Are you looking for a secure way to connect your business locations? SD-WAN might be the answer. But how is SD-WAN secure, anyway? Keep reading for a breakdown of how this technology works and why it’s a good option for safeguarding your data.
Introduction: Is SD WAN Secure?
SD WAN is a new computer networking architecture. It offers an effective solution for enterprises, service providers, and Internet providers. That is to meet the demands of their customers. SD WAN offers a new way to deliver services.
It has begun to create a new market segment and SD-WAN vendors are racing to gain market share. SD-WAN technology has been available since 2012. However, SD-WAN technology is still not widely adopted.
That is because SD-WAN is perceived as a complex technology. Is SD-WAN secure? This question is still unanswered.
SD-WAN Architecture: How Does It Work?
SD-WAN architecture is based on internet protocols. It uses public and private Internet connections to create a secure connection between remote sites and the corporate office. A single virtual link aggregates all available links to provide a single, high-bandwidth path between points on the network.
For example, an organization may have a site-to-site VPN connection with a cloud provider for its backup data center. So, the backup site can connect through its ISP to the primary site’s SD-WAN service. This allows the enterprise to have multiple redundant paths from the cloud provider and from its ISP to the primary site.
The SD-WAN solution is implemented at the network edge. Also, the edge router can be physical or virtual. Most the SD-WAN products support a cloud-managed model. The connectivity to the Internet is provided by an ISP.
Moreover, the ISP manages the connection between the customer’s site network and its network.
SD-WAN Solution Components
The following are components of a typical SD-WAN solution: an SD-WAN router, an ISP, and a cloud service provider. Also, the cloud service provider hosts corporate applications and data that are accessible from remote locations. The enterprise connects to the service via a private connection through its exclusive internet provider (ISP).
The cloud service provider has a VPN connection with its ISP. This connection is called an “up” link. All traffic from the enterprise to the cloud passes over this link. So, the enterprise has multiple connections to its ISP, called “down” links.
Each remote site has one or more connections to its ISP, called “local” links. These links can be either Ethernet or MPLS links. These are not part of the SD-WAN solution. Because they are not used for traffic between sites and the cloud service provider or primary site.
The SD-WAN router connects to each local link via an Ethernet or MPLS interface and the uplink via an Internet interface (either Ethernet or DSL). When new connections are established, they travel from their point of origin to the SD-WAN router.
The virtual interface is part of each local link connection from a remote location to its ISP. It is combined with its corresponding up the interface on the SD-WAN router into a single logic. When there is no uplink bandwidth available, all traffic must travel through one of these virtual interfaces. This is on the way to its destination in the cloud service providers!