Recently, SD-WAN (software-defined wide area networking) has become one of the hottest words among enterprises networking operators and services providers. Why? On one hand, more and more Internet-based applications, services and bandwidth-intensive applications are deployed in the cloud. On the other hand, all these added equipment not only requires operators to invest lots of funds, but also to spend time and money to manage them. How to solve this collision? Then the SD-WAN comes to help.
According to Gartner, “SD-WAN is a new and transformational way to architect, deploy and operate corporate WANs, as it provides a dramatically simplified way of deploying and managing remote branch office connectivity in a cost-effective manner.” Put it in simple terms, SD-WAN is a specific application of software-defined networking (SDN) technology applied to WAN connections. It is often used to connect enterprise networks over large geographic distances and can help operators to determine the most effective way to route traffic to other remote locations.The SD-WAN are replacing traditional WANs quickly as more enterprises realize the demand to rethink the networking architecture for today’s cloud-based world. One of the chief characteristics of SD-WAN is its ability to manage multiple types of connections – from MPLS to broadband to LTE. And diverse applications increase and migrate from the cooperate data center into the cloud, the SD-WAN enables enterprises to deploy their WANs 100 times faster and 3 times cheaper. In addition, SD-WAN can lower costs and improve efficiency. With SD-WAN, operators don’t need to buy expensive MPLS connections to interconnect remote sites, which help operators eliminate some expensive but unnecessary devices. Furthermore, SD-WAN is capable of overcoming the security, reliability and performance challenges to using the Internet for business applications, which is what customers and services provider care much about.
Due to its powerful functions and performances, SD-WAN is attracting growing interest to enterprises. Based on Gartner’s estimation, SD-WAN occupies less than 5% market shares today, but up to 25% of users will manage their WAN through software in two years. And the revenue of SD-WAN vendors will be up to $1.3 billion by 2020.http://www.egscabletie.com