SD-WAN – Technology Navigation Inc.

Enhance Your Network Connectivity with SD-WAN: A Game-Changer for IT Solutions

Enhance Your Network Connectivity with SD-WAN: A Game-Changer for IT Solutions

While embarking on the wave of current IT trends, one technology stands out as a transformative force – SD-WAN. However, before diving in, it’s crucial to ask: does SD-WAN align with the unique needs of your organization? In this blog post, we’ll delve into the distinctive advantages of SD-WAN, offering insights to help you ascertain whether it’s the perfect fit for optimizing your IT infrastructure.

Dynamic, Policy-Based Application Path Selection

SD-WAN, or Software-Defined Wide Area Network, serves as a contemporary replacement for traditional Wide Area Networks (WANs). Its defining feature lies in its ability to offer dynamic, policy-based application path selection and Quality of Service (QoS)-based routing. This means you can prioritize elements in your network’s communications, leading to improved efficiency and performance.

Enhanced Redundancy and Resiliency

One of the key advantages of SD-WAN is its capability to increase redundancy and resiliency across all your locations. In the event of a circuit failure, SD-WAN seamlessly redirects the traffic to an available circuit, ensuring uninterrupted operations. This redundancy feature is crucial for maintaining a stable and reliable network, especially for organizations with multiple locations.

Cost-Effective Connectivity

SD-WAN allows you to connect lower-cost transport with multiple methodologies for your corporate, remote, and contract users. Whether your organization has a single location or thousands, SD-WAN can optimize network connection capabilities and provide a cost-effective solution for your connectivity needs.

Seamless Cloud Connectivity

Embracing the cloud? SD-WAN facilitates seamless connectivity with both private and public cloud environments. This ensures that your organization can fully leverage the benefits of cloud services without compromising on network performance.

Direct Connection for Software and Applications

Concerned about the connectivity of your company’s software and applications? SD-WAN allows the direct connection of customized Software as a Service (SaaS) and applications to the Internet. This streamlined approach enhances overall network efficiency and ensures a smooth user experience.

Is SD-WAN Right for You?

The answer lies in your organization’s specific requirements. If you need improved network performance, enhanced redundancy, cost-effective connectivity, and seamless integration with the cloud, then SD-WAN is undoubtedly the right choice for you.

Technology Navigation: Your SD-WAN Solution Partner

Determining the right SD-WAN supplier for your organization can be a complex task. That’s where Technology Navigation comes in. We specialize in handling the most challenging aspects of sourcing an IT solution, including requirement determination, supplier handling, contract negotiation, augmented installation, and ongoing support.

Let us guide you through the process of sourcing, installing, and supporting your SD-WAN solution. With Technology Navigation, you can maximize the benefits of SD-WAN without the hassle of navigating the intricacies of the IT landscape. Contact us today to start your journey towards a more efficient and resilient network infrastructure.

Thinking of security and SD-WAN? 4 SASE Trends you need to keep an eye on!

Thinking of security and SD-WAN? 4 SASE Trends you need to keep an eye on!

By Chis Newell
Founder & President

Studies have shown that SASE framework will account for 25+ percent of SD-WAN and cloud security services by the end of 2027. As we progress into 2023 let’s take a closer look at 4 emerging trends of SASE that could impact the year ahead.

SASE is a framework, not just another security mechanism. As we progress into this structure, the payoffs, little nuances, and big strategies have become much clearer.

1. Consolidation of SD-WAN following SASE framework adoption

Undeniably, as SASE adoption gains traction, there will be a good number of SD-WAN and security consolidations. It was difficult to discuss security options with SD-WAN, the intervention of SASE framework certainly converges the conversation. SASE key product sets are combining:

  • Software-Define Wide Area Network (SD-WAN)
  • Secure Web Gateway (SWG)
  • Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB)
  • Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
  • Firewall as a Service (FWaaS)
  • Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)
  • Centralized Management

Ever since businesses have embraced the remote office/users, IoT and home users, things have taken a solemn turn in a secure network edge. Simply, converging the conversation with a SASE framework, improves and secures networks.

2. Securing IoT devices

As employees continue to use a range of IoT devices, all mission-critical IoT will be looking to embrace SD-WAN with a SASE architecture. IoTs vital role is also its weakness. Because of IoTs mobility in business environments, security is an afterthought instead of a secure, faster, and reliable connection. It is important to note that all such IoT devices in the residential tech stack bleeding into the corporate environment pose a high risk.

Therefore, generating a holistic SD-WAN SASE awareness of all such devices (residential and business) will gain significance. Most SASE-based issues from IoT come from how invisible they are on the network.

3. SaaS Cloud Native Platforms & SASE

When looking to fuel digital transformations, SaaS makes it easier than not to move to the cloud.However, such benefits don’t come with a warning label. SASE’s security protects the most common bad actors facing SaaS applications.     

Phishing, malware, and account takeover are just some of the attacks SASE can stop or limit your organization’s exposure. 

While SaaS is an attractive way to transform to the digital age, protecting your journey is paramount.

4. SASE is redefining security for remote and home office networking

Since COVID disrupted the way of working, bad actors have been on a spree. According to Andrew Ossipov, CTO at Cisco, social engineering aimed at extracting credentials of corporates is fast becoming a daily occurrence because of a more significant number of remote workers. All thanks to feebly protected solutions connected to home and remote office networks with limited visibility.

With SASE on the scene, enterprises seek powerful ZTNA and SDP connections for various hybrid applications. More so, with increasing human-readable security policies for private, cloud, and SaaS network enforcement points.

Things will eventually boil down to a secure, end-to-end connectivity reinforcing a positive user experience across the length and breadth of applications.  

Wrap Up

Undoubtedly, as SASE solutions grow mature, integration capabilities will expand. 

The need for the hour is an optimal secure network and user experience, which the SASE framework provides. 

For customers looking to embrace the best-in-class solutions, you should team up with a supplier that has extended SASE capabilities and allows you to consume these capabilities as required.

Technology Navigation can help you find the SASE provider. Connect with us to learn more.