Big data powers IoT devices, informing artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms as they trigger actions and make automated decisions. Many organizations deploying IoT systems rely on Software-Defined Wide Area Networks (SD-WAN) to handle the massive volumes of data created and consumed by these devices. SD-WAN is ideal for IoT deployments because it takes a software-based approach to network traffic management to deliver and scale network services and capacity in near real time. This gives businesses a flexible, cost-effective network architecture that connects IoT devices.
Four reasons SD-WAN is the ideal network architecture for IoT Deployments
Internet of Things (IoT) has the potential to radically change the way companies do business. Rather than rely on manual tasks and human touchpoints, IoT automates the orchestration of complex processes that span disparate systems, databases, and locations. Organizations around the world use IoT to track and update inventory, process orders, automate manufacturing, and trigger custom experiences with customers, but it can also be useful for small to medium-size business.
Big data powers IoT devices, informing artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms as they trigger actions and make automated decisions. Many organizations deploying IoT systems rely on Software-Defined Wide Area Networks (SD-WAN) to handle the massive volumes of data created and consumed by these devices. SD-WAN is ideal for IoT deployments because it takes a software-based approach to network traffic management to deliver and scale network services and capacity in near real time. This gives businesses a flexible, cost-effective network architecture that connects IoT devices.
Big data powers IoT devices, informing artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms as they trigger actions and make automated decisions. Many organizations deploying IoT systems rely on Software-Defined Wide Area Networks (SD-WAN) to handle the massive volumes of data created and consumed by these devices. SD-WAN is ideal for IoT deployments because it takes a software-based approach to network traffic management to deliver and scale network services and capacity in near real time. This gives businesses a flexible, cost-effective network architecture that connects IoT devices.
What is SD-WAN?
AT&T SD-WAN is a software-defined networking solution that moves network traffic management away from on-premise hardware to next-generation software in the cloud. AT&T SD-WAN uses path selection, WAN aggregation, near real-time performance monitoring, and dynamic routing to improve network performance to thousands of devices spread across hundreds of business locations.
Organizations can define policies based on business needs and apply them across traffic types, locations, or users from a central management console in the cloud. This level of control allows for optimal delivery paths across any combination of network transport type—providing flexible deployment options and improved total cost of ownership without compromising security.
Organizations can define policies based on business needs and apply them across traffic types, locations, or users from a central management console in the cloud. This level of control allows for optimal delivery paths across any combination of network transport type—providing flexible deployment options and improved total cost of ownership without compromising security.
How does SD-WAN improve IoT security?
IoT devices are targets for today’s malicious actors due to the volume of devices, and the lack of robust security controls. It’s not practical to deploy anti-malware, anti-virus, data loss prevention, and other security clients on thousands of devices ranging from coffee pots to manufacturing robots.
Modern solutions center on organizations routing IoT traffic through security appliances deployed in a central data center—a hub and spoke architecture that tends to sap bandwidth and degrade performance.
AT&T SD-WAN from AT&T Business solves the problem by moving security out of the data center to the network edge, delivering services through the cloud. Pre-defined security policies based on rules can be applied holistically through a highly-secure web gateway across the network, and users can drill down to roll out security services such as web filtering and malware protection to individual locations, devices, users, or traffic types. Improving IoT security through SD-WAN increases coverage, improves performance, reduces costs, and reduces risk.
Modern solutions center on organizations routing IoT traffic through security appliances deployed in a central data center—a hub and spoke architecture that tends to sap bandwidth and degrade performance.
AT&T SD-WAN from AT&T Business solves the problem by moving security out of the data center to the network edge, delivering services through the cloud. Pre-defined security policies based on rules can be applied holistically through a highly-secure web gateway across the network, and users can drill down to roll out security services such as web filtering and malware protection to individual locations, devices, users, or traffic types. Improving IoT security through SD-WAN increases coverage, improves performance, reduces costs, and reduces risk.
How does SD-WAN ease IoT deployment?
AT&T SD-WAN allows organizations to deploy IoT networks at scale quickly and seamlessly without backend hardware. Administrators can create templates for a type of IoT traffic, new customer, or location with preset policies around access control, networking, security, and communications. Once provisioned, the images can be immediately deployed and orchestrated through a central web-based management console. Whether there are 10 or 10,000 locations, a software-based approach to network traffic management can push the configuration out to all devices instantaneously based on policies. This automation greatly simplifies IoT deployment and management—allowing organizations to scale efficiently at an affordable price point.
How does SD-WAN centralize IoT network visibility and management?
AT&T SD-WAN gives administrators real-time visibility of network performance across thousands of IoT devices from a single pane of glass in real time. A holistic view of the entire network or segments of the network combined with the ability to drill down to each individual device helps take the guesswork out of problem resolution and troubleshooting—improving performance, reliability, and business continuity.
How does SD-WAN improve scalability of IoT networks?
The ease and simplicity of IoT deployments, improved security of devices, and greater control over traffic control management through AT&T SD-WAN allows organizations to endlessly scale their IoT deployments. In fact, Gartner predicts 5.8 billion internet connected devices in operation by the end of 2020.
The bottom line
- AT&T SD-WAN is ideal for IoT deployments because it takes a software-based approach to network traffic management to deliver and scale network services and capacity in near real time.
- This software-based approach improves security, eases deployment, and centralizes IoT network visibility and management.
- The agility provided through AT&T SD-WAN allows organizations to endlessly scale their IoT deployments—potentially leading to 5.8 billion internet connected devices in operation by the end of 2020.