SOFTWARE-DEFINED WIDE AREA NETWORK (SD-WAN)

SOFTWARE-DEFINED WIDE AREA NETWORK (SD-WAN)

Home Technologies Tested Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) – Overview

TECHNOLOGY DESCRIPTION

The marriage of software-defined networking (SDN) benefits to WAN technology yields the software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN), which allows consumer-grade links (or links without assured performance) to be leveraged for business-class services. Through the use of common VPN capabilities and the separation of data and control planes within SDN, software-managed connections can be established and managed between multiple sites over any number of link types (e.g., fixed circuit, DSL, cable, mobile, MPLS, and so on) without the operational challenges of having to manage different links.

SD-WANs establish links, manage traffic over links according to application or service requirements (e.g., VoIP vs. Facebook), and enforce policy control capabilities (e.g., limit web-based traffic to 50% of a given link), and they are simple to manage. SD-WAN options are part router, part WAN optimization, and part firewall. In addition, some SD-WAN offerings provide security functionality, which makes for a compelling alternative to the multiple-appliance approach that is often required at remote locations.

TECHNOLOGY DESCRIPTION

The marriage of software-defined networking (SDN) benefits to WAN technology yields the software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN), which allows consumer-grade links (or links without assured performance) to be leveraged for business-class services. Through the use of common VPN capabilities and the separation of data and control planes within SDN, software-managed connections can be established and managed between multiple sites over any number of link types (e.g., fixed circuit, DSL, cable, mobile, MPLS, and so on) without the operational challenges of having to manage different links.

SD-WANs establish links, manage traffic over links according to application or service requirements (e.g., VoIP vs. Facebook), and enforce policy control capabilities (e.g., limit web-based traffic to 50% of a given link), and they are simple to manage. SD-WAN options are part router, part WAN optimization, and part firewall. In addition, some SD-WAN offerings provide security functionality, which makes for a compelling alternative to the multiple-appliance approach that is often required at remote locations.

WHAT WE TESTED

NSS Labs’ Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) Group Test evaluates market-leading SD-WAN products on their total cost of ownership (TCO) and Quality of Experience (QoE) regarding VoIP quality and video quality. The test provides Comparative Reports and individual Test Reports to help enterprises make informed decisions to evolve and rationalize their cyber risk programs.

PRODUCTS EVALUATED:

Home Technologies Tested Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) – Overview
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