SD-WAN is an acronym for software-defined wide area network. It is a network management tool primarily used by businesses to build more efficient wide area networks as a means of connecting various physical locations separated by significant distances. Here is an introduction to this approach, which is revolutionizing how businesses connect and carry out their daily operations.

How Does It Work?

To understand how SD-WAN works, consider the information you receive as coming from two different sources—from the data itself and the sources that tell the data where to go and how to reach you. In a traditional network management system, the administrator would set the rules and program the policies that determine what types of data you receive and how it reaches you; this is time-consuming for the administrator and requires multiple inputs into several pieces of hardware, and it is vulnerable to human error. In an SD-WAN setting, the administrator programs rules across an entire network in seconds through one centralized control function with built-in error detection. It can be used in various WAN connections, including broadband internet and 4G.

What Are the Benefits?

There are several advantages to choosing SD-WAN technology, such as:

• Bandwidth: SD-WAN possesses application-level awareness that prioritizes the most important application and devotes bandwidth accordingly; it also allows the administrator to guarantee a specific amount of adequate bandwidth.
• Dependability: SD-WAN is dependable and minimizes the downtime of a network; with the real-time capacity to detect outages, it will automatically switch the network to working links.
• Efficiency: SD-WAN improves operational efficiency by centralizing all network management in one convenient place.
• Security: SD-WAN applies security and virtual private networking capabilities to broadband connections, increasing the safety and security of the network.

To further explore SD-WAN and how it can help streamline your business, contact Concord Technology Solutions. Based in Lake County, OH, they have been providing IT services and network management solutions to small-, medium-, and enterprise-level businesses since 2008. Their skilled and experienced tech support professionals help businesses identify their IT needs and connect them with the most reliable solutions for their budgets and goals. Call (440) 210-3200 or visit them online to learn more about SD-WAN.