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Top 5 SD-WAN Myths

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INTRODUCTION

Most of what’s written about SD-WAN discusses the technology’s potential to transform network connectivity by making them more agile, flexible, and cost-effective for both enterprises and service providers. The truth is, while this technology provides many benefits compared to legacy networks there may be shortcomings depending on the implementation.

A multitude of startups and existing WAN Optimization vendors have positioned themselves as SD-WAN solution providers. Each of them have spun their stories around the scope of their particular technology and advantages, resulting in a fair bit of confusion among buyers.

This confusion has led to quite a few myths emerging about SD-WAN that you should be aware of before eval-uating any solution, and investing in this evolving technology.

All SD-WAN solutions enable global enterprise expansion and cloud migration

myth #5

BUSTEDAll SD-WAN All SD-WAN vendors are WAN providers

myth #1

SD-WAN is synonymous with Hybrid WAN

myth #2

SD-WAN is similar to WAN Optimization

myth #3

All SD-WAN providers reduce network costs

myth #4

$$$myth #3myth #3

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All SD-WAN vendors are WAN providers

Contrary to what the phrase “SD-WAN vendor” might suggest, most companies that consider themselves in this space don’t actually deploy physical networks for enterprise connectivity. Their solutions are limited to providing edge-appliances that perform policy-based routing functions with some amount of network segmentation.

This means that businesses still need to invest in traditional network infrastructure. While many run their traffic over the public Internet due to its simplicity, some subscribe to MPLS or multiple broadband networks (hybrid networks) to get the required application performance. However, the management of this infrastructure is not a part of the SD-WAN service offering, with many vendors charging a premium for this service.

A solution that simply manages traffic at the edge can only play a limited role in improving network performance globally. Enterprises that want to get the true benefits of SD-WAN will need more than traffic management over multiple links at the edge. They will need a global SD-WAN solution with an enterprise-grade private network, embedded WAN Optimization, application acceleration, and the flexibility to add additional services through the orchestration running on top of it.

Myth #1

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SD-WANs enable increased control, greater agility and visibility in deploying, configuring, and managing network services using software controlled centrally and separately from the actual network devices. A hybrid WAN integrates and aggregates multiple network links (MPLS, cable, DSL, 4G LTE, etc.) of varying cost and quality levels at the edge, and represents only one of the manifestations of a SD-WAN solution.

In fact, the idea of using multiple links at the edge based on preset priority levels is a couple of decades old. For instance, one might have used broadband Internet for low-priority HTTP traffic, while reserving the more expensive and higher quality MPLS links for mission-critical applications. The problem was that “ad-hoc hybrid WANs” had to be implemented by network managers and administrators themselves, and to architect and manage these solutions used to be quite cumbersome.

The advent of SD-WAN enabled such a system to be automated and remotely controlled. A few “SD-WAN” startups saw an opportunity here, and started offering hybrid WAN systems as a solution to enterprises. How-ever, there is more to SD-WAN technology than just hybrid WAN deployments.

Enterprises don’t need more hybrid WANs that run on shared public networks, suffering from unreliable laten-cy and packet loss. A fully-integrated global SD-WAN will include a global, meshed, and multi-tenant network that is purpose-built for performance, security, and application acceleration. That is something you cannot get from a hybrid network cobbled together.

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SD-WAN is synonymous with Hybrid WANMyth #2

SD-WAN Hybrid WAN

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Far from it! WAN Optimization helps businesses make the most out of their bandwidth by using a combination of technologies: data compression and deduplication, network and application protocol acceleration technol-ogies and proxies; quality of service (QoS), and packet order correction. These technologies are specifically designed for WAN Optimization and application acceleration, and are very different from the purposes and functions of SD-WAN.

WAN Optimization typically requires customer premise equipment (CPE) to be deployed symmetrically, at both ends of the network, and managed by IT departments. Virtualization is fast becoming the norm, and over the next few years, hardware-based WAN Optimization appliances will certainly transition to virtual appliances.

While WAN Optimization is not the primary focus of an SD-WAN, it is an important component. Enterprises that want the full benefits from a global SD-WAN should consider a solution that runs on a global network with robust WAN Optimization and application acceleration embedded for fast and reliable network perfor-mance all the time.

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SD-WAN is similar to WAN Optimization

SD-WAN = WAN Optimization

Myth #3Myth #3

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Businesses that used to rely on expensive MPLS solutions to achieve acceptable application performance, now use hybrid WANs to shift low-priority traffic to cheap Internet links, and continue with scaled-down MPLS for mission-critical traffic. However, enterprises still need to negotiate and provision multiple network links and pay expensive monthly fees for their usage.

Even if one chooses to view the performance deterioration of low-priority applications as only a mild inconvenience, the fact that mission-critical traffic might get pushed down to poorer links during times of heavy traffic should be a matter of concern.

Businesses need a solution that uses SD-WAN principles across the entire WAN, end-to-end, not just at the edge. The primary goal should be to ease network complexity, and thus free IT departments to work on more strategic projects.

In addition, if an end-to-end network solution is delivered as a fully-managed service, it enables the enterprise to invest in an SD-WAN with no CapEx, lower OpEx, and the flexibility to pay as you go, and scale.

It’s important to remember that CapEx is more than the initial cost of hardware and software. It also includes the integration of hardware and software, and testing of the systems. OpEx is more than the monthly fees paid for multiple network links in a hybrid network, and the monthly support fees for networking equipment. It also includes the resources needed to deploy, manage and monitor network infrastructure. Double OpEx is also something that enterprises can run into during the migration period, when they have to maintain their legacy network infrastructure, while at the same time pay for their new SD-WAN infrastructure. This does not even factor in the learning curve required to get everything running properly—no matter how easy SD-WAN vendors make their systems sound.

A global SD-WAN as a fully-managed service with a private network, embedded WAN Optimization, and end-to-end security delivers lots of cost savings for IT departments. There is no need to provision and pay monthly fees for multiple hybrid network links, no need to add WAN Optimization appliances (hardware or virtual software) and purchase visibility tools, and no need to build multi-layered security infrastructure. The global SD-WAN solution will take care of all of it.

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All SD-WAN providers reduce network costsAll SD-WAN providers reduce network costsMyth #4

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Most SD-WAN vendors do not enable cloud migration because they don’t deliver direct connectivity into these services. One of the caveats of adopting an SD-WAN-enabled hybrid WAN architecture is that you still need to subscribe to MPLS bandwidth, or provision multiple broadband links, if you wish to ensure reliable perfor-mance of critical applications.

In this era of globalization, businesses need network connectivity that deploys quickly, doesn’t place a burden on IT, and can be scaled easily. This is particularly true for businesses that adopt hybrid cloud models, in which mission-critical applications are hosted in private cloud data centers, while the rest are migrated to public cloud platforms.

However, deploying conventional hybrid WANs require lengthy deployment timelines for MPLS links (as long as 60-120 days depending on location), if you care about reliable application performance. In addition, MPLS offers fairly limited connectivity to most cloud service providers. In the absence of MPLS, you would have to depend on the unreliable and often congested public Internet to access even mission-critical workloads. As a result, you will be forced to choose between application performance and organizational agility—a no-win situation.

In order for an SD-WAN provider to overcome these challenges, their service needs to be run on a global private network, with WAN Optimization, application acceleration, and security embedded end-to-end. One who’s backbone bypasses the unreliable public Internet and eliminates congestion, packet loss and jitter. Where enterprises don’t have to incur CapEx costs by purchasing WAN Optimization appliances and investing in multiple broadband and expensive MPLS links.

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All SD-WAN solution enable global enterprise expansion and cloud migration All SD-WAN solution enable global enterprise expansion and cloud migration

Myth #5BUSTED

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A global SD-WAN solution will integrate the benefits of embedded network optimization and application acceleration for cloud and on-premises environments with reliable, secure, and dedicated private connectivity into a single platform. It will eliminate the need for dedicated links that take months to provision, thereby, providing a cloud-delivered network that is up and running in days, and not months.

The best way of truly gaining the benefits of software-defined networking is by investing in an SD-WAN solution that runs over a dedicated global network with embedded WAN Optimization, application acceleration, multilayered security – end-to-end, and delivered as a service. By integrating all these services into one SD-WAN solution platform, global businesses are enabled to connect their branch offices, accelerate their application performance, and scale their enterprise for end-users around the world.

Aryaka Global SD-WANAryaka’s global SD-WAN provides fast, reliable, secure, and scalable connectivity, and application acceleration to globally distributed enterprises, thus enabling them to:

CONNECT: Aryaka is the #1 MPLS Alternative that can provide enterprise-grade connectivity for your headquarters, branch offices, datacenters, and cloud services.

ACCELERATE: Aryaka delivers up to 40x faster application performance to global, cloud-enabled enterprises. Businesses can use Aryaka to speed up their global on-premises, cloud-based, and SaaS applications.

SCALE: Aryaka’s services can be deployed globally within days. New sites and bandwidth can be added within hours. All this without the CapEx associated with WAN appliances, and inclusive of fully managed service with 24x7 support.

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SD-WAN Without the Myth and Hype

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Aryaka’s global SD-WAN provides optimized, software-de-fined network connectivity and application acceleration to globally distributed enterprises. Aryaka’s services have over 10 million users across 4,000+ sites. Leading brands such as Skullcandy, AirChina, Freescale Semiconductor, and ThoughtWorks, as well as partners such as Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, Intelisys, and SK Broadband, have all chosen Aryaka for their enterprise-grade networking needs.

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