SD-WAN stands for Software-Defined Networking in a Wide Area Network. Basically, it breaks the link between network hardware and network management software. A key application of SD-WAN is to allow companies to build higher-performance WANs using lower-cost and commercially available Internet access between a main office and remote locations, branches and datacenters. Business are able to partially or wholly replace more expensive private WAN connection technologies such as MPLS.
It was just a few years ago that if you mentioned SD-WAN to someone in the IT world, most likely it would be the first time they had ever heard of it. Today, its a pretty mature technology that telecommunication enginneers are familiar with and many technology managers are aware of. As is often the case with technology, any lack of understanding is largely due to there being a lot of market confusion around a term as providers move to stake their place in the new technology.
SD-WAN is growing in popularity as an alternative to an MPLS network implementation because SD-WAN is showing that it can deliver more reliable connectivity at faster speeds. It also provides the ability to access cloud based applications and services. Beyond the technical benefits, SD-WAN makes it easy for IT managers to migrate company applications from their private networks to the cloud, giving their users more access flexibility.
During my research on this blog, I came across a great diagram on Juniper.net’s website showing how SD-WAN works. 
The key component of SD-WAN is Broadband Bonding. This is where 2 (or more) broadband lines are combined via a software solution. The combined bandwidth acts as a single high capacity connection to the cloud. The result is a single public IP address capable of doubling (or 3x, or 4x) both your download and your upload speeds. An additional feature that simplifies getting SD-WAN implemented is that it can be had as a service on a subscription basis. Managed SD-WAN is an end-to-end turn-key network that can be implemented on an existing network infrastructure quickly and easily. It’s agnostic to WAN transport. Managed SD-WAN providers can integrate and manage cost-effective broadband access nationwide over wire-line, cable, wireless and even satellite. Additonally, managed SD-WAN service offloads Internet traffic closer to the edge of the network for improved enterprise network performance. Teledata Select offers a whole range of services that will help you meet your business goals. Starting with a complimentary review of your current telecommunication bills to identify errors and find opportunities for savings, better service and more functionality. We also offer project management for new service implementation and infrastructure installs, including fiber and low voltage cabling. Call us at 404-257-1502 to discuss your current Telecom Service Solution and what you would like to get out of it. Or send us a note via This Link to start a no obligation discussion of your specific business technology needs.
Don Miller is a PMP certified Project Manager splits his time between Atlanta and Seattle. He has come to Teledata Select via Seattle, New York and Washington DC. His experience running small to multi-million dollar projects in the Banking, Software, Telecommunications and Insurance Industries across the US has given him a wide range of business
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