The traditional function and use of WAN networks was to connect users at remote sites or branches to resources hosted on servers at headquarters or in the data center. To guarantee the security and reliability of information, MPLS circuits were normally used, along with dedicated internet links for access to public resources. MPLS links are expensive and offer very limited bandwidth; even so, they have been an effective solution over recent years.
That is no longer as effective today: with the ever-growing adoption of cloud and SaaS applications, requirements have changed and WAN traffic has increased dramatically. These changes bring major challenges in areas such as access policy management, application performance, and information exposure. All of this drives the need for a new network model for WAN access.
SD-WAN, or software-defined WAN, is a new approach to network connectivity that addresses all of these challenges. It allows more efficient use of bandwidth across the available links and guarantees the highest level of performance for critical applications without sacrificing information security.
Cisco Meraki has been working on SD-WAN since 2016, which makes it one of the most stable technology platforms in this field. With its MX firewalls it offers a solution that is easy and efficient to deploy and manage. At Netmask we have seen first-hand how, with SD-WAN, our clients' infrastructure has gained stability and scalability, allowing IT staff to spend less time on operations and incident handling and more time on projects and initiatives that create value for the business.
Cristian Munera