SD-WAN in modern ICT – a guide to the technology that changes the rules of the game

The development of communications and information technologies is accelerating at a dizzying pace, challenging enterprises to flexibly adapt to new realities. In this dynamic environment, SD-WAN stands out as one of the most disruptive solutions, enabling organizations to seamlessly adapt to changing network requirements. This innovative network management model is redefining the way companies view their ICT infrastructure, allowing them to reap the benefits of greater efficiency, security and flexibility. I invite you to deepen your knowledge of SD-WAN!

Adapting in the remote era – how SD-WAN is transforming IT’s remote working culture

When the world first encountered the unprecedented challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic, remote work became the norm. Data from Eurofound and studies conducted by JRC, and NABE show that the percentage of workers using telecommuting has increased significantly. The jump from 15 percent to as much as 40 percent in the European Union was groundbreaking, and the trend has also been seen in other developed economies such as the US.

Challenges of remote work specific to the IT industry

In IT, speed, security and uninterrupted access are essential. We need to transfer data, participate in video conferences, use various tools and platforms. But how do we do this efficiently and seamlessly while sitting at home in our pajamas drinking our morning coffee?

How does SD-WAN address the needs of remote development and technical teams?

This is where SD-WAN enters the scene. This technology enables remote workers to seamlessly and securely access corporate resources. Whether the company uses MS Teams, Zoom or other tools, SD-WAN ensures connection stability, but also secure collaboration through encryption.

One of the most important strengths of SD-WAN is its scalability. Enterprises can easily adapt technology to accommodate the growing number of remote workers, while ensuring that they only have access to specific, necessary resources. In addition, implementing this technology is not complicated. You just need to take advantage of the expertise of technology partners, such as telecom operators, for a smooth migration.

Now that the bachelor pad can become a global IT center, technologies such as SD-WAN are playing a vital role in keeping our work flowing. Doesn’t that sound tempting?

Merging worlds – integrating multi-branch ICT structures into a global company

Integrating ICT teams in global companies is no easy task. It requires taking into account the different systems, tools and standards that are used in each division, and communication between them must be seamless to ensure effective collaboration.

The role of SD-WAN in ensuring seamless communication and access to resources

Due to the growing demand of companies for uninterrupted WAN access, SD-WAN technology has become an indispensable tool. It allows quick installation of Internet access and internal network applications in any branch office – whether we are talking about a small company or a large corporation.

What’s more, SD-WAN facilitates centralized network management, allowing companies to define key parameters such as security policy, routing and QoS from a single location.

Benefits of SD-WAN technology

• Flexibility and ease of use: With SD-WAN, access to the Internet and corporate applications is easy and fast. It is more cost-effective than traditional networks.

• Support from vendors: Companies using SD-WAN receive support from vendors such as ITH for network preparation, technology selection and network management. This frees IT teams from many communications-related responsibilities.

• Centralized management: The ability to manage your network from a single location, allowing you to quickly make changes and adapt to your business needs.

• Improving system performance: SD-WAN ensures that critical applications run smoothly even when there are network problems.

• Cloud integration: The technology enables connection to private and public clouds to speed up access to resources and increase work productivity.

Comparison of traditional WAN and SD-WAN in the context of ICT industry needs

Traditional WANs have served enterprises for many years, but with the advent of SD-WAN, adaptability and flexibility have become more available. To better understand the differences between the two, it is worth comparing them.

Comparison table:

Source: compiled by copyman.pl.

SD-WAN offers cutting-edge solutions that better address current challenges and needs of businesses. Flexibility, security, ease of management and integration with the cloud are just some of the many benefits of SD-WAN adaptation.

Why do we need the cloud? SD-WAN as a bridge to effective cloud computing in ICT

Cloud computing has ceased to be just a buzzword and has become an important part of ICT. They support complex computing, enable on-demand resource scaling and allow global storage and access to data. However, to realize their full potential, companies need to consider an efficient and secure way to connect to them.

This is where SD-WAN comes into play. It allows organizations to create network connections more flexibly to suit their individual needs. SD-WAN, with its intelligent features, automatically directs network traffic in an optimal way, guaranteeing the speed and reliability of the connection to the cloud. As a result, the use of cloud resources becomes more efficient and less costly.

But why is this so important for the ICT industry? Where every millisecond matters – especially in the context of real-time applications or large databases – the ability to guarantee consistent connection quality to the cloud becomes a priority. SD-WAN is the bridge that allows ICT companies to seamlessly and efficiently deploy innovations backed by the power of cloud computing.

SASE and SD-WAN – a thoughtful combination for secure ICT

SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) is an innovative network security model that combines a network architecture concept with a comprehensive cloud service with security features. It addresses today’s security and performance challenges in the growing cloud environment.

How does SASE enrich SD-WAN capabilities in the context of information and communications industry security?

SASE in the context of the future of network security:

1. Gartner predicts that by 2024. 40% of enterprises will have an SASE implementation strategy.

2. SASE technology integrates various security functions, which simplifies network management and reduces costs. The most important of these are:

• SD-WAN: a software-defined wide area network that allows efficient management of network traffic.
• Firewall-as-a-service (FWaas): a cloud-based firewall that protects against threats.
• Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA): provides access based on identity rather than location or IP address.
• Secure Web Gateway (SWG): tracks users’ online activities, ensuring that they visit secure sites.
• Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB): controls access to cloud applications, ensuring security.

Benefits of implementing SASE

• Reducing costs and complexity: Consolidation of services and suppliers leads to significant savings and simplification of network management.

• Secure access for all users: SASE provides identity-based network access and protects against unsafe applications.

• Improved performance and reduced latency: Optimized routing in the WAN guarantees higher throughput.

• Ease of administration: Fewer software and devices lead to simpler management and a better user experience.

Although SASE consists of many advanced technologies, its main goal is to provide ease of use and management for end users and security professionals. The potential benefits to the enterprise are therefore worth considering, as the concept has great potential for the future of corporate communications.

SASE and SD-WAN form a powerful combination for the future of ICT security, delivering advanced security features in an optimized, cloud-based architecture. This is an important part of digital business transformation.

Marcin Kubit on modern SD-WAN solutions – benefits, opportunities and migration in the digital age

As you can read in T-Mobile’s e-book: “SD-WAN – an essential part of a company’s digital transformation”. – SD-WAN solutions expert Marcin Kubit points out the dynamic development of SD-WAN technology, especially in the Polish market. Presenting its advantages, he stresses that unlike MPLS, SD-WAN offers full traffic prioritization down to the level of a specific application. In the era of remote working, which gained popularity during the pandemic, this technology allows more efficient traffic management in enterprise networks.

Marcin Kubit stresses that SD-WAN technology meets the needs of different enterprises – from small retail networks to large corporations with international reach. What is important is its flexibility and ability to work natively with the cloud.

The technology also allows for easier and more efficient integration with existing enterprise resources. SD-WAN not only enables seamless communication between MPLS and SD-WAN technologies, but also offers better communication security. This allows enterprises to take full advantage of their resources, which translates into optimized and growing infrastructure.

The expert concludes that SD-WAN addresses most of the challenges of today’s enterprises, enabling infrastructure to more easily adapt to current needs and respond quickly to the changing environment.

SD-WAN in modern ICT – summary

SD-WAN technology brings a revolution in network management, offering flexibility, centralization and innovation in communications. It enables the implementation of network changes through various access technologies, from wired Internet to LTE, MPLS and satellites, preparing for the 5G era. Its Full Mesh architecture enables seamless communication between all elements, not only for customers, but also for employees. SD-WAN simplifies network management through a central platform, while guaranteeing a high standard of security. This technology is essential for companies that want to adapt to today’s remote working and cloud requirements, ensuring efficiency and security in a complex ICT environment.