Seven reasons to improve network agility with SD-WAN

AT&T SD-WAN solutions can improve your network's agility
 

Seven reasons to improve network agility with SD-WAN

Close-up display of glass vassalsClose-up display of glass vassals
Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) gives businesses an agile, cost-effective network that empowers distributed users with the applications and data without compromising reliability or security. SD-WAN works by repositioning network traffic management 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 dozens or even thousands 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.

Here are seven reasons to improve network agility with AT&T SD-WAN:

  1. SD-WAN provides network flexibility
  2. SD-WAN is hardware agnostic
  3. SD-WAN saves costs
  4. SD-WAN improves security
  5. SD-WAN enables network reliability
  6. SD-WAN provides redundancy
  7. SD-WAN improves user productivity
 

SD-WAN provides network flexibility

With just a few clicks, AT&T SD-WAN allows administrators to add bandwidth and network services for new applications, scale existing applications, throttle down capacity during times of low demand, and quickly expand to new locations. While the traditional process for upgrading WAN capabilities requires adding equipment, people, and expenses, SD-WAN gives small businesses the flexibility to expand capacity at individual locations in near real time. AT&T SD-WAN also makes it easy to scale network capacity in line with business growth. Setting up a new branch office or remote work site can be managed from a central management console in the cloud. Users can establish and configure VPNs, WAN optimization, VoIP, and firewalls to new locations through software without having to procure, ship, configure, and manage hardware.

SD-WAN is hardware agnostic

AT&T SD-WAN is software based and acts as a virtual overlay on top of existing network infrastructure— routing traffic flows across the shortest or fastest path regardless of transport type. This includes MPLS circuits, Ethernet, internet, mobile broadband, or a combination of network protocols and gives growing businesses unlimited options for connecting distributed locations.

SD-WAN saves costs

Man working on a laptop and explaining to audienceMan working on a laptop and explaining to audience
Because SD-WAN is hardware agnostic and runs on existing network infrastructures, it eliminates the need for organizations to build their own proprietary network to connect distributed business locations. In the past, MPLS provided the best performance and reliability for last mile connectivity, but it is expensive and often cost prohibitive to deploy at scale or for redundancies. AT&T SD-WAN allows organizations to rely on lower-cost broadband technologies to augment to replace MPLS while simplifying WAN architecture and security.

SD-WAN improves security

AT&T SD-WAN decouples security from hardware. Instead, security is moved to the cloud where administrators can apply pre-defined policies on all traffic based on rules. A central web-based console allows them to manage and monitor the network holistically and drill down to roll out security services such as web filtering and malware protection to individual locations, users, or traffic types. This greater visibility and control over network traffic makes it less likely that malicious intent is able to disrupt operations.

SD-WAN enables network reliability

AT&T SD-WAN uses software-defined path selection and dynamic routing to establish the most optimal connection between two locations. This is especially critical as digital transformation and cloud transformation have increased bandwidth and data resiliency needs for nearly every business and user around the world. SD-WAN routes traffic automatically through software, making it inherently more flexible, scalable, and cost-effective.

SD-WAN enables redundancy

AT&T SD-WAN automatically reroutes network traffic around disruptions caused by heavy traffic loads and planned or unplanned downtime. Traditionally, businesses have had to keep standby circuits off line in case the network went down. SD-WAN puts all available circuits in production at all times, using intelligent routing to find the optimal path for every traffic load at any time. If a circuit is unavailable or taken offline, preset policies powered by rules-based automation will reroute traffic to the next available circuit to maintain business continuity.

SD-WAN improves user productivity

Banks use AT&T SD-WAN to connect tellers and service reps scattered across a vast network of branch locations to critical applications hosted in a central data center. Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) firms use SD-WAN to quickly spin up and deploy worksites in the field so on-site employees can access large CAD files from their mobile devices. Businesses of all shapes and sizes use SD-WAN to establish connectivity to Software as a Service (SaaS) platforms for remote users. Small businesses use SD-WAN to scale their networks in line with business growth. AT&T SD-WAN gives these organizations the agility to arm key stakeholders with the information they need to make informed decisions, to respond quickly to dynamic customer and market needs, and to grow intelligently in line with goals and opportunities.

The bottom line

  • AT&T SD-WAN uses path selection, WAN aggregation, near real-time performance monitoring, and dynamic routing to improve network performance to dozens or even thousands of business locations at scale—making the process simple and flexible to respond to changes in business conditions.
  • AT&T SD-WAN provides network flexibility, saves costs, improves security, increases network reliability, and enables redundancy.
  • This gives businesses the agility to arm key stakeholders with the information they need to make informed decisions, to respond quickly to dynamic customer and market needs, and to grow intelligently in line with goals and opportunities.