Cloud WAN Issues and Challenges
Cloud WAN is a distributed computing architecture that consists of cloud assets, software, applications, and more across several cloud environments.
Enterprises using cloud WAN face reliability and performance challenges. To achieve superior performance, they need dynamic both bandwidth provisioning and traffic steering, and the ability to prioritize traffic based on business policies. They also need robust security that is embedded in every aspect of the connectivity model.
Why SD-WAN is Ideal for Cloud Monitoring
SD-WAN is the ideal solution for deploying, managing and monitoring cloud WAN. Delivering network and security services within a cloud WAN (or cloud network), enables IT to support the underlying network functions using a cloud-native software overlay. This provides a connection agnostic architecture and eliminates the complex, tedious, and often error-prone manual configurations required for each single-function network and security hardware appliance with traditional networks.
An SD-WAN managed cloud WAN supports virtually any type of location, such as branch offices, pop-up retail shops, and temporary trailers for construction sites. Zero-touch deployment allows network administrators to quickly and cost-effectively deploy secure and reliable WAN connectivity to these sites while maintaining business policies from a central orchestrator, all without needing technical resources at the remote locations.
Moving to the Cloud Requires Secure SD-WAN
A Secure SD-WAN architecture is a cloud-native, multi-tenant, multi-service software platform, with primary components that include routing, SD-WAN, and multi-layered security functions.
Versa Secure SD-WAN securely and reliably extends branch office connectivity to private and public clouds. Versa Secure SD-WAN allows SLA monitoring and SD-WAN policy management to support multi-cloud and SaaS workloads so that enterprises can apply contextualized user criteria to automatically direct traffic across the right paths.
Versa’s unique multi-tenant architecture enables MSPs and large enterprises to support multi-clouds, using a single Versa VOS™ (formerly FlexVNF) instance. This architecture will support multi-cloud connectivity, multiple customers, departments, or line of business all while maintaining complete routing and management separation between users, classes of traffic, and variable endpoints.
Versa’s embedded multi-layered security supports cloud WAN by providing a secure approach to deploying and managing multi-clouds.
Cloud WAN Elasticity to Scale
When deploying a cloud WAN using SD-WAN with an NFV-based model, network capacity can dynamically scale up or down without having to replace or add additional proprietary hardware. Branch bandwidth can be doubled in minutes, either automatically or using commands from the central provisioning portal, with no truck roll or appliance swap-out. In the event a branch needs more capacity due to a network traffic spike, the cloud SD-WAN can automatically scale up to meet the demand. When the network spike subsides, the SD-WAN will scale down as needed, making cloud-based SD-WAN a flexible solution for any business.
Flexible, Distributed Service Architecture
With NFV, service providers and large enterprises have the capability and flexibility to decide where to deploy and run each layer of network or security function – either on-premises in the branch office or centrally through the data center or at a provider’s point-of-presence (PoP).
For example, compute-intensive services such as anti-virus and IPS can run centrally, while services that are key in the branch, like application identification, SD-WAN, routing, and firewall can be run locally. Also, Versa SD-WAN can integrate critical network services using service chain definitions that include both local and remote functions, depending on the business need.
Centralized, Automated Cloud WAN Operations
A software-defined and NFV-based approach to cloud WAN simplifies provisioning of SD-WAN equipment and delivers network and security services from a single point of control, avoiding the need for technical personnel on-site to deploy and configure the solution. Instead, SD-WAN services can be deployed (bandwidth and service capacity increased or enhanced with additional functions automatically) all without requiring any on-site presence, hardware refreshes, or manual interaction.
Additionally, if a branch site(s) requires a unique set of network or security functions, the branch can be serviced individually and automatically from a single management portal. The management portal needs to able to configure role-based administration for flexible configuration and ongoing policy management.
