SD-WAN - the Uber of the networking world

Just as Uber transformed the business of hailing a ride, so wide area networking is being turned over by SD-WAN

Software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) is the backbone of hybrid cloud for enterprise applications, the mainstay of a secure digital perimeter and the foundation of modern networking requirements. The industry is sitting up and taking notice - with this year set to see further SD-WAN growth and increasing interest across sectors.

There is rapidly rising industry demand for a new way to network. SD-WAN meets this need but the transformative technology is going further and leading a networking revolution across the enterprise.

Many of us won't remember the first time we took an Uber - and the same can probably be said for our first taxi journey - yet the technology that underpins such fundamentally similar services has undergone an entire overhaul in recent years. Here are just a few ways SD-WAN can enable such disruptive change.

Automation

Automation enables SD-WAN technology to deliver a seamless, convenient and ultra-efficient experience. If we continue with the Uber example, this is an application of technology that has completely changed the game for private transportation. We started with a traditional model in which a human operator would control the fleet of individual taxis out on the streets and manage who goes where. In this network model, each device is managed separately.

Today, ride-sharing software automates all components of the journey equation: from available vehicles to route efficiency and real-time demand, etc. SD-WAN technology connects enterprise networks, including branch offices, cloud based workloads, data centres, to automation and more to deliver the same result: a seamless, convenient, and ultra-efficient experience. Just like grabbing the nearest ride with a simple click, SD-WAN relies on a single pane of control to manage all the points where the network is running.

Availability

Securing a taxi hasn't always been easy. You had to find the number, or a taxi rank, and hope there was availability at the right time. However, in today's ride-sharing economy, availability isn't a concern. Apps are integrated with a host of third-party providers that ensure contextual awareness. Looking up directions on Google Maps? You can order an Uber or Lyft within Google Maps to get where you're going.

In a similar sense, SD-WAN comes with built-in app awareness that contextually assesses which third-party apps to prioritise in real time to ensure the best end-user experience. It is designed to efficiently and consistently handle the high-volume of application traffic that the modern and future world produces. Most importantly, the tech ensures the network is always available. After all, the business consequences of a network going down are a lot more significant than showing up late to a dinner because you couldn't find a taxi.

Security

Just as with Uber's ride-sharing safety features - such as the ability to share your ride status with friends and family - SD-WAN's built-in security features give businesses one less thing to worry about.

The security features built into SD-WAN cover more traditional protection as well as providing hyper-intelligent, real-time threat defence solutions. It's designed to integrate securely with and complement cloud providers' security systems, reimagining the enterprise security perimeter in the cloud era. Built-in encryption and firewalls are just a few examples of the technology that allows businesses to rest assured that their data is robustly safeguarded from getting into the wrong hands.

A software-defined future

As enterprises continue to move processes and apps from on premise to the cloud, they need to ensure their employees will have constant and consistent access to the data and apps they need. They need to guarantee a superior end-user experience - from seamless processes to unmuffled voice feeds and crystal-clear video, especially when it involves customers.

Businesses must ensure they take advantage of all the opportunities the cloud has to offer while maintaining local efficiency and visibility where it's needed. Understanding the role a developed hybrid cloud model will play to strike a confident balance between true scalability, security, and granular control is key. Luckily for them, SD-WAN and the cloud were made for each other - to deliver just such an unparalleled user experience with a new level of security perimeter for the cloud era.

I believe SD-WAN should be a crucial component of any hybrid cloud environment. With organisations tackling digital transformation, cloud sprawl, the threat of cybersecurity attacks, as well as a new era of integrated communications-as-a-service, SD-WAN has the potential to form the backbone of the new securely defined perimeter for the cloud.

Chalan Aras is VP and GM of NetScaler SD-WAN at Citrix