Legacy networks often do not have the capacity and resiliency to handle constantly changing networking needs to ensure that the customer experience isn’t affected. Intelligent, adaptive and intent-based networking is set to shape the future of enterprise networks, with SD-WAN being crucial to this evolution.
IDC’s SD-WAN Infrastructure Forecast shows that the SD-WAN is fast-growing and is expected to grow at a 30.8% compound annual growth rate from 2018 to 2023, to reach $5.25 billion.
Louis Kirstein, DSM Expert: Connectivity Services at T-Systems South Africa, explains that the platform an enterprise deploys for its connectivity environment needs to provide fundamental services to the business. These fundamental services provided by a WAN are firstly adaptive connectivity and secondly embedded security.
“However, the way that SD-WAN enables connectivity – across various industries – essentially means that the network becomes part of the compliance layer. This means that you’ll be able to ensure compliance to regulatory processes and industry requirements much sleeker,” he says.
Kirstein adds that the Internet is used as a tool in SD-WAN architecture to mitigate the inherent risk in using a public environment for communications. At the same time, while enterprises have to secure this environment, SD-WAN architecture allows them to be compliant by putting in place the minimum requirements that are aligned with the industry in which they operate.
“For example, a financial services organisation that needs to encrypt traffic in a specific way needs to be compliant with a number of standards or architectures in its campus or branches. Ideally, they would like their networking layer to audit, control and report on that compliance,” Kirstein says.
SD-WAN allows for a network layer to be deployed with an inherent ability to comply with regulations in a specific industry and has the ability to audit and report on this.
“It does this continuously, as part of your network operations. So, you would not only be able to measure the normal, traditional capabilities of the environment – typical packet loss, latency and capacity – but also measure compliance,” Kirstein says.
Hein Witte, Specialised Sales Executive for Telecommunication Services at T-Systems South Africa, notes that SD-WAN when correctly implemented, gives enterprises a full-time view of compliance, allowing them to see – on a continuous basis – how compliant their architecture or network is and where they are required to intervene.
“It also allows you to compare your compliance against that of your peers, as well as measure your compliance against legislation such as POPI and GDPR. In this way, compliance becomes a lot more relevant and is no longer an annual event to keep the auditors happy. Instead, it allows you to mitigate risk and keep abreast of changes in the regulatory space,” Witte says.
He says that an SD-WAN implementation must, at the very least, fit seamlessly with the instruments and mechanisms that an enterprise might already have in place for compliance. The deployment must be based on a very stringent and strong security fabric, which not only complies with standard business practices, but enhances them significantly.
“SD-WAN does a number of things. It does what it needs to in terms of connectivity and in adhering to transporting of data traffic requirements. Yet, it is also an additional instrument or vehicle that can further enhance an organisation’s ability to truly comply with industry regulations and legislation. This can add tremendous business value to any organisation,” Witte concludes.