Technology is constantly evolving, just like the business landscape it supports. This evolution may have prompted your organization to transition to SD-WAN years ago, as it offered significant advantages over MPLS at the time. However, with the rapid pace of innovation, it’s worth asking: Is SD-WAN still the right investment, or is it time to embrace the next generation of technology?
SD-WAN No Longer Cutting It
SD-WAN addressed many of the limitations of MPLS at the time, including high costs and limited scalability. But the world has changed since then and SD-WAN wasn’t designed for the following trends:
- Cloud Adoption: Organizations have rapidly migrated to cloud services across all levels including software applications (SaaS) to infrastructure (IaaS) and development platforms (PaaS). This shift has redefined how businesses operate.
- Remote Work: The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the shift towards remote and hybrid work models that require secure access from anywhere.
- Edge Computing: The rise of IoT and edge computing has brought data processing closer to its sources, fundamentally altering traditional network traffic patterns.
And then there’s the not-so-small subject of cybersecurity that cannot be ignored. While SD-WAN may excel at network optimization, it wasn't designed to address sophisticated security challenges across distributed workforces, cloud services, and dynamic cyber threats. Its architecture was not designed for the integrated, comprehensive security that modern enterprises require without relying on multiple additional security solutions.
Yes, there was a time in which most traffic remained within the confines of the MPLS, but those days are gone. The fact is that modern IT environments today rely on cloud and Internet-bound traffic, thus requiring a comprehensive approach to protect data and resources across all network edges, from on-premises infrastructure to cloud applications and remote users.
SASE: The New Alternative to SD-WAN
Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) offers a compelling alternative as it integrates SD-WAN, security, and remote access into a unified, global cloud service. Let’s face it, more independent systems mean more headaches, licenses, and management. SASE convergence reduces the need for multiple point solutions, simplifies infrastructure, lowers costs, and minimizes routine maintenance. As a result, organizations gain improved security, increased speed, and greater operational efficiency. Let’s look at some of the other ways that SASE stands out over SD-WAN.
Cloud Native
Cloud-native architecture, including SASE, offers significant advantages by reducing internal IT workloads as providers maintain and update their solutions. This approach extends several benefits to organizations:
- SASE scales automatically through cloud infrastructure without adding hardware
- New locations can be brought online in hours rather than weeks
- Capacity adjusts dynamically to meet changing demands
- Lower hardware investment requirements
Distributed Parity Across All Edges
As businesses shift resources and computing power to their edges to be closer to customers, traditional networking architectures have struggled to keep pace. These legacy approaches often required separate point solutions to handle SD-WAN, remote access and cloud accelerators.
SASE frees you from that approach as its architecture includes a full edge SD-WAN solution. A true SASE architecture fundamentally reimagines network connectivity by treating all access points equally, whether they're physical offices, cloud resources, or individual users. This "all edges" approach delivers several key advantages:
- Every connection point gets the same level of security and performance
- Consistent policies apply automatically across all edges
- Elimination of separate SD-WAN solutions for office locations
- Reduced training requirements for IT staff
Streamlining Cross Border Operations
Many businesses extend far beyond regional hubs, branch offices, and international borders to serve an increasing number of global users. Implementing local SD-WAN solutions on the other side of the world introduced new challenges. While the global reach of a SASE provider will vary, those with the right global private backbone and necessary Points of Presence locations (PoPs) will:
- Deliver consistent, low-latency performance worldwide through strategically placed Points of Presence (PoPs)
- Provide local breakout points near major cloud providers for faster application access
- Scale bandwidth dynamically based on regional needs
- Support local compliance requirements through regional data processing
Future Proofing Your Network
Just as city planners must design infrastructure for the rapidly growing metropolis of tomorrow, IT managers must choose the appropriate architectures that will not only accommodate future business outcomes, but future technologies and trends. SASE architecture future proofs your enterprise by its ability to:
- Accommodate new technologies without infrastructure overhaul
- Reduce reliance on hardware that can become obsolete
- Support geographic expansion without complexity
- Adapt to changing traffic patterns
The cloud-native nature of SASE means your network infrastructure evolves alongside technology advances, much like a modern city that can adapt and grow to meet changing demands without requiring complete reconstruction.
Watch: How SASE Simplifies Network & IT Security
Key Factors in Your Decision-Making Process
The consideration of future-proofing your enterprise should be one of several factors when deciding whether to renew your SD-WAN licensing or begin a transition to SASE. Here are some additional considerations to evaluate as you make this decision:
- Assess your organization’s reliance on cloud services and how it has changed since you first implemented your current SD-WAN solution. Because SASE offers optimized cloud access with reduced latency and improved application performance, it may be better aligned with a cloud-first strategy compared to SD-WAN.
- Consider whether SD-WAN can continue to scale with your organization’s growth trajectory. SASE’s cloud-native architecture often scales without additional hardware investments for your expanding attack surface.
- Evaluate the level of effort required to manage SD-WAN regarding location expansion and new security measures. SASE simplifies management by unifying networking and security into a single platform with centralized management.
While SASE offers real benefits over SD-WAN, you do need to carefully evaluate the associated costs and organizational readiness. There will be transition costs, and not every IT team can adapt to a cloud-native solution overnight. Given the complexity of such a transition, partnering with a trusted expert can make all the difference.
WEI has extensive experience guiding enterprises through secure, seamless SASE deployments, ensuring your organization maximizes the benefits while minimizing disruption. Our team of specialists can assess your unique needs and develop a tailored strategy that aligns with your security, networking, and business goals. If you’re considering the move to SASE, contact WEI today to explore how we can help simplify your transition.
Watch: WEI's Unique Approach To Customer Success
One More Thing: Security
When it comes to IT, you cannot overemphasize security. Your business continuity and reputation depend on it. Security needs to be comprehensive and embedded in everything across your organization. Perhaps the greatest difference between SD-WAN and SASE is how they approach security. SD-WAN requires additional security solutions on top while SASE incorporates a comprehensive security stack directly into the network architecture, including built-in zero trust security principles. Its cloud native security ensures both consistent policy enforcement and reduced operational overhead regardless of location.
Conclusion
Just as your organization evolved from physical servers to virtualization and from on-premises data centers to cloud computing, it may be time to move beyond SD-WAN to SASE. While SD-WAN may have served its purpose well over the years, today's cloud-first business strategies demand the integrated security and networking of SASE.
At WEI, we help enterprises modernize their network architecture with cutting-edge SASE solutions, ensuring security, scalability, and operational efficiency. Whether you're in the early stages of evaluation or ready to deploy, our experts are here to guide you every step of the way. Reach out to WEI today to start your SASE transformation.
Next Steps: What do leading industry analysts really think about SASE, its benefits, use cases and long-term enterprise adoption? As you’ve probably guessed from reading the title, industry analysts have widespread regard for SASE, with Gartner estimating that 60% of enterprises will employ a SASE strategy by 2025. But why? Read the CATO Networks eBook, form your own opinion of SASE based on analyst insights, and decide if SASE is a fit for your enterprise needs.
