Switching to SD-WAN: The Communication Network of the Next Era

Many multinational organizations and firms with multiple locations tend to migrate their network management to SD-WAN *Yoni Bagan, Head of DATA Support and Monitoring Team at Bezeq International, discusses the benefits and organizational goals behind the trend leading the corporate communications networks

The global changes in communications, the increase in cloud computing activity, the trend toward dispersion among different sites, and the international phenomenon of remote working, lead to a significant increase in the use of Software Defined Wide Area Networks, also known as SD-WANs.

SD-WAN applications provide the corporate network with technology-based benefits designed to improve communication between remote sites.

Ultimately, this is good news for end users since it makes communications faster, more reliable and much more secure. The firm's communication managers will benefit from this solution because it provides a central management system for planning, executing and controlling the network's activities, leading to an optimal control of the activities and increased transparency.

"This technology has been in use for years now, although it has been a minor feature for most organizations", says Yoni Bagan, Head of DATA Support and Monitoring Teamat Bezeq International. "Nowadays this technology is at the forefront, because the benefits of SD-WAN are huge when it comes to organizations that need to communicate between different branches. For organizations that have at least three or four sites, regardless the physical distance between them – either in Israel or abroad – this technology solution makes it possible to manage the network in a much more correct, efficient and cost-effective way".

Transformation to an encrypted network

Bagan specializes in providing WAN solutions for international customers, including organizations with branches abroad, global networks operating in Israel, and partnerships between Israeli entities and entities from abroad.  The use of SD-WAN technology, he explains, expresses a fundamental change concerning old fashioned wide area communication networks, which use point-to-point and MPLS lines and are based on physical infrastructure (Underlay), while SD-WAN technology is based on the establishment of an automatically encrypted Overlay network.

In many cases, this is not only a technologically advanced solution that provides improved and secure traffic capability, but also a cheaper and more accessible solution – which should be reflected already through implementation processes of SD-WAN technology in the organization, which significantly shortens the corporate network construction process.

"In order to implement SD-WAN, we run the new network on regular infrastructure", says Bagan, "we build an encrypted private network in a way that allows us to reach much higher traffic utilization capabilities. We provide tailor made application services to fit the firm's requirements, in order to keep improving the level of services and data security".

In addition, Began explains, the use of SD-WAN enables to create direct access in the private network not only between the various branches and the control center, as is customary in old fashioned networks, but also between the various branches themselves: "We produce VPN Tunnels connecting every spot on the net to any other spot, what improves the traffic between the various sites".

Automation in locating and monitoring network management

A significant change accompanies the transition to the use of Software Defined Wide Area Network: separation from manual labor and transition to the use of automation for detection and debugging. "In the old technology we used to place routers and connect the lines to the routers as a basis for activity", says Bagan. "Had a line collapsed we needed to operate manually and transfer the traffic to a backup line, or at least provide manual settings – pre-anticipating network misfunction and programming in advance the needed solution".

Moving to SD-WAN usage changes the whole approach: "With the new technology you set up a server with open-source software, which can be programmed according to your desires and organizational needs. The smart server knows how to manage network traffic, create linkage between lines, and analyze the quality of each and every line on the network in order to maintain real time balance between lines".

And when the server knows how to identify quality – it also knows how to solve problems ahead: "If a particular line is malfunctioning, the server detects it in advance and acts automatically to reduce congestion and divert some traffic to another line, or even cancel a line completely if necessary – and of course, an alert will be sent to the administrator".

SD-WAN for managing cloud communications services

A significant advantage of using SD-WAN technology is the way the wide area network communicates structurally with the cloud services, so that the public cloud becomes another site in the corporate network. And of course, Bagan emphasizes, the network's infrastructure itself is based on cloud activity: "The brain that operates the network is in the cloud, not in the box itself. The physical server connects to the cloud, where you will find the management software, the Orchestrator'".

Using "the orchestrator" enables viewing, monitoring and operating everything that happens on the network at any given moment: "In a standard WAN network, in order to make changes you need to connect to each router in each branch and change settings. Here, everything works through a central control unit. One may conduct changes all over the network and monitor them from the control center. Control ability is optimal".

SD-WAN for worldwide sites in collaboration with BT

In order to provide organizations operating around the globe with optimal network control, Bezeq International has a partnership with major British international group BT, one of the three largest telecommunications companies in the world. BT operates globally in about 180 countries – in many of those locations BT provides the basic infrastructure such as the Internet itself, point-to-point connections, fiber optics, etc.

"One of the basic things I recommend for those who operate in several countries is to unite interfaces", says Bagan. "Bezeq International's cooperation with BT makes this possible. In Israel, our customers know that they have one address to all their communications work: Bezeq International is responsible for every detail, such as connection to a telephone line, to network infrastructure and cloud technology. The partnership with BT enables the same conduct at an international level as well. You know you do not have to deal with multiple providers: one of them that oversees infrastructure, the other that deals with Internet connectivity, and a different one providing cloud technology. There is one professional service that provides a holistic solution to any problem that may arise at any point around the globe, whether it is hardware or software problems, and it works directly with Bezeq International. The bottom line is that with a connection to the SD-WAN network, you know that your network management will be most efficient, advanced and secured – and you will have Bezeq International escorting you all over the world".

This information is brought to you by Bezeq International, the leading telecommunication company in Israel, experts in broadband solutions for all technologies and provider of end-to-end IT

Interested for more details? Please contact us via our mail: yonib@bezeqint.co.il

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