need and want. Slash your OPEX and CAPEX by implementing SD-WAN and receive the benefits of broadband, increasing your network performance throughout.
If any of the information presented above has convinced you that your IT infrastructure would benefit from an SD-WAN solution, we would be happy to help you figure out an implementation strategy.
Fill out our contact form, and one of CTC’s trusted SD-WAN experts will reach out to you as soon as possible. Need a faster response? Give us a call at 734.388.4194.
