It is undeniable that people’s lives today are highly dependent on the internet. From school children to business leaders, they want to complete their tasks instantly with the help of internet technology. Demand for high-speed and reliable internet has increased. Before knowing the difference between traditional WAN and SD-WAN, first know what a WAN is.
Definition of WAN
Wide Area Network (WAN) is simply defined as an extensive computer network. This network is usually used in the business sector, offices, education, etc. WANs can have a wide range depending on the infrastructure used, for example by using telephone cables, fiber optics, or satellites. As a type of computer network, WAN has quite unique characteristics, including
- Can connect devices that cannot be reached by other networks, such as LANs and MANs
- Can make connections at a distance
- Can send packets between data switches, routers, and between networks that have been built
- Can access remote bandwidth that needs serial connections of various types
- Can work at the OSI layer at the physical layer and data link layer
Definition of SD-WAN
Different from WAN, Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) is an application form of software-defined networking (SDN) technology applied to WAN connections. So, the fundamental difference between traditional WAN and SD-WAN is that WAN relies on hardware while SD-WAN relies on software.
Differences between traditional WAN and SD-WAN
- SD-WAN offers flexibility in WAN management, unlike traditional WAN which is inflexible
- The SD-WAN configuration process is fast, unlike time-consuming WANs
- SD-WAN configuration does not require human intervention, unlike WAN which is highly dependent on the availability of experts
- SD-WAN promises cost-effectiveness and high-speed connectivity, unlike WAN which is very costly if you are looking for high-speed connectivity
- SD-WAN reduces the complexity of infrastructure set-up, configuration, or management, as opposed to WAN which is more complicated
- SD-WAN integrates seamlessly with security features such as SWG, WAN Optimization, and Firewall, and offers secure VPN. In contrast, traditional WANs struggle to integrate with such security features and fail to offer secure VPN.
- SD-WAN protects data traffic through end-to-end encryption, unlike traditional WAN which is secured only through MPLS connections.
- SD-WAN provides high performance as it is directly connected to cloud-based applications, whereas traditional WAN provides low performance when connected to cloud-based applications.
It is clear that SD-WAN outperforms traditional WAN in all performance areas. Using SD-WAN saves significant costs, and provides even more phenomenal benefits as it continues to grow.
Hypernet Technologies provides SD-WAN for your enterprise network needs. We are committed to providing services that can support your company’s rapid growth.
