Cisco SD-WAN

For many years, many large companies and organizations that had many branches in a city or different cities, their Wide Area Network (WAN) was based on solutions such as MPLS or, in the past years, networks 4G/LTE had been implemented.

However, most WAN networks were based on the MPLS (Multi-Protocol Label Switching) protocol, which is a protocol for controlling network traffic that uses a series of special switches in an MPLS Provider for this purpose. By tagging traffic flows, this solution transfers them between the branches of an organization.

It’s necessary to have faster, more dependable connectivity when moving applications to the cloud. As connected consumer endpoints proliferate, straining bandwidth and exposing sensitive networks to threats and vulnerabilities, the Internet of Things (IoT) demands even higher performance. Your workforce is becoming more mobile at the same time, and they are expecting top performance everywhere they go.

It’s a difficult environment for a business to manage, but Cisco SD-WAN can be used to do so with confidence. The licensed Cisco SD-WAN offers unrivaled visibility across your WAN, the best connectivity for end users, and the most complete security platform to harden your network by combining software-defined efficiency with the Cisco platforms you have grown to trust.

What is SD-WAN technology?

Today, with the expansion of mobile devices, the traffic of Internet-of-Things or IoT devices, SaaS applications, Cloud services and the creation of IaaS and PaaS infrastructures, such as Amazon AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, etc., need to increase security. . This need is to the extent that the security of IoT equipment has become one of the challenges facing security professionals. On the other hand, the provision of Cloud services by CSPs has also made networks more complex.

This extent and complexity have increased day by day to the extent that they make the management of networks and infrastructure more difficult for administrators and network managers. With the advent of Software Defined Network or SDN technology, many of these complications have been significantly reduced in data center networks by providing a solution such as Cisco ACI (or Cisco DNA) and in LAN networks by providing solutions such as Cisco SD-Access.

Why should we use SD-WAN?

SD-WAN architecture has many advantages over traditional WAN networks, which are listed in the table below. Some of these benefits include: supporting SaaS applications, Hybrid Cloud and Multi-Cloud cloud infrastructure, reducing provisioning time and automatic configuration through a mechanism called ZTP (a process called ZTP that we will refer to later in the article) payment), providing more visibility on WAN networks to the endpoints of the WAN network and etc.

SD-WAN architecture allows companies and organizations to use Internet connection for a wide network in addition to existing traditional connections and optimize the use of this network through intelligent routing. SD-WAN not only performs functions related to common wide area network connections, but also ensures secure transmission of application services in the most efficient manner. This technology, as a virtual overlay, allows you to define and automatically operate routing patterns through a single dashboard.

But SD-WAN gives customers more flexibility than a traditional WAN. Now you can optimize your routing paths depending on your work priorities and bandwidth needs, as well as critical business applications. SD-WAN simplifies control for the customer and the wide area network for management. SD-WAN compatibility does not mean migration from MPLS or 4G/LTE, rather these platforms will be placed in the underlying layer or underlay of the SD-WAN network.

You can maintain the classic wide-area network structure for business-critical enterprise applications via MPLS-VPN, and then route the rest of the enterprise network traffic over the Internet to reduce costs. Comparing SD-WAN and MPLS, it can be mentioned that: SD-WAN network increases security, reduces provisioning process time and equipment configuration, reduces costs and provides you with more capabilities.

Cisco SD WAN key features

Architecture focused on the cloud

The licensed Cisco SD-WAN enables users to connect to cloud platforms more quickly, reliably, and effectively. It also allows users to manage connectivity across their WAN from a single dashboard.

You can easily automate the deployment of virtual private gateways in Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS) environments using the licensed Cisco SD-WAN vManage console. Cisco SD-WAN OnRamp secures the delivery of your applications to customers, adjusting your IPsec route as necessary to support service delivery and performance, and keeping an eye out for oddities in the hosting infrastructure.

Without requiring you to use pre-existing multitenant gateways or a laborious manual process, the licensed Cisco SD-WAN OnRamp provides you with enhanced, automated connectivity to IaaS and PaaS cloud environments. The advantages of automated management, control over deployment, and immediate visibility into cloud traffic are all provided by Cisco SD-WAN. The licensed Cisco SD-WAN OnRamp can also optimize the SaaS applications that you and your stakeholders use on a daily basis.

No matter where your users are located, Cisco SDWAN OnRamp automatically chooses the fastest, most reliable path to SaaS applications for them by monitoring underlay performance via the vManage dashboard. The licensed Cisco SD-WAN OnRamp will make the necessary adjustments in the event of Layer 3 service interruptions beyond your control, assisting in maintaining continuous uptime.

Adequate security. Ideal location. Simplified

The industry standard for routing was established by Cisco, the top networking company in the world. As the largest enterprise cybersecurity provider, Cisco offers complete end-to-end security to tens of thousands of clients.

Through the use of Cisco SD-WAN, you can instantly deploy the appropriate security where it is needed while managing trusted platforms that have been certified by a single dashboard. You can instantly harden your entire network with just a few clicks in the Cisco vManage console, lowering risk and promoting compliance, success, and continuity in the workplace.

With an application-aware enterprise firewall, IPS, URL filtering, and continuous DNS monitoring, Cisco SD-WAN can turn your Cisco routers into sophisticated, multilayered security devices. End users can benefit from protection from a variety of security threats regardless of where they are—whether they are in the data center, a branch, on campus, or in a remote area. Additionally, Cisco SD-WAN can completely segment network traffic, safeguarding your company from insider threats and data leaks.

Application experience that is predictable

You can quickly give stakeholders the visibility required to pinpoint WAN issues by utilizing the sophisticated vAnalytics engine, which is accessed through the Cisco vManage console. The following are additional vAnalytics components:

• Scenarios for forecasting performance.
• An entire SD-WAN fabric’s worth of end-to-end visibility into infrastructure and applications.
• Planning support for branch expansions, bandwidth expansions, and application provisioning.
• Based on current policies, templates, and preferences, intelligent recommendations are made.
• Application classification and policy changes for predictable performance in terms of Quality-of-Service (QoS).
• Information in real-time for application performance ratings, cross-customer benchmarking, and failure correlation.

Additionally, Cisco SD-WAN vAnalytics’ improved event correlation engine aids in reducing the noise in raw event data by utilizing contextual analysis to determine when service interruptions should be treated as alarms. This capability significantly lowers false positives and unneeded escalations, freeing up your IT department’s time to concentrate on what really matters.

No matter the type of connection—whether MPLS or something beyond the cloud edge—Cisco SD-WAN offers advanced analytics, monitoring, and automation. With the licensed Cisco SD-WAN, you can contribute to making sure that users get the best possible speeds and performance from the applications they require for success.

With constant, secure access to business applications on verified reliable hardware, enjoy increased productivity and a better user experience.

Cisco SD WAN Licensing

Without having to manage various licenses and agreements, Cisco DNA for WAN gives you the freedom to use SD-WAN either on-premises or in the cloud. Customers can select from a range of Cisco DNA license packages, which include: and are offered as either 3- or 5-year subscriptions.

• Basic connectivity, SD-WAN, security, and application visibility are made possible by Cisco DNA Essentials.
• Cisco DNA Advantage enables flexible connectivity, advanced SD-WAN, advanced security, assurance, and application-driven policy.
• Advanced SD-WAN, advanced security, application driven policy, network analytics, and complete WAN optimization are all made possible by Cisco DNA Premier.