SD-WAN (Software-Defined Wide Area Network) is taking over the market place this year, with the eagerness to move into the cloud growing we can expect a massive shift from the regular WAN solution to SD-WAN. As stated by David Hughes from IT Proportal “70% of applications have moved to the cloud”, SD-WAN is the new solution that the technology world is looking for. While the regular WAN solution is still very popular the desire to move into cloud-based technology is booming.
Over the next five years, SD-WAN software revenue will grow at a “41% compounded annual growth rate” as stated by Michael Cooney from Network World. Not only is SD-WAN receiving major traction by enterprises but by leading IT professionals who are realizing that using advanced SD-WAN platforms is highly resourceful. While many SMBs will find the initial switch a little daunting due to the technology still being new and the initial switch into the cloud confusing the benefits of SD-WAN are highly regarded by vendors, IT leaders and enterprises.
So why make the switch to SD-WAN exactly?
Firstly, money - the initial run of SD-WANs held the promise of slashing network costs - while every company would benefit from saving money on their network it is still a little more complicated than cutting a few costs. In order to successfully do that a company would need to abandon MPLS and replace it wholly with broadband. While this is still a big IF, in the future it could be highly effective.
Another great reason is consolidation; this is something that many companies strive towards and why exactly? Expanding their current portfolios, many major tech vendors, such as Fortinet, have created their own Secure SD-WAN Solutions. We can also expect a larger focus on things such as 5G and 4G data usage; something as simple as upgrading to a higher bandwidth broadband can make the current SD-WAN solution even more attractive on the market.
SD-WAN is cost effective and consolidation friendly
Not only is SD-WAN cost effective and consolidation friendly, but in 2019 as written by John Burke from Nemertes “90% of companies who have switched to SD-WAN have noticed a major change in how they run their security”. With “20% staffing reduction required for maintaining the WAN”, “33% reduction in the amount of time WAN staff spend on trouble shooting” and a further “69% reduction in the amount of time a typical site is off the network in a year”.
With these statistics showing a heavy improvement of maintaining the business but also limiting the percentages of employee mistakes, the real benefits are being able to provide increased support in business-based applications such as web analytics software, email providing software, web-hosting software and many more. With this added into the overall use of cloud application SD-WAN can change the game when it comes to the world of cyber security.
So how can SMBs and enterprises acquire this technology?
Well, Fortinet have just created their new FortiGate Secure SD-WAN. This technology not only replaces separate WAN routers, WAN Optimisation and security devices with a single solution that is application ware, but also has automatic WAN path control and multi-broadband support. Fortinet’s new SD-WAN technology can help those who are adopting more cloud services and applications.
With the increasing bandwidth requirements, many enterprise branches are moving away from traditional MPLS in favour of broadband in order to reduce OPEX spending. This would be highly beneficial to a business as SD-WAN can ensure smooth operation between the branch site and the data storage site. SD-WAN is slowly becoming the back bone of the market as stated by Michael Cooney from Network World “the SD-WAN market could hit 4.5 billion by 2022”. With these numbers we will slowly see more MSPs and edge security vendors make a jump into this market giving businesses over 50 possibilities of SD-WAN technology.
SD-WAN technology is the future in cyber security
We can expect to see a major change in the forecasted security solutions over the next few years with “80% of organisations using the public cloud”, stated by Yell IT and with the growth of Worldwide Public Cloud Services Spending forecast to reach $160 Billion this year according to IDC.
SD-WAN is taking over the market place and with countries like the UK, USA and China beginning to acquire SD-WAN and cloud technology there is no doubt we are far behind.
Further throughout 2019 we can expect more of SD-WAN as a key to helping businesses unlock the full potential of the cloud. If we, in the technology space, continue to further develop the technology this could potentially eliminate many issues businesses face with regular WAN.
The Missing Link is a proud Gold Fortinet Partner and can help your business, SMB or larger enterprise, integrate these solutions into your IT landscape. To speak to one of our specialists, contact us here.
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