Are all SD-WANs made equal?

The cost of doing business seems to be rising with no end in sight, and mid-to-large Enterprises are not different, seeing the impact just as much. Yet, larger organisations are expected to be at the forefront of innovation, and, therefore must also evolve their network performance to ensure new technologies and ways of working can be seamlessly integrated into IT stacks that are already complex.

By embracing a Unified SD-WAN & SASE network architecture that provides multiple cost benefits, as well as enabling far greater control over network orchestration and optimisation, global enterprises can meet the cost challenges of today’s economy while successfully enacting their digital transformation strategies.

Here’s how:

MPLS Vs. SD-WAN Traditionally, larger organisations have leveraged costly MPLS and Leased Line connectivity solutions to ensure the highest possible network performance. However, the CapEx costs are increasingly prohibitive, not to mention long lead times and complex deployments!

Instead, a Unified SD-WAN & SASE solution enables enterprises to pick and choose the right Last Mile services for each branch or office, ensuring cost-effective internet access. All while providing secure access for users and sites to applications and data anywhere – meaning less to be spent on peripheral security services, as businesses can leverage content scanning, real-time threat intelligence and cloud Firewall with unified policy enforcement across sites, users, and devices, all through the SD-WAN portal.

Plus, with many SD-WAN/SASE solutions delivered via a 100% subscription-only revenue model, organisations can dramatically enhance their network capabilities with absolutely 0 upfront outlays, while accelerating connectivity deployment to a matter of days, not months!

Reducing risk and complexity

While the complexity of managing multiple supplier relationships and ensuring each performs to its potential may be off-putting at first, the best SD-WAN vendors, like Aryaka, will offer Enterprise-grade SLAs across First and Last Mile services, and manage those connections as part of their fully managed solution.

Not only does this modality allay concerns of unreliable connectivity affecting overall productivity, but it also frees up internal IT teams’ time to spend on more nuanced IT tasks, further increasing a business’ return on investment.

Furthermore, Enterprises won’t have to worry about the risks attached to local regulations and technology challenges in other locations, for example, China. China plays a strategic role as a hub for partners and suppliers as well as a source of skilled labour, but the internet infrastructure in China is characterised by several potential choke points that include data and application filtering.

Without the assurance of SLAs to push back to connectivity suppliers with, this routinely leads to high latency and packet loss, and in turn, lower productivity. Complex Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) are proposed as a solution, but they too have their issues due to a reliance on the public internet and their peering relationships.

However, this isn’t an issue for Aryaka customers because Aryaka’s global PoP topology provides optimal coverage worldwide, with the underlying global L2 core ensuring utterly deterministic enterprise network performance for all users, their devices, and applications – be it cloud-based or on-premises – to provide optimal coverage across Asia in general and China in particular.

In summary, Aryaka’s SD-WAN & Unified SASE removes the complexity of managing the pieces and parts of network security architecture, while accelerating the deployment of connectivity and providing a single user interface for network management and optimisation. In fact, Forrester Consulting recently conducted an independent cost/benefit analysis of Aryaka's Managed SD-WAN and SASE Services, finding the solution provided 113% ROI and payback in less than 6 months for a composite organisation of four current customers, with additional benefits including:

· 45% reduction in effort by NetOps staff

· Increases in user productivity and satisfaction due to lower latency

· Further security benefits delivered via built-in threat protection

· Measurable impact on scaling acceleration for the business with less effort

This is a potential gamer changer for enterprises, enabling a truly optimised and global network that can stand strong, as the solid foundations required form which to build innovative new products and services.