SD WAN (software-defined wide area network) is a software-defined wide area network that utilizes software components to control network operations. Specialized management software virtualizes network hardware in the same way that hypervisors and other components virtualize data center operations. SD-WAN is a technique for using software to make wide area networks more intelligent and flexible.
What exactly is SD-WAN used for? According to an article published in Techopedia, SD-WAN can help wide area networks handle network traffic using specific protocols while providing an intuitive interface for users. Furthermore, SD-WAN can support features such as firewalls, gateways, and virtual private network appliances for privacy. Furthermore, SD-WAN can also help with redundancy, backup and recovery, and troubleshooting.
Why is SD-WAN important? SD-WAN can address common IT issues, such as downtime, which can impact reputation and the bottom line. In this situation, agile, flexible, and cost-effective IT solutions are needed. With SD-WAN, the aforementioned issues can be addressed with a new approach that also brings enterprise scale and security. That’s why SD-WAN has become one of the most popular network solutions available today.
There are 5 advantages or benefits of SD-WAN that can be obtained, as quoted from the following article published by Forcepoint:
- Lower Connectivity Costs
The first advantage of SD-WAN is that it can reduce ongoing operational costs by switching from expensive MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching) lines to commodity broadband such as fiber, cable, DSL, or even cellular technology. - Higher Performance for the Cloud
Another advantage is that with SD-WAN, new lines can be added quickly and easily to sites that need more capacity. By connecting sites directly to the internet, SD-WAN eliminates the bottlenecks and delays common in older WANs. - Multiple Link Resilience
Traditional WAN environments typically have a single network link entering each site. With SD-WAN, multiple links from different ISPs can be used, eliminating a single point of failure that can bring down the network. - Greater Agility
When you open a new branch office, time is money. SD-WAN allows you to quickly set up a reliable and secure network, using whichever ISP is most appropriate for each location. - Optimized Use of Resources
SD-WAN allows you to intelligently assign key applications to various links, including internal lines and Internet connections, providing different Quality of Service (QoS) guarantees for each. This allows you to deploy the right resources in each situation to maximize performance and productivity while minimizing costs.
Key Strategies for SD-WAN Monitoring
As technology advances, so too do challenges that DevOps must face. To address these challenges, SD-WAN monitoring is essential. While the previous article explained the definition of SD-WAN, this article will discuss SD-WAN monitoring. Here are three strategies for successful SD-WAN monitoring, excerpted from an article written by Kumar.
- Packet Loss, Jitter, and Latency
According to Kumar, these three metrics are the de facto choices for monitoring VPN tunnels. Therefore, it’s not surprising that most SD-WAN vendors have built-in support for collecting and reporting these metrics. Modern network monitoring solutions should contextualize these metrics by combining them with application path analysis. Furthermore, they can strengthen the overall monitoring strategy by adding predictive capacity analysis, which can inform operations teams which applications might experience performance degradation due to impending network congestion. - Topology
Kumar stated in his article that network monitoring solutions should include end-to-end topology visualization of all network components. There are two types of topologies. The first is a traditional physical topology that outlines connected servers, switches, routers, and SD-WAN devices. The second type of topology, a flow topology above the underlying physical layer, is highly beneficial to operations teams. This topology can also show path changes or link aggregation for more detailed monitoring.
- Active Path Testing
This third point is a proactive measure to detect bottlenecks and mitigate performance issues in SD-WAN tunnels. If your SD-WAN vendor has built-in support for this feature, your network monitoring solution should utilize it and correlate the test results with the first two recommendations above. The advantage of active path testing is that it can detect issues outside of normal business hours when there is no application traffic and has the ability to mimic real application traffic.
Sources and references:
https://www.techopedia.com/definition/32488/software-defined-wide-area-network-sd-wan
