How SD-WAN enables business continuity

AT&T SD-WAN solutions can improve your network's agility
 

SD-WAN provides network flexibility and scalability for businesses

Computer motherboard in 3d resembling the city building structureComputer motherboard in 3d resembling the city building structure
A Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) moves network traffic management away from on-premise hardware to next-generation software in the cloud. This is accomplished through path selection, WAN aggregation, near real-time performance monitoring, and dynamic routing to improve network performance to dozens or even hundreds of business locations.

AT&T SD-WAN provides businesses an agile and cost-effective network that empowers distributed users with the applications and data they need without compromising reliability or security.

But what does that mean? How does flexibility improve network performance, increase user productivity, and enable business growth while cutting costs?

Here are seven reasons to improve network agility with AT&T SD-WAN:

 

How SD-WAN enables business continuity

Close-up display of glass vassalsClose-up display of glass vassals
AT&T SD-WAN uses software-defined path selection and dynamic routing to define the most optimal connection between two locations.

If a circuit fails, there are already multiple paths in place to establish full coverage. Traditionally, businesses have had to keep standby circuits off line in case the network went down, but AT&T SD-WAN makes all available circuits in production at all times, using intelligent routing to find the optimal path for every traffic load at any time. If a circuit is unavailable or taken offline, preset policies powered by rules-based automation will reroute traffic to the next available circuit to maintain business continuity. This provides backup for when circuits fail while optimizing network resources in production.

AT&T SD-WAN also enhances security, making it less likely that malicious intent is able to disrupt operations. Pre-defined security policies are applied holistically across the network based on rules, and users can drill down to roll out security services such as web filtering and malware protection to individual locations, users, or traffic types.

How SD-WAN improves SaaS connectivity

Digital transformation is pushing applications and mission-critical business systems to the cloud. Software as a Service (SaaS) platforms provide reliable access and performance to distributed users, but they require a persistent connection to the user. This is how multiple users can work on the same file or database and updates are made in real time. The problem is that persistent connectivity makes traffic explode—especially if traffic is routed through a central data center for security, data loss prevention (DLP), and other network services. AT&T SD-WAN delivers network services through the cloud, potentially eliminating the need to backhaul traffic. Creating a local internet breakout for remote users through SD-WAN speeds performance of SaaS platforms and improves connectivity without compromising security and reliability.

How SD-WAN provides network visibility and control

Thermostat mounted on a wall showing heat set to 63Thermostat mounted on a wall showing heat set to 63
Visibility and control are essential to providing seamless network connectivity to distributed locations and users. AT&T SD-WAN allows administrators to monitor and scale performance, capacity, and services on a granular level per location or user type from a central web-based dashboard. This allows businesses to maintain quality of service (QoS), troubleshoot application performance and connectivity issues, and prioritize traffic—such as VoIP calls over Facebook. Policies can be set to speed certain traffic types from a central web-based console accessible from anywhere—even mobile devices. Traffic prioritization allows users to have seamless, uninterrupted access to the tools and data they need to make quick, informed decisions while discouraging use of non-essential applications and websites.

How SD-WAN fuels intelligent business growth

AT&T SD-WAN is the ideal networking solution for growing businesses—giving them a more agile and cost-effective network. With just a few clicks, organizations can easily add bandwidth and network services for new applications, scale existing applications, throttle down capacity during times of low demand, and quickly expand to new locations. While the traditional process for upgrading WAN capabilities requires adding equipment, people and expenses, SD-WAN gives small businesses the flexibility to expand capacity at individual locations in near real time.

The bottom line

  • AT&T SD-WAN gives businesses a more agile and cost-effective network that empowers distributed users with the applications and data they need without compromising reliability or security.
  • AT&T SD-WAN enables business continuity, improves SaaS connectivity, and provides network visibility and control.
  • Network flexibility enabled by AT&T SD-WAN fuels intelligent business growth.