What is SD-WAN and Why Does Your Business Need It?

Are you the main decision maker for your business? Do you have to make technological decisions, but often feel lost in the sea of technical jargon? While there are many acronyms and terms thrown around regularly, we want to help you with one term that can make a big difference in your business.  That is SD-WAN. 

This technology is so important because it can increase employee productivity and customer satisfaction while increasing your margins and profitability. So, what is SD-WAN, you may ask? Well, read on to learn more.  

What is SD-WAN?

Software-Defined Wide Area Network, better known as SD-WAN, is an innovative network management and security solution. It allows you to take control of all the activities running on your company network. This includes your team’s email sends, phone calls and videoconferences, as well as their use of online databases or apps – even your guest Wi-Fi. SD-WAN ensures that the mission critical tools your staff relies on are always up and running at peak performance. No more downtime, dropped calls or waiting while an application loads. It also keeps all your company resources and data secured while your team is connected to the Internet.

A Better Way – The Business Benefits of SD-WAN

With its built-in failover functionality, SD-WAN ensures that your team can continue their work uninterrupted even when there is an Internet outage at your office. When your primary connection goes down, all of your important network functions are transitioned automatically and seamlessly to a backup connection. Your team and customers won’t even notice when it happens.

This technology also keeps your team productive and your clients happy. It ensures that all the important business functions that require an Internet connection are fast and efficient, including your customer communications. SD-WAN allows you to prioritize the traffic running on your network. It ensures that phone calls, databases and other important applications always get the bandwidth resources they need for high performance. At the same time, social media or video streaming can get leftover bandwidth only – or be blocked completely.

With its Unified Threat Management capabilities, SD-WAN also protects your company data, whether your team works from the office or remotely. Many solutions, such as S-NET’s, come with an application installed to your staff’s desktop device. This keeps your network safe, regardless of what Internet connection your team may have available.

A Few Highlights

• Secure, Efficient Connection – SD-WAN connects all of your branch locations (including remote workers) with a secure and unified network. Not only can you connect your branch locations, but also all of the cloud-based resources within your locations are connected safely.
• Easy Management – When working with SD-WAN, you will have access to an admin portal, or interface, that allows you to mass-deploy commands that need to be implemented at all branch locations. You can also easily manage your network routing and security from this portal. Real-time analytics are also available through your admin portal.
• Enhanced Security – SD-WAN has security features built in. Secure access, firewalls, and threat management.
• Cost Effective – When you combine functions such as security, bandwidth allocation, remote access, and network management into one solution, you can reap the financial benefits of a streamlined system. Not only that, but SD-WAN also consolidates several network functions into a single hardware box, so that contributes to savings as well!

Why Use SD-WAN?

So, why should businesses utilize SD-WAN? This technology lowers networking costs, increases bandwidth efficiency, and provides WAN simplification. It keeps your network running efficiently and your employees productive. It also increases security, data privacy, reducing business risk.

Additionally, SD-WAN can be seamlessly integrated with your current WAN, used to augment your MPLS network or replace your MPLS. Once you deploy your new SD-WAN, it will route current applications and traffic according to the policies and protocols your company specifies. This makes it easier for you to monitor the network.

Optimize Your Business Network

SD-WAN can help improve business productivity and customer satisfaction which can lead to higher profits. When you use S-NET’s SD-WAN, you will be using a solution backed by Versa Networks, recognized as a leading solution through Magic Quadrant for WAN Edge Infrastructure.

Our SD-WAN solution is simple to use and reliable, so you can rest easy knowing you have invested in a robust network for your business.

If you are still not sure and wondering if SD-WAN is right for you, give the professionals at S-NET a call. As experts in the field, we can give you all the information you need to make informed decisions for your business. Get started with a better SD-WAN from S-NET today!