For today’s multi-cloud and mobile business environment, router-based WANs show to be quite difficult. Many businesses are retooling their networks to use SD-WAN technology, owing to the fact that multi-cloud networking has become critical to their cloud-based business.
As organisations shift to cloud-based apps, bandwidth demand climbs, and conventional corporate WAN solutions (like MPLS) struggle to meet it. With SD-WAN solutions that reduce complexity while increasing security, enterprises are seeing the advantages of integrated security and SD-WAN.
SD-WAN suppliers come from a variety of disciplines, including security, routing, and WAN optimization. Each one has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. The finest SD-WAN solutions should not only provide consistent performance, but also provide SD-WAN security measures, particularly for branch offices with direct internet access to online and cloud-based services. So, what should you look for in an SD-WAN provider?
SD-WAN providers bundle SD-WAN capabilities with other features, such as security. Their administration consoles frequently show their networking capabilities (and differentiators). Simply put, when it comes to identifying the “perfect” SD-WAN vendor, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. This analysis of top SD-WAN providers in 2020 can aid you in your search for the right SD-WAN vendor for you. We looked at companies who were able to stand out in 2019 by providing a sophisticated and unique range of high-performing SD-WAN solutions.
Secure SD-WAN from Fortinet
Regardless of the size of the company, switching from MPLS to a fast and affordable internet connection is not without its drawbacks, one of which is security. When it comes to choosing SD-WAN suppliers, having a secure SD-WAN is a must.
In the SD-WAN Group Test, Fortinet got its second consecutive ‘Recommended’ grade from NSS Labs. Among eight SD-WAN suppliers, it had the lowest Total Cost of Ownership per Mbps. In Gartner’s 2019 Magic Quadrant for WAN Edge Infrastructure, they were also a ‘Challenger.’ In December 2019, Fortinet reported that over 21,000 global clients had selected their Secure SD-WAN, which can handle companies with up to 100,000 sires. Let’s take a look at why Fortinet’s Secure SD-WAN solution is a viable option.
Only Fortinet refuses to employ processors “never built to enable high-end security computing,” according to the firm. In 2019, Fortinet introduced the SOC4 (system on chip) security processor, a specialized silicon chip that offers routing, security, and SD-WAN functionalities. The FortiGate 60F Next-Generation Firewall is a full-featured desktop SD-WAN device that is one of the fastest and most powerful in the business. It helps organizations to conduct WAN edge transformation at a low cost in order to meet the greatest demands of today’s dispersed networks and business applications.
Advanced routing, WAN optimization, and NGFW security are all included in the FortiGate Secure SD-WAN. The simple SD-WAN solution also substitutes expensive MPLS, and because it is embedded within a firewall, it is simple to implement and save money. When compared to conventional MPLS, using the Fortinet secure SD-WAN solution might result in fewer latency between locations.
Juniper Networks Contrail
Juniper Networks believes that AI is fueling the age of self-driving networks because it is redefining the networking game. It also offers both on-premise and cloud-managed service solutions for SDN control, maximizing flexibility. They improved on those benefits in 2019 with enterprise portfolio updates, stating that their SD-WAN management console now incorporates their SD-LAN service.
This gives businesses a more straightforward way to manage their SD branch installations. With the SD-Branch, Juniper Networks has made managing Wi-Fi networks easier. The same interface used for WLAN deployment, troubleshooting, maintenance, and other daily operations may be used for SD-WAN and SD-LAN.
Juniper SD-WAN expands from the tiniest branches to the largest campuses that require 100-Gbps connection at the WAN edge. The Contrail SD-WAN solution makes enterprise-wide networking and administration much easier to handle. Contrail SD-WAN unifies policy and security controls across a wide range of WAN connections, including MPLS, internet, 4G LTE, and more.
It provides dynamic path selection to guarantee that the workload is transported in the most efficient manner possible. The Contrail Service Orchestration (CSO) platform enables the building of self-service portals, allowing customers and users to offer any sort of connectivity without the need for IT or service provider assistance.
You just ship their CPE to your location for automated SD-WAN connectivity with zero-touch provisioning (ZTP). This is how all branch devices and cloud endpoints are controlled and serviced centrally. Setting up policies for each site, tenant, or end user is straightforward and painless.
Riverbed SteelConnect
Riverbed announced the SteelConnect EX soon after establishing a key worldwide OEM relationship with Versa Networks. In addition to the current SteelConnect CX series, this WAN Edge Infrastructure solution delivers maximum flexibility for complex networks. The SteelConnect CX will continue to cater to small and medium-sized businesses.
Riverbed’s whole product range combines WAN optimization and SD-WAN capabilities into a single system. Riverbed’s SteelConnect Director provides a centralized administration platform for dispersed SD-WAN installations, including management, monitoring, and orchestration features. SD-WAN services enable enterprises to embrace hybrid and Internet-based topologies, and Riverbed’s SD-WAN solution can effortlessly coexist and interoperate with traditional networks. Riverbed offers automatic connectivity between cloud suppliers, cloud regions, branch offices, and the cloud with a single click. SteelConnect is a product series from Cisco that enables policy-based orchestration across the dispersed network fabric. It offers AWS and Microsoft Azure optimization, as well as one-click connecting. SteelConnect may also boost the performance of any TCP traffic in your programme.
Riverbed’s SteelHead SD WAN edge technology combines SD-WAN, WAN optimization, and perimeter firewall technologies into a unified platform. It uses centralised rules to offer high-performing and secure remote applications. The hardware and software are accessible on a subscription basis, with Riverbed providing customizable pricing choices for the equipment, cloud-based platforms, and software.
Riverbed also provides solutions for monitoring application performance. APM is essential for companies who are migrating their apps to the cloud and want to keep track of how well they are doing.
Citrix Netscaler
As a Challenger in Gartner’s 2019 Magic Quadrant for WAN Edge Infrastructure, Citrix NetScaler SD-WAN stands out among networking experts. They provide a single branch appliance. This includes support for bidirectional QoS, branch security integration with sophisticated firewall and cloud-based solutions, and zone-based segmentation to help manage rules for different groups.
Other network tasks, such as WAN optimization and stateful firewall, are also consolidated by Citrix SD-WAN. Appliances run in remote sites and data centers and may run several transport modes over a single virtual link, including MPLS, mobile, and internet.
Unifying WAN circuits, centralised reporting, and WAN optimization are significant benefits.
SD-WAN from itrix is a powerful device that boosts WAN dependability while lowering recurrent bandwidth expenses and enhancing application performance. It’s a scalable, enterprise-grade Software-Defined Wide Area Networking solution that includes WAN optimization, edge routing, WAN virtualization, VPN, firewall, end-to-end application visibility, and centralised control. It also has the capacity to optimise Citrix’s XenApp and XenDesktop technologies, as well as other business application protocols.
Silver Peak Unity EdgeConnect
Silver Peak announced a number of improvements to its cloud-scale Unity EdgeConnect SD-WAN edge technology, which is marketed as a ‘business-driven WAN,’ in December 2019. It is a consolidated solution that includes SD-WAN, segmentation, firewall, routing, application control, visibility, and WAN optimization.
One-click automation with major cloud services, multi-fabric orchestration and administration, smart segmentation, and cloud-scale connection are among the new features. Dynamic Path Control, WAN Hardening, and Tunnel Bonding are some of the other characteristics. Advanced one-click automation should provide consistency of security and application settings across all WAN locations, reducing setup time.
Silver Peak is a mountain in the United States. Distributed companies may utilise Unity EdgeConnect to create a WAN that securely links users to apps without sacrificing application speed. Application-specific routing, completely automated traffic handling, and adaptive internet breakout are among the advanced features.
The SD-WAN provider has demonstrated flexibility and a wide range of deployment choices that are difficult to match. In the 2019 Gartner Magic Quadrant for WAN Edge Infrastructure, they were designated a Leader. Silver Peak has a large security partner ecosystem, including Palo Alto Networks, McAfee, ForcePoint, and Symantec, for safe SD-WAN.
Application performance, security, and routing are all determined by top-down corporate regulations when using the EdgeConnect SD-WAN edge platform. EdgeConnect is interoperable with many current WAN infrastructures, allowing for a smooth transition to an SD-WAN. Unity EdgeConnect is a high-performance SD-WAN solution that reduces WAN OPEX and CAPEX.
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