The basic components of an SD-WAN are the following:

1. Network control software

This software provides “software-defined” functionality. Essentially, it allows network administrators to configure, manage and monitor the wide area network from a centralized point, usually through a graphical user interface.

Network control software can also implement algorithms and policies to manage network traffic, select the best path for each data packet, and respond to changing network conditions.

2. Software-defined network devices

These are the physical devices (such as routers and switches) that are used to create the wide area network.

In an SD-WAN, these devices can be controlled and managed by software, meaning they can be reconfigured or updated remotely without having to change physical hardware.

3. Network connections

An SD-WAN can use any type of network connection, including MPLS, LTE, Wi-Fi, optical fiber, and even connections Bandwidth Internet. This provides great flexibility in terms of cost and performance.

E.g., a site with high performance requirements may use an MPLS connection, while a site with less demanding requirements might be fine with a broadband Internet connection.

Advantages of an SD-WAN

Greater flexibility

Since network settings are controlled by software, it is much easier and faster to make changes or updates.

centralized management

Network management is performed from a single centralized point, simplifying administration tasks and reducing the time and effort required to manage the network.

Network performance optimization

By using software-defined algorithms and policies, an SD-WAN can automatically select the best path for each data packet, which can improve network performance and reduce latency.

Potentially lower costs

By being able to use any type of network connection, an SD-WAN can opt for lower-cost paths when possible.

Security

As a software-managed network, SD-WANs typically have strong built-in security measures, such as network segmentation, data encryption, and threat identification and isolation.

SD-WANs are especially useful for organizations with multiple locations (such as offices or stores) that need to share data and applications securely and efficiently.

This includes companies with branches in different cities or countries, organizations that use cloud services, and companies that need high availability and network performance.

Features

If we delve a little deeper into how an SD-WAN works, we find some additional concepts and features that help explain its usefulness and flexibility:

Network virtualization

As with other software-defined technologies, SD-WAN uses virtualization to separate network functionality from physical hardware devices.

This allows you to create virtual networks that can be configured and managed independently of the underlying network infrastructure. Virtual networks can be easier to manage and can offer greater flexibility and scalability.

Load balancing and policy-based routing

SD-WAN can distribute traffic between multiple network connections based on predefined policies. This can help maximize network utilization and improve performance.

For example, critical applications mission-critical or delay-sensitive routes can be directed via the fastest or most reliable routes, while the non-critical traffic can be directed through less expensive routes.

Redundancy and resilience

SD-WAN can use multiple connections network simultaneously, providing redundancy in the event of a connection failure.

Additionally, if a connection becomes unstable or suffers performance degradation, SD-WAN can redirect traffic to other connections automatically, providing greater resilience.

Traffic and safety inspection

SD-WAN can inspect traffic network to identify and prioritize certain types of traffic (such as voice over IP o video conference), and to detect and respond to security threats.

Many SD-WAN solutions also include built-in security capabilities, such as firewalls, intrusion prevention, and data encryption.

Cloud Integration

SD-WAN is particularly useful for organizations that use cloud services.

It can improve the performance and reliability of connections to cloud services, and can facilitate network management in a hybrid cloud or multicloud environment.

Implementación

In terms of implementation, an organization may opt for a SD-WAN from a single provider, which includes both network control software and software-defined network devices.

Alternatively, they can opt for a multi-vendor solution, in which the network control software and network devices come from different vendors. This last option can offer more flexibility, but can also be more complex to manage.

SD-WAN solutions can also be physical o cloud based.

In a physical solution, software-defined networking devices are installed at each site. in a solution cloud-based, network control software is hosted in the cloud, and sites connect to the network through network devices that can be simpler and less expensive.