Hubert da Costa, SVP and GM EMEA at Cybera, outlines the security benefits of SD-WAN deployments over traditional Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) for distributed enterprises.
Traditional virtual private networks (VPNs) have long been the ‘go-to’ approach for distributed enterprises looking to connect remote locations and/or deploy new applications in a cost-effective manner. However, in recent years, evolving business practices and needs have seen the appeal of VPNs greatly diminished. New technologies such as the cloud, IoT and big data are expanding perimeters far beyond previous limits, making VPNs increasingly costly and complex to maintain, two words that no IT department or CEO likes to hear. As a result, organisations are now struggling to extend robust security measures to remote sites with the limited resources at their disposal, leaving them more vulnerable to cyber-attacks and breaches.
The arrival of secure SD-WAN (an acronym for software-defined networking in a wide area network) is changing this.
Purpose built to address modern connectivity challenges, secure SD-WAN takes a defence-in-depth approach while simultaneously reducing attack surface by logically segmenting the enterprise network on a per-application basis.
Furthermore, this multi-layered security approach is delivered with the same architectural reliability, scalability and cost benefits of a virtual overlay network, making it a win-win for enterprises.
