ChannelVision Magazine

ChannelVision:What are the main pain points that SD- WAN solves for enterprises? Aryaka’s Claudio Perugini: Legacy networks like MPLS simply were not built for the cloud. They are cumbersome and take time to deploy and scale. They also require an investment in WAN-optimization hardware and an army of human resources to maintain the network. While they do provide more reli- ability and security than the public internet, they’re no longer able to keep up with the rest of the enter- prise’s demands. Global business needs have evolved beyond deploying secure private connections between data centers and regional branch of- fices. They now must consider connecting mobile users, multiple geographies, and third-party cloud and SaaS. What’s more, they must do it all while maintaining a consis- tent user experience for all employ- ees worldwide. The solution to this problem is an SD-WAN with a cloud-native private network. In other words, create an MPLS-grade private network out of points of pres- ence (POPs) distributed around the globe and use SD-WAN and WAN optimization to accelerate application performance, reduce complexity and save costs. This “SD-WAN with a WAN” model is what global enterprises need to be truly successful with applica- tion delivery over long distances, because it’s not just the access to cloud and SaaS applications that defines the disruption – it’s ac- cess to those applications without re-introducing the problems that MPLS was meant to solve in the first place. Versa’s Robert McBride: Cloud is perhaps the biggest driving force behind the aggressive uptick in SD- WAN. Productivity and application clouds are best accessed directly from the internet. But we also see an increase in site-to-site connectiv- ity beyond just SaaS-delivered ap- plications. These private and public applications and services are also more bandwidth-intensive, real-time and media-rich. Enterprises are becoming more distributed, and the concept of the enterprise edge is radically changing. The legacy approach of MPLS- only or non-software-defined hybrid connectivity is ill-suited to address the demands of the enterprise in today’s multi-cloud world. Why? Because of the centralized access and higher-cost-per-bit associated with MPLS-only, and the added management complexity of legacy hybrid-WAN architectures. This cre- ates a roadblock for an enterprise to ensure the best quality of applica- tion experience while not drastically increasing IT budgets and IT opera- tional overhead. SD-WAN provides the enterprise with an application-SLA-driven in- frastructure that facilitates the ability to consume and increase available bandwidth, automate secure con- nectivity between sites and simplify network operations, across the en- tire enterprise WAN estate. In other words, SD-WAN allows for an enterprise to more easily take advantage of alternative forms of WAN transport, while delivering an automated infrastructure ensuring application experience, embedded security and reducing IT manage- ment and operations. CV:While the promise and the premise of the technology are good, the devil is always in the details.What are some best practices for ensuring that the transition from MPLS to SD-WAN goes smoothly? Aryaka’s CP: There are two main ways to provide SD-WAN ser- vices: using just edge-devices or internet-based SD-WAN, or a glob- al SD-WAN, with the technology built into a global private network. Today many companies have posi- tioned themselves as an SD-WAN provider, each with their own idea on how the technology works and what solution it offers the business. With so many vendors claiming to be SD-WAN, it can be difficult to determine which solution is right when upgrading from MPLS. Not all SD-WAN solutions are equal, and this is evident when companies with a global presence transition from MPLS to SD-WAN. Global enterprises that transition from MPLS to internet-based SD- WANs are left wanting for fast and consistent application performance especially for cloud-and SaaS- based applications, as access to these can be painfully slow over the unreliable public Internet. If enterprises are looking for enterprise-grade connectivity with reliable and consistent perfor- mance for all global applications, including on-premises, SaaS and cloud services for voice, video and data, a global SD-WAN with a cloud-native private network is the answer. Compared to MPLS, SD-WAN can make it easier and cheaper for an organization to spin up new branches or set up offices from anywhere, but it is important for any IT leader to assess the needs of their enterprise before doing so. The geographical distribution of the business, its locations and the way the network is managed are very important to determine before choosing an SD-WAN deployment. VeloCloud’s Michael Wood: VeloCloud would suggest that any enterprise seeking to make the change from one to another is to do a phased approach. Enterprises can- not afford to be offline, and if they choose to do a literal “rip” of their existing MPLS and “replace” with SD-WAN, they will run the risk of not meeting employee and customer needs during the transition. Instead, we suggest that SD-WAN be de- ployed alongside the MPLS, and when connectivity is established, remove the MPLS connection. virtual reality 36 Channel Vision | March - April, 2018