Software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) brings the abstraction of SDN to the WAN; however, it is only the latest in a series of transformations of WAN.
The very first stage of WAN, in the 1980s, used point-to-point (PPP) lines to connect different LANs. The price and efficiency of these connections were improved with the introduction of Frame Relay in the early 1990s. Instead of requiring a direct PPP connection between each pair of communicating parties, Frame Relay allowed connection to a “cloud” from a service provider, allowing shared last-mile link bandwidth and the use of less expensive router hardware.
The next stage was the introduction of Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS), which provided an IP-based means of carrying voice, video, and data on the same network. MPLS provides dependable network connections protected by SLAs but is expensive and slow to provision.
In 2013, SD-WAN emerged, showing the potential to be a viable and cost-effective alternative to MPLS – making it the logical next step in WAN technology. By abstracting away the network layer and routing traffic based upon a collection of centrally defined and managed policies, SD-WAN is able to optimize routing and prioritization of various types of application traffic. The flexibility provided by SD-WAN also allows it to better meet the needs of cloud and mobile users. As this type of use is becoming more common, it is unsurprising that many organizations are anticipated to adopt SD-WAN.
Read more at SD-WAN Deployment Services
The very first stage of WAN, in the 1980s, used point-to-point (PPP) lines to connect different LANs. The price and efficiency of these connections were improved with the introduction of Frame Relay in the early 1990s. Instead of requiring a direct PPP connection between each pair of communicating parties, Frame Relay allowed connection to a “cloud” from a service provider, allowing shared last-mile link bandwidth and the use of less expensive router hardware.
The next stage was the introduction of Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS), which provided an IP-based means of carrying voice, video, and data on the same network. MPLS provides dependable network connections protected by SLAs but is expensive and slow to provision.
In 2013, SD-WAN emerged, showing the potential to be a viable and cost-effective alternative to MPLS – making it the logical next step in WAN technology. By abstracting away the network layer and routing traffic based upon a collection of centrally defined and managed policies, SD-WAN is able to optimize routing and prioritization of various types of application traffic. The flexibility provided by SD-WAN also allows it to better meet the needs of cloud and mobile users. As this type of use is becoming more common, it is unsurprising that many organizations are anticipated to adopt SD-WAN.
Read more at SD-WAN Deployment Services
