SD-WAN (software-defined wide area networks) are taking Australia by storm. According to a Frost & Sullivan end-user market survey, 55% of Australian respondents intend to replace existing branch routers with SD-WAN appliances in the next 12 – 24 months.

Why these impressive numbers? The answer is simple. SD-WAN delivers greater end user experiences through advanced routing functionality with the flexibility to scale at ease. The top reasons Australian companies are turning to SD-WAN, the report found, are to deploy new branch sites faster and achieve superior WAN and application performance.

SD-WAN is delivering the outcomes that end users want. But, as with any emerging technology, sometimes the hype outweighs the reality. SD-WAN is no exception. There are misconceptions out there – fuelled by uneven media coverage – that might cause confusion in the buyer community.

SD-WAN will replace MPLS networking?

SD-WAN is transport agnostic and will complement your MPLS network in certain circumstances.

Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS), a protocol for network traffic flow between two or more locations, sits between layer 2 (data link) and layer 3 (network). MPLS is sometimes considered layer 2.5. It uses packet-forwarding technology and labels to make traffic routing decisions

MPLS generally offers excellent quality of service when it comes to avoiding packet loss and keeping traffic flowing. This reliability is essential to maintain regular applications, such as Voice over IP (VoIP). MPLS providers can also assign a higher priority to certain network traffic. These benefits bring a sense of traffic predictability within the network. Network paths are predetermined, so packets travel only along the paths to which they’re directed.

For networks with stable traffic patterns between locations, MPLS is still the most efficient network choice. SD-WAN is optimised for more fluid networks where load-balancing, deployment and scalability are paramount. MPLS and SD-WAN can – and do – coexist in many wide area networks. On the down-side, MPLS networks don’t offer built-in data protection, and if incorrectly implemented, they can open the network to vulnerabilities.

Cost-savings are driving SD-WAN adoption?

ROI and TCO have their place when upgrading WAN infrastructure. But SD-WAN is not a cut-rate technology. You won’t see your telecommunications costs plummet. But that’s not the point. The main reasons for SD-WAN adoption are, as above, scalability, flexibility and performance.

SD-WAN is essentially an enabling technology that provides more control over WAN deployments and traffic management. These are qualitative benefits and make life easier for network managers (and end users). Any cost savings are a bonus.

SD-WAN is secure?

Most SD-WAN implementations encrypt branch-to-branch corporate traffic using IPsec, which protects the data in transit. IPsec secures the data as it traverses the network but it has no impact on break-ins and malware for direct branch-to-cloud traffic.

In addition, without standards for how IPsec encryption gets deployed in the SD-WAN, requirements for installation and configurations will vary. In some cases, for example, you need to deploy additional devices at the branch-office premises and at the cloud head to create an IPsec VPN overlay. That, of course, requires additional infrastructure and separate management tools.

Which leads us to the Vocus’ Managed SD-WAN service which adds all of the functionality of a next generation firewall to the scalability and traffic management capabilities of pure SD-WAN. No need to compromise security for performance.

Conclusion

1. Scalability, performance and, security are the drivers behind Secure SD-WAN adoption in Australia.
2. It’s not a replacement for MPLS - they complement each other.
3. SD-WAN is not a bargain basement cost-containment exercise – it’s an enabler. The technology behind SD-WAN is cutting edge and that carries a premium in respect to cost.
4. And SD-WAN alone is not secure. It has to be bundled with firewall protection. The more integration between the two, the better.

Managed SD-WAN, offered by Vocus includes a managed firewall service, ultimately merging the two into a consistent security fabric that not only protects the SD-WAN installation but can be extended throughout the datacentre and into the cloud for comprehensive, consistent end-to-end security.

When you’re ready to add Managed SD-WAN to your IT solution, speak to us by clicking the link below.