Top 10 Underused SD-WAN Structures

The first SD-WAN products provided companies with a way to eliminate expensive and inflexible MPLS links, connect branches directly to the cloud and optimize WAN traffic. However, many of the first SD-WAN products lacked features such as integrated firewall, application compatible routing and advanced data analysis.

Over time, SD-WAN companies have improved their products to include a robust set of additional features. However, many companies do not take advantage of all the features of the latest SD-WAN products and managed service options.

So why don't IT executives take advantage of these new features? In some cases, providers are scarce when it comes to educating IT leaders about the benefits and ease of use of these advanced features.

In addition, organizational silos, such as barriers between the network and security teams, prevent companies from launching next-generation firewalls or intrusion prevention systems, for example, that may come with SD-WAN devices.

In addition, network professionals can often do their job well because they have a set of standard methods and procedures that they have followed for years. For new approaches, such as zero contact provisioning, you may be reluctant to risk refilling if something goes wrong. However, companies must take into account the benefits that underutilized managed SD-WAN functions that are listed below can provide. After all, you are supposed to pay for SD-WAN devices or managed services, so why not get the value for money?

1. Zero Contact Provisioning

The traditional way to implement branch network equipment is to take physical devices to a preparation area, configure and test them, and then send them to a branch established by a network professional. For companies that implement tens or hundreds of SD-WAN devices in a large geographic area, this is a manual and time-consuming process.

Contactless provisioning, standard on most SD-WAN devices, automatically configures ready-to-use devices. The device only needs an Internet connection, so it calls home and is fully configured in a fast, efficient and standardized way based on predefined templates.

2. Encryption Key Rotation

For companies that do business with the federal government, such as aerospace and defense companies, or companies that are responsible for PCI compliance, including almost all others, encryption keys must be rotated regularly, usually every 90 days. There is a tedious manual process with complex change management policies and may require planned downtime.

The SD-WAN platform can replace traditional VPN-based key rotation with an automated system that can be programmed to rotate every minute without interrupting data plane traffic. The result is greater security, no downtime and no need for manual intervention.

 3. Multiplexed VPN:

There are many consequences in which businesses need to keep dissimilar types of circulation separated from each other. For example, in the case of a merger or acquisition, the merged company may be a single paper entity, but each business unit will continue to operate independently for commercial or compliance or security reasons. Later, if your company decides to upgrade to SD-WAN, you may consider buying two sets of physical devices.

However, SD-WAN technology allows multiple virtual routing and forwarding (VRF) and VPN links to be multiplexed into a single overlay. This was not possible with previous VPN technologies. For a chaotic and complex organization with multiple business units, you can simply set policies to segregate traffic. SD-WAN technology can create up to 16 virtual VPNs that run on the same physical WAN link.

4. Application-Aware Routing

SD-WAN products have the ability to inspect traffic at Layer 7 to apply detailed routing policies to specific applications. In fact, some devices can identify more than 3,000 different applications and understand the performance requirements of each application. This feature continuously monitors delay, delay, phase fluctuation and other characteristics of sensitive applications in real-time and migrates applications to the most cost-effective transportation method that meets performance thresholds. It helps companies adjust communication costs.

5. Program API

According to Raviv Levi, senior director of product management at Cisco Meraki, APIs allow companies to coordinate and automate functions throughout the SD-WAN life cycle. It is an underutilized feature now, but IT executives are beginning to understand that APIs can "make large-scale organizations appropriate and control the network in a way never seen before." Is growing

With the API, companies can customize and automate the initial configuration of the SD-WAN equipment, make large-scale configuration changes at any time, automate the problem notification process and provide WAN performance data for traffic optimization Real-time and long-term monitoring Infrastructure Management can be collected. For example, companies can use the API to program devices and poll more frequently than required by default.

Through the API, businesses can configure the top SD-WAN vendors to mechanically provide data that is useful for purposes such as handling user groups, viewing audit logs, gathering device inventory, real-time monitoring, and troubleshooting device problems. A network you can collect.

6. Optimized Cloud Connection

The ability to connect branch office traffic directly to the cloud instead of breaking the cloud or returning to the data center is one of the key benefits of SD-WAN. However, network administrators often have limited or no visibility of network performance characteristics between end-users and SaaS applications in the cloud. However, providers currently offer a feature called Cloud Onramp in the Cisco Viptela example. Use this function to measure the performance of SaaS applications using the programmatic API or for Amazon web services and Microsoft Azure IaaS services.

In an IaaS scenario, a virtual instance of an SD-WAN router in the cloud of the cloud service provider continuously measures application performance and gives network administrators visibility into application performance as never before. In a SaaS scenario, the SD-WAN device connects to the nearest SaaS presence point and makes real-time decisions to select the best route. According to Rohan Grover, senior director of product management, SD-WAN and enterprise routing at Cisco, end users have seen a 40% increase in the performance of common productivity applications such as Office 365.

7. Data Analysis

Another inadequate feature of SD-WAN systems is the ability to use data analysis to solve network performance problems and perform long-term network capacity planning. Whether you are using a managed service or the Do It Yourself route, you have access to a large amount of traffic data that covers your end-to-end WAN connection. The use of analysis eliminates the typical signaling that occurs between business customers, cloud service providers, IPS, and last-mile providers.

8. End-To-End Micro Segmentation

Micro-segmentation has become an increasingly popular approach to protecting applications running in data centers and cloud environments by separating workloads based on policy. Micro-segmentation gives companies greater control over east-west traffic and, in case of non-compliance, micro segmentation limits the possible lateral movement of hackers.

The emergence of software overlays, such as SDN and NFV, has opened the way for micro-segmentation, so it is natural that micro-segmentation is a characteristic of SD-WAN overlays.

9. Service Chain

Once the branch traffic was returned to the data center through a secure MPLS link, the branch required little network or additional security. However, because branches are directly connected to the Internet, companies can use multiple branch devices, such as firewalls, NAT boxes and intrusion prevention systems.

10.Fixed Wireless Connection

Experts say that companies that establish branch links should consider the fixed wireless connection, especially if the speed of implementation is not a feature of SD-WAN. For companies with a small regional footprint, requesting a WAN link to an existing ISP is relatively easy. However, fixed wireless access is a lifesaver for organizations in rural areas where traditional broadband is not available, or for companies that need to quickly managed SD-WAN providers to new retail stores and other emerging commercial locations. 

The first implementations of SD-WAN focused mainly on basic connectivity and cost savings. But today, SD-WAN is considered a network automation platform that supports digital transformation.