SD-WAN (Software-Defined Wide Area Network) is a technology that has been gaining popularity in recent years due to its ability to provide organizations with more secure, efficient, and cost-effective networking solutions. In this blog, we will go over what SD-WAN is and the features and business benefits of an SD-WAN gateway.
What is SD-WAN?
SD-WAN is a software overlay of a wide area network (WAN) that helps connect a headquarter location and remote branches. The typical WAN setup was a point-to-point architecture that created a hub-and-spoke layout with the headquarter at the center. Although this model is straightforward and expandable, it has many vulnerabilities, including latency for communication between branches and cloud services. The growth of cloud services and application adoption has been the driving force of a new kind of SD-WAN architecture with an SD-WAN gateway. at the center of it.
Traditional WANs with conventional routers were not designed for the age of cloud. They tended to rely on routing traffic from the branches to the hub data center for security services. This process caused the application latency, leading to a loss of productivity and frustrated teams. The SD-WAN model was designed to support applications and data flows hosted on-premises, public or private clouds, and other SaaS services. Enterprise companies that use many different cloud-based services can benefit from an SD-WAN gateway. to reduce traffic and latency.
Enter the SD-WAN Gateway
At the heart of an SD-WAN solution is the SD-WAN gateway, which acts as a central hub that helps to manage and direct network traffic.
Here are some of the key features of an SD-WAN gateway:
1 Dynamic Path Selection
One of the most important features of an SD-WAN gateway. is the ability to select the best path for network traffic dynamically. Dynamic path selection allows for more efficient and reliable network performance by avoiding congested or unreliable routes. Gateways also balance the traffic load and eliminate bottlenecks by sending traffic from an overloaded port to one that is free. It can also prioritize certain traffic or applications that are business critical.
2 Centralized Management
An SD-WAN gateway provides a centralized management point for an organization’s network, making it easier to manage, monitor, deploy, and update network policies. With Cloud-based management, you can get more granular visibility into the network architecture, including access points, switches, and gateways.
3 Security
An SD-WAN gateway includes security features such as firewalls, VPNs, and encryption to help protect sensitive data as it travels over the network. These security features help keep the data safe from attacks that exploit protocol vulnerabilities and keep the information secure and moving to its destination.
4 Increased Bandwidth
An SD-WAN gateway can improve the overall bandwidth available to an organization by aggregating multiple WAN connections. Increased bandwidth allows for faster and more reliable network performance, so look for gateways with high-speed WAN and LAN ports that can help boost performance and productivity.
5 Reliability & Failover
In addition to increasing overall bandwidth, an SD-WAN gateway can also feature redundant WAN links and cellular failover to automatically switch itself to a backup WAN or cellular network in the event of an uplink failure.
An SD-WAN gateway. provides organizations with a secure, efficient, and cost-effective way to securely manage their network traffic. Businesses of all sizes, from enterprises down to small businesses, that rely on cloud services and applications should consider an SD-WAN gateway. With its dynamic path selection, centralized management, security features, increased bandwidth, and reliability, it’s no wonder that SD-WAN is becoming the preferred solution for many organizations.
EnGenius has a variety of SD-WAN Gateways for different business needs and is focused on providing a simplified solution to securely manage your SD-WAN architecture and overall network environment. Find out more about our SD-WAN gateways today!