In order to serve as a trusted advisor to our clients, we need to stay up to speed with the latest IT trends and solutions. To achieve that, our team of IT experts attend weekly training sessions conducted by various IT solution providers. Based on our extensive experience and sales volume with the suppliers, we receive exclusive, direct and usually in person training from these vendors. Our Tech Talks blog series offers a snapshot of these educational sessions.
For businesses that rely increasingly on cloud-based solutions, traditional Wide Area Networks (WANs) are no longer enough. The rise of the cloud along with the Internet of Things and mobility have contributed to a growing need for more flexibility, bandwidth, and cost effectiveness. Software-defined WAN (SD-WAN), a high-performing multi-site networking solution, offers all of that.
Comcast Business has recently entered the SD-WAN provider space and visited Stratosphere Networks to educate our team about their solution. Here are a few key things we learned about SD-WAN from Comcast Business.
1. SD-WAN gives you centralized network control. With the SDN platform and SD-WAN solution, you get access to one “single pane of glass” that lets you monitor network performance in real-time across your entire enterprise with an integrated portal.
2. Organizations across various industries can benefit from SD-WAN. For instance, retailers and financial institutions might want to leverage this networking solution because of its connectivity, security, reliability, and its potential to simplify their operations. Meanwhile, healthcare providers can take advantage of the reliable, flexible, and secure network, on top of the ability to adjust bandwidth and keep operating costs in check. Organizations in other industries from education to manufacturing can also benefit from adopting SD-WAN.
3. The solution allows for improved application and traffic management. With SD-WAN, an organization can steer traffic at the application level using their integrated portal. The dashboard for the solution shows where traffic is congested so users can reroute or adjust prioritization to optimize performance.
4. You can monitor your network on the go. By using a mobile app, you can check on network activity and manage each individual site and application from any device.
5. The SD-WAN solution lets you update existing networks or establish new ones. You can choose from a few different deployment options. These include pure SD-WAN, hybrid WAN, hybrid WAN with high availability, and WAN backup.
Overall, our team gained a lot of valuable insight into this SD-WAN solution. For more information about SD-WAN solutions from Comcast and other suppliers, contact our expert cloud consulting team today by calling 877-599-3999 or emailing sales@stratospherenetworks.com.
