SDWAN or software-defined wide area network is a network solution designed to help enterprises achieve maximum connectivity and minimal downtime through transport-agnostic connectivity and a more streamlined network architecture. With so many companies offering their own SDWAN solutions, enterprise owners may find it difficult to pick the right fit for their business.
While there is no such thing as the best SDWAN solution, it’s still best to look for a vendor that offers a few key features that any business can benefit from. Here’s a list of some of the most important features that a great SDWAN vendor should be able to offer.
1. Better Prioritization
While most SDWAN solutions make it possible to manually assign different applications in a priority list, the whole sorting process can take a while, especially if the administrators are dealing with a lot of applications. Great SDWAN solutions can automatically sort out applications and prioritize them based on user access, bandwidth requirements, IP addresses, and other factors.
2. Flexible Bandwidth Allocation
Assigning bandwidth for each application can be a very tedious process, which means any new application may take a while to set up. However, great SDWAN solutions offer a more dynamic approach to bandwidth allocation. Administrators can set a minimum and maximum bandwidth limit for applications by category, and the SDWAN solutions will take care of the rest. This makes sure bandwidth is maximized regardless of how many applications are running.
3. Dynamic Connection Establishment
Most applications have to transfer data through several points in the network to establish a connection. This means it’s possible that data transfer could get delayed because it is taking unnecessary routes. Great SDWAN solutions are designed to function in a way that instantly determines the most direct path from one point of the network to another.
4. Minimal Packet Loss
By using advanced algorithms to ensure more reliable packet delivery from one point of the network to another via the fastest paths, great SDWAN solutions can help minimize problems caused by packet loss. Such a system may consider factors such as latency and bandwidth congestion to check if data transfer might be negatively affected. Good SDWAN solutions are better at assigning high-priority applications to low-latency paths compared to manually adjusted SDWAN solutions.
5. Automatic Outage Detection and Correction
A network riddled with interruptions isn’t just inefficient, but also potentially devastating for any enterprise. Even a few seconds of losing connectivity can lead to wrong information or even lost business opportunities. Good SD Wan solutions should have a feature that can detect outages and automatically take corrective measures within seconds to resume connectivity and ensure minimal downtime.
6. Better Deployment and Scalability Features
SDWAN solutions that include pre-configured devices are better than the alternatives because they make deployment quicker and easier. Furthermore, devices and other virtual appliances that share the same platform as the enterprise’s current hardware makes it easier for the enterprise to upgrade their network and enjoy better network scalability.
7. Intuitive User Interface
The best SDWAN solutions in the market all feature intuitive user interfaces that make it easier for administrators to make the right adjustments and perform quick configurations on new devices that will be integrated into the network. User interfaces that allow quick access to charts, real-time information on performance-related factors, and even easy integration with other networking tools help administrators spend more time working on the network rather than actually figuring out what to work on.
SDWAN solutions are great for managing enterprise networks in a cost-effective way, but choosing a vendor that offers SDWAN solutions with the features mentioned above can help you make the most of the technology. If you’re an enterprise owner looking for the best SDWAN solutions, check out offers from different vendors, and compare them to see which ones will give you the best bang for your buck.
