The Customer Journey to SD-WAN Functional, Technical, and Economic Considerations Part 2: SD-WAN: Is It Right for Your Network?

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1 The Custmer Jurney t SD-WAN Functinal, Technical, and Ecnmic Cnsideratins Part 2: SD-WAN: Is It Right fr Yur Netwrk? Technlgy Jel Stradling, Research Directr jel.stradling@glbaldata.cm Spnsred by Published: December 2016

2 Summary: Sftware-Defined Wide-Area Netwrking (SD-WAN) can ffer a number f advantages ver traditinal netwrking techniques fr enterprises mving t virtualized IT envirnments. This paper reviews the main architectural ptins pen t enterprises cnsidering the adptin f SD-WAN, and their technical, functinal, and ecnmic attributes, t help netwrking teams t decide if SD-WAN is the right chice fr them. SD-WAN: Is It Right fr Yur Netwrk? Amid the flurry f SD-WAN prduct intrductins frm netwrking vendrs and SD-WAN service launches by WAN service prviders, many enterprise netwrking teams are asking the questin: Is SD-WAN the right slutin fr ur netwrk? GlbalData Technlgy research has identified sme key determinants that early adpters f SD-WANs have used t justify r nt justify the use f SD-WAN within their netwrk: 1) Are yur IaaS/SaaS/PaaS slutins perfrming accrding t spec? If s, then there s nt necessarily a need t deply new netwrking technlgy such as a sftware-defined WAN. If nt, then a new slutin might give better clud app perfrmance and flexibility. 2) D cnsiderable changes in the netwrk need t be made n a cntinuus r nging basis? These changes may include technical changes as well as cmmercial nes. This pint als relates t the verall evlutin f IT twards pay-as-yu-g. If the pay-as-yu-g mdel is attractive in the rganizatin, then SD-WAN slutins will help t achieve this cmpared t mre static and traditinal IP/MPLS VPNs. 3) D we have missin-critical applicatins that are bandwidth-hungry r particularly jittersensitive and which need t be secure and free f cngestin r quality f service issues? Organizatins that have adpted SD-WAN have reprted an enhanced ability t segment ff prtins f the netwrk t address quality f service issues resulting frm cngestin n peaky traffic frm apps using vice r vide. 4) D we have a large number f remte sites with multiple WAN links, r are we planning t? Fr larger netwrks with multiple sites and WAN links, SD-WAN functinal and ecnmic advantages can be cmpelling. Hwever, with a smaller number f sites r if a majrity f sites are singly cnnected, the advantages are harder t identify. Architecture Chices: Three Optins If SD-WAN seems t answer ne r mre f these key questins, then it s wrth taking a clser lk at the ptins t deply SD-WAN in yur netwrk. Three appraches can be cnsidered, making mre r less use f existing ruting equipment and virtual CPE (vcpe) r universal CPE (ucpe): Deply an verlay SD-WAN slutin leveraging the existing IP ruter ftprint If the enterprise has a majr existing IP ruter estate then it may wish t preserve the existing equipment and leverage an verlay slutin fr implementing SD-WAN. The verlay slutin ffers the ability t failver t the traditinal WAN setup in case there are issues with the SD- WAN infrastructure GlbalData plc. All rights reserved. 1

3 Overlay slutins may lack capabilities in aligning existing OSS/BSS platfrms in place with the service prvider, meaning a lss f sme flexibility fr billing and flexible payment fr utility SD-WANs. This apprach will als require effrts fr the existing WAN be that IP VPN r Ethernet VPN, as well as implementing plicy ruting and n-ging service chaining. Sme ruters available in the market tday can supprt per-flw path frwarding based n link perfrmance and applicatin plicy, and netwrk and applicatin mnitring. Deply a mixture f existing IP ruters and vcpe/ucpe The vcpe r thin CPE invlves the virtualizatin f CPE, and this runs in the clud. ucpe r Universal CPE is a site-based Intel server mdule that can supprt physical netwrking such as being a branch ruter fr multiple WAN interfaces including 3g/LTE, and be remtely manageable fr running fr example VNFs and hsted business cmmunicatins like media gateways fr SIP interperability, etc. Mst enterprise custmers will want t explre a blend f existing IP VPN architecture with sme aspects f the WAN, featuring cre SD-WAN based n cre SDN/NFV and vcpe/ucpe. Such deplyments might begin with the SD-WAN architecture initially fcusing n autmating IT between HQ sites and the data centres where clud apps are being served frm. Sme f the technical issues mentined in the verlay architecture are likely t apply t this mixed set-up scenari, such as lack f supprt fr fully integrated rchestratin f the OSS/BSS functins. Deply full SD-WAN based entirely n a new appliance, x86 server, r gateway n site, r n vcpe/ucpe Virtualized sftware runs n x86 as a VM r cntainerized slutin. The SD-WAN benefits frm central rchestratin and plicy-based ruting cntrl. Enterprises adpting the full SD-WAN apprach may emply the full range f SD-WAN features, including intelligent path selectin, plicy management, full autmatin, integratin with OSS/BSS, zer tuch deplyment and security functins like IPsec VPN and firewalling. Enterprises als need t cnsider whether t use a virtual SD-WAN cntrller in the clud, r premises-based SD-WAN cntrller sftware. This chice tends t be sectr-specific. Fr example, banking and financial firms tday tend t prefer premises-based cntrllers since financial firms mre ften run private MPLS envirnments; whereas retail chains, which favr public Internet and bradband links, may pt fr cludhsted SD-WAN cntrller slutins. Key Use Cases fr SD-WAN: Technical, Functinal, and Ecnmic Technical Traditinal WANs are nt Architected Specifically fr Running Clud Apps Mst SD-WAN slutins in the market fcus n slving business cnnectivity that demands amng ther things majr use f services frm within the clud. Traditinal IP/MPLS VPNs have adapted and evlved t feature cnnectivity t clud estates, including bth private and public cluds but there remain certain limitatins n perfrmance (i.e., scaling bandwidth) and app pririty parameters ver public Internet. Hybrid WAN slutins d ffer APM and WAN ptimizatin features, but fr mre cmprehensive applicatins cntrl, it is imprtant t be able t understand hw apps are behaving in the netwrk and t be in a psitin t tailr r tweak SD-WAN parameters t maintain the apps running in the clud in an efficient wrking fashin. Enterprises are right t 2016 GlbalData plc. All rights reserved. 2

4 expect a self-serve interface within an nline prtal that allws them t make changes and behind the selfserve feature lies autmatin s that changes d nt demand intensive manual actins. Functinal Adding r remving sites There are t many manual prcedures fr implementing such changes at the branch. Often a large enterprise will need t scale r shrink peratins and this requires new ffice lcatins and end-users t be integrated with the existing WAN. The new SD-WAN envirnment shuld supprt the additin f new sites rapidly ver multiple access types, such as leased line, Internet access, MPLS, 3G/4G LTE, and bradband. Prvisined circuits and intercnnectins need t meet the crprate security plicy and be dcumented as per gvernance rules. SD-WAN services demnstrated that mves, adds, and changes can be perfrmed mre cnveniently and with fewer cmplicatins that might arise frm say re-writing CLI scripts frm scratch fr every site. Plicy driven SD-WAN cnfiguratins cmbined with autmated plicy selectin and cnfiguratin enable zer-tuch prvisining fr drp-shipped CPE devices n existing IP ruters r via universal CPE (ucpe). SD-WAN techniques such as these reduce human errrs that creep int netwrks cnfigured with manual cnfiguratin steps. Try befre yu buy and Rapid Prvisining MPLS des nt ffer the flexibility r agility fr quickly deplying changes and fr example trying ut features fr a shrt duratin befre cmmitting t buy. SD- WAN slutins increasingly supprt mre chice f virtual netwrk functins (VNFs) and bth slutin architecture and VNFs running ver the test netwrk design give engineers far greater flexibility fr testing the netwrk and the perfrmance f clud apps n the netwrk befre scaling t a full deplyment. Ecnmic Scaling MPLS Can Take Time and Drive Up Csts hw can a new netwrk slutin help bypass the current inflexible nature f MPLS circuits? The central rchestratin sftware fr an SD-WAN shuld prvide the systems administratr r netwrk engineer with an interface that supprts quick changes t circuit design and perfrmance parameters GlbalData plc. All rights reserved. 3

5 SD-WAN: Differences with Traditinal MPLS WANs Attributes SD-WAN Legacy WAN Prvisining Zer-tuch prvisining Manual prvisining On-demand app supprt Try befre yu buy & pay-as-yu-g IT Inflexible platfrm fr trying ut new cnfiguratin and services fr a shrt perid Cnfiguratin changes Autmated features Manual prcedures Orchestratin Central rchestratin Many disparate parts t the netwrk including hardware CPE, prvider edge, cre Supprt fr Clud applicatin architecture Security capabilities Clud ready Security mechanisms can be deplyed quickly Nt necessarily architected frm the utset fr clud and virtualizatin MPLS is perceived as highly secure Scaling prperties Scale slutin cmpnents hrizntally Mre static traditinal fixed cmpnents (fr example nn-hsted in the clud) Change prcesses Security and Cmpliance changes MPLS is highly secure and cmpliant, hwever making plicy changes and expanding r shrinking requires mre manual prcesses Availability and Redundancy Security features Path cntrl and selectin Availability and redundancy fr clud apps, including ver public Internet and private cluds SD-WAN slutins supprt security segmentatin in clud and virtualized IT Flexible path cntrl/selectin inherent in SD-WAN in mst cases MPLS has gd characteristics fr availability and redundancy (prviding f curse back-up circuits are present) fr site, edge, and cre transprt, but may nt meet demands fr heavy clud-based traffic ruting and app cntrl between cluds and ver the Internet Security features are static, spin-up f virtual VNFs such as firewall pssible but integratin is required Path cntrl and selectin is pssible but demands integratin and verlays, and mre manual prcesses that are mre prne t prblems arising frm human errr WAN prvider chice WAN prvider independent Tied t specific WAN prviders Plicy-based management Simplified plicy based peratins fr multiple functins like applicatin perfrmance, security, and cnnectivity Enterprise has t manage multiple devices and services Management ptins Self-managed r Prvider managed Prvider managed 2016 GlbalData plc. All rights reserved. 4