Since the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, companies across the globe have adopted SD-WAN (Software-Defined Wide Area Networking) architecture for remote workers.

We all know large-scale enterprises have huge amounts of data on the cloud. This is the reason why it is extremely important for the team members to access the cloud applications and workload, wherever they may be. Not just for its cost-effectiveness, but SD-WAN has become an optimal solution for companies with multiple branches or distributed team forces. 

No doubt, the significance of SD-WAN has been considerably recognized during the COVID-19 period. 

So, let us see how exactly SD-WAN and its security is aiding the new remote workforce:

Impact of SD-WAN on Remote Workers

SD-WAN creates scalable, highly secure, and flexible communication, much-required for enterprises operating on multiple clouds and offices in a hybrid environment.

Not only is it quicker to deploy SD-WAN, but it also allows for systematic network management and better visibility of workflows. SD-WAN technology even supports the ability for remote workers to access company resources such as SaaS, cloud-based tools, and so on.

Seeing the bigger picture, SD-WAN architecture is much better in terms of security, reliability, and performance than Virtual Private Network (VPN). 

Furthermore, remote workers can use SD-WAN to manage internet VPN, MPLS (multiprotocol Label Switching), and other such connection types. No matter how wide-ranging the company infrastructure or cloud applications are, remote workers can access them securely from their homes with SD-WAN.

How can Remote Workforce efficiently collaborate with SD-WAN?

Companies must make sure that remote workers across multiple clouds and workers in different branches are efficiently collaborating with the help of SD-WAN. 

Here’s how exactly SD-WAN aids seamless collaboration between team forces:

1. Reliability and Control

With the adoption of SD-WAN solutions, companies will be able to leverage the owned infrastructure that delivers seamless data connectivity and excellent network performance. Not just that, but enterprises can seamlessly connect to CSPs and data centers across the globe.

2. Integrated Security and Compliance

Integrated security is a key element when building secure SD-WAN in order to secure applications and data being accessed. This way, enterprises won’t have to look for multiple services or vendors.

They can seamlessly set up security protocols, encryption, and network firewalls from an integrated portal without opting for multiple security solutions. Enterprises should consider integrating Intrusion Prevention, Next-Gen Firewalls, Malware Protection, and other such security protocols when provisioning SD-WAN. This in return increases the productivity and operational speed of enterprises, thus also removing challenges from securing WAN access.

3. Seamless Experience

Wherever the IT remote workers may be, an optimal SD-WAN portal provides seamless control, easy configuration, and responsive UI and UX. Thus, it makes it simple to use the portal, similar to using any cloud platform. 

Managing Traffic Rush 

Investing in SD-WAN architecture helps enterprises with superior voice and video conferencing performance. All of this is possible as SD-WAN prioritizes traffic and constantly keeps a check on links for packet delays or loss. 

In other words, SD-WAN and cloud technologies allow IT team members to bring applications nearer to the user for increased performance and app availability. SD-WAN solutions that encompass crucial services such as direct cloud connections, embedded communications, hi-tech security services, etc. are very important for a company’s virtual workforce environment.

Why are Enterprises accelerating SD-WAN adoption under COVID-19?

We are witnessing a great acceleration in the adoption of SD-WAN during this COVID-19 pandemic and here are some of the vital reasons behind it:

  • When employees work remotely, the very first step an IT team takes is to create a secure virtual workforce and for that, they need VPN connections. A good SD-WAN portal allows for bulk VPN connections for exceptional connectivity.
  • Phishing and malicious email attempts have increased during this pandemic period. A rock-solid SD-WAN solution will flag these emails and assist ISPs in identifying security threats before they even occur.

Being Sustainable and Providing Better Services with SD-WAN

Lack of bandwidth, increased traffic and poor cloud connectivity are the reasons why companies need to switch to SD-WAN. It is a secure, future-proof alternative that addresses many problems that may occur in MPLS or other VPNs.

This technology overlays on your existing infrastructure, virtually packs data streams, and securely deploys them based upon mobile, DSL, or other network connections. Network policies allow mission-centric applications to be deployed quickly via existing connections. Not only does this make connectivity faster but also reliable and secure, as even if one link fails, the connection will still be stable due to other channels. Moreover, systematic resource management in SD-WAN makes it more cost-effective in the long run.

With such amassing connections, you will also get better visibility and central management over the network.

It can entirely automate the process of creating secure site-to-site connections based on rules and allow for direct cloud connections. For remote workers, deployment of SD-WAN also means better flexibility in accessing company applications, thereby making mobile workload more seamless.

Bandwidth and Flexibility 

A highly secure and permanently available internet connection is one of the key elements of any remote workplace. Today with SD-WAN, it has become possible for remote workers to access applications via cloud from different locations, on the go, and even from different endpoints.

Since SD-WAN is modern technology, it is much better in terms of efficiency, flexibility, and security. 

Traditional MPLS technologies are easy-to-use but offer limited bandwidth and are quite complex to customize. This is why it takes weeks or even months to fully establish MPLS connections. Not to forget, this technology is not well-versed with cloud environments.

We all know cloud platforms are evolving rapidly in the corporate industry, and it is only going to get bigger in the future. In this case, a cloud-friendly connection like SD-WAN with short latency is certainly preferable. SD-WAN architecture is able to meet the bandwidth needs related to companies’ scalability and deployment of new applications.

Wrap Up:

Aiming for autonomous networking, the SD-WAN technology is remarkably driven to solve challenges that enterprises are facing today, especially in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With a hike in the economy, enterprises want to invest in faster technologies to be more flexible and operate seamlessly across the globe. Keeping this in mind, traditional MPLS connections or WAN architectures cannot really fulfill your growing bandwidth needs and cloud connection requirements. 

SD-WAN solution is not only flexible but also provides central control over the network without making it all complex. Such optimal all-in-one technology saves you from incurring costs.