To avoid these complications, many network operations teams are turning to software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) as a way to reduce overhead, and support the new applications and services that result from digital transformation. This innovative technology not only simplifies the everyday management and operation of a WAN, but also delivers a number of real-world business benefits.
Here are five different ways the experts at Fortinet have identified that SD-WAN can boost your bottom line and save IT headaches.
Not all network traffic is created equally. SD-WAN can be configured to prioritize business-critical traffic and real-time services and steer it over the most efficient route. By facilitating critical applications through these connections, IT teams can help reduce packet loss and latency issues – improving employee productivity and boosting morale.
Digital transformation is a double-edged sword. While it can improve customer satisfaction and extend market reach, it can also expose an organization to significant security risks. The good news is SD-WAN solutions offer built-in security features such as NGFW, IPS, encryption, AV, and sandboxing capabilities that help prevent data loss, downtime, regulatory violations, and legal liabilities.
Digital transformation initiatives can add layers of complexity to a network. The result is not only a risk of poor network performance, but over-taxed IT teams and the need for locating onsite personnel at remote sites to manage the local IT infrastructure. Fortunately, SD-WAN can ease IT’s burden by simplifying WAN infrastructure – using broadband to offload non-critical business apps, automating monitoring tasks, and managing traffic through a centralized controller.
Organizations are increasingly adopting cloud services. SD-WAN enables direct cloud access at the remote branch, eliminating backhauling traffic and allowing users to directly access cloud applications regardless of location without burdening the core network with additional traffic to manage and secure. Additionally, SD-WAN improves cloud application performance by prioritizing business critical applications and enabling branches to directly communicate via internet.
As enterprises deploy an ever-increasing array of cloud-based applications, the amount of data traveling over a WAN increases exponentially, which increases operating costs. Fortunately, SD-WAN can reduce this price tag by leveraging low cost local internet access, providing direct cloud access, and reducing the amount of traffic over the backbone WAN. According to an IDC survey, nearly a quarter of respondents expect SD-WAN cost savings of upwards of 39 percent.
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5 Reasons Network Pros Implement SD-WAN
In today’s crowded SD-WAN market, it can be challenging to know exactly what to look for in a solution. Here are a few things to keep in mind to make sure your solution provides a balance of quality, security, and value:
As the SD-WAN market continues to grow, it’s more important than ever that organizations remain aware of the importance of security. Fortinet’s Secure SD-WAN solution is the first to fully integrate security and networking – including routing, SD-WAN, a full security suite, WAN optimization, and integrated management – into a single SD-WAN solution designed to meet the actual demands of the growing WAN Edge market. Contact WEI today to learn more about Fortinet’s solution, and how your enterprise can benefit.
NEXT STEPS: It's always a great time to review your enterprise security strategy. Check out our helpful guide to be sure your enterprise is equipped with the right security solutions as we brace for what’s in store this year from a cybersecurity and network security perspective. Click below to download a copy of our eBook, an IT Leader’s Guide to Enterprise Security in a Digital World.