The Benefits of Secure SD-WAN

When software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) was first introduced, its primary purpose was to equip companies for WAN virtualization. Still, as the solution has evolved, secure SD-WAN has become a multi-faceted solution. Now, many security teams can trade their branch firewalls for a simple and effective branch WAN.

The increased use of cloud solutions requires new security and connectivity approaches and the ability to open a new branch or implement new applications quickly. Traditional network infrastructure, with routers, firewalls, and multi-protocol label switching (MPLS), doesn’t offer the level of flexibility required and can also be costly to operate.

Companies are turning to secure SD-WAN to gain the incorporated firewall capabilities that allow for quick and reliable connectivity without allowing additional security vulnerabilities. Network administrators enjoy some important benefits, including the ability to detect and mitigate potential intrusions, network segmentation capabilities, data encryption, improved visibility for monitoring, and deep packet inspection.

There are four key reasons why companies should implement a secure SD-WAN solution to replace their branch firewalls:

Comprehensive Security: Secure SD-WAN includes deep packet inspection, DDoS protection, intrusion prevention, and identity-based policy to equip access control.

It can also securely utilize a combination of broadband, 5G, and MPLS, using encrypted IPsec tunnels across the fabric of the SD-WAN. This protects branch locations from a possible breach.

Streamlining: SD-WAN allows organizations to consolidate their network equipment into a single appliance. This removes all challenges around traditional firewalls, MPLS, and routers with their associated obsolescence issues, reducing equipment management and sprawl.

In addition, secure SD-WAN offers zero-touch provisioning, making it easy for network teams to troubleshoot and set up new branches without physically going to the site.

Easing Cloud Access: Companies are moving their applications to the cloud, and backhauling traffic to the data center can negatively affect performance. Secure SD-WAN makes this step unnecessary. Instead, network teams apply a pre-determined policy to determine performance requirements for each application.

Micro-Segmentation: The increase in the use of Internet of Things (IoT) devices has exponentially expanded the attack surface for many companies while introducing more gaps and vulnerabilities. Secure SD-WAN supports zero trust network segmentation that uses identity and access control based on role to allow users to only access areas of the network that correspond to their responsibilities.

With improved visibility and control, native security features, and segmentation capabilities, secure SD-WAN equips companies to offer secure connectivity. From IoT to a geographically dispersed workforce and the need to securely connect with cloud resources, secure SD-WAN offers the networking approach needed for today’s IT environment.

To talk more about the specific benefits secure SD-WAN could offer your company, contact us at One Connect. We assist our clients so that you can make confident decisions about your next technology investment, combining your best level of connectivity with the right price.