4 Steps to Prepare Before Deploying SD-WAN

Software Defined Wide Area Networks (SD-WAN) are marketed as alternative solutions to eliminate expensive MPLS and Metro Ethernet connections in favor of low-cost broadband. In most cases, this claim is true. However, in some cases, it is still necessary to maintain some or all leased line connections.

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It is important to understand the capabilities that SD-WAN technology currently has. Compared with standard WAN acceleration technology, SD-WAN can also simplify caching, compress and optimize links to reduce total bandwidth, helping to reduce overall latency. When two or more WAN links are available, SD-WAN tools monitor each link to determine the fastest path at any given moment, and data is forwarded along the fastest path on a packet-by-packet basis. Even when using the fastest Internet broadband connection, it can help reduce overall latency and jitter. All these advantages explain why SD-WAN technology has gained industry attention and is developing rapidly.

According to Gartner, SD-WAN deployments will surge over the next few years, with 30% of enterprises using SD-WAN technology by 2019. While SD-WAN can handle a lot of work, it can't handle everything that's thrown at it. If your WAN currently consists of leased lines, whether it's MPLS, Metro Ethernet, or traditional digital lines, your service provider can offer end-to-end throughput and latency guarantees, which are included in your service-level agreement. While SD-WAN does help with throughput and latency issues by having multiple broadband connections, it still doesn't guarantee performance for you. For example, if you're running SD-WAN on two separate broadband connections, and both are experiencing network congestion or high latency, your service will be impacted. This is especially true for latency-sensitive data streams, such as real-time voice and video communications. Preparing for an SD-WAN deployment

Here are 4 steps to take before deploying SD-WAN to help your business or organization decide if SD-WAN is right for you. Prioritize remote sites: The first step in any SD-WAN migration plan is to prioritize remote sites. If a site is considered critical to the business, it is extremely important to maintain your leased line infrastructure to better ensure 24/7 operational efficiency. You can also consider alternative connections by implementing SD-WAN and adding broadband links as secondary connections. This will provide you with intelligent routing capabilities on cheaper transmission media. In other words, you can replace expensive secondary leased lines with cheaper broadband connections. So if a company has two MPLS links connecting a single WAN site for critical locations, there may be redundancy. You can eliminate one MPLS link, replace it with a cheaper broadband Internet link, and implement intelligent SD-WAN routing across the MPLS and broadband links. You can even achieve a reduction in the entire leased line throughput to save costs and still provide the required service level. Research broadband options: If the remote site is at the bottom of the criticality list, it is important to consider replacing these leased lines with SD-WAN and two or more low-cost broadband links. Broadband options also vary widely from remote site to remote site, and users may even encounter situations where multiple carriers do not exist. This is why it is important to thoroughly investigate broadband and leased line options before making any final decisions on SD-WAN deployments. Gradually implement site migration: Users should also gradually migrate remote sites to SD-WAN, starting with low priorities to test SD-WAN capabilities and resolve configuration issues in the process. Many SD-WAN technologies or products are claimed to be plug-and-play, but in any case, SD-WAN deployments require configuration adjustments to better optimize the WAN for specific applications and data transmission needs. Reduce costs: Once you have investigated which remote sites can eliminate or reduce expensive leased line connections, it is time to reduce costs. Since SD-WAN technology is relatively new, vendors are asking high prices. Therefore, reducing costs through leased broadband replacement must cover the cost of purchasing SD-WAN hardware, software, and services, and users should aim to achieve break-even in three years or less. If you cannot achieve this goal, you may need to wait until the cost of SD-WAN deployment is reduced before deploying SD-WAN.