Why the Hybrid Cloud Network Is Replacing the Traditional WAN
Imagine your company is launching several new branches overseas, but you quickly realize that when data has to backhaul to your data center over multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) lines, it causes some serious network congestion. Your wide area network (WAN) can’t handle the performance demands of the cloud era. It may be time to consider a hybrid cloud network.
Not only are global enterprises seeing congestion related to backhauling over MPLS lines, but they often find that the high bandwidth demands of cloud solutions make it unrealistic to manage it within the traditional WAN. Adding in a software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) solution as part of a hybrid cloud approach can help solve these challenges.
Challenges of the Traditional WAN
When enterprises continue to rely on the WAN, costs spin out of control, performance erodes, and customers begin to check out competitors. Operational support also becomes more challenging as cloud technology limits the ability for IT teams to control the circumstances surrounding network traffic.
Increasing the difficulty of network complexity are expanding Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) programs, users accessing personal accounts, and shadow IT. Networks are simply too inflexible, expensive, and slow to handle all of these factors on a traditional WAN.
The hybrid cloud network solves these issues by offering agility and flexibility in a platform that allows for business growth and a higher level of control over the network. The team is able to monitor traffic carefully, gain visibility into any potential problems, and resolve them quickly. These capabilities often result in measurable cost savings. Because a hybrid cloud network allows for carrier autonomy, network engineers can distribute traffic between MPLS, broadband internet, and LTE pathways.
When a global enterprise invests in a new branch location, a hybrid cloud network can be set up within minutes, whereas with a traditional WAN, the setup may have taken days or weeks. Virtual networking allows for the device to be plugged in, and it is immediately recognized by the network.
Pursuing Optimization
The hybrid cloud network is not the equivalent of a magic wand for connectivity. Many enterprises turn to a managed services provider capable of helping the enterprise optimize a networking solution for top performance and cost savings. They can help with managing broadband provisioning, expanding network security to reach the edge, and determining whether existing hardware can be an effective solution in a virtual network environment.
Implementing SD-WAN into an existing WAN setting is not a good long-term solution; businesses need to create a hybrid cloud network that is future-proofed for upcoming business objectives and technology investments.
To learn more about how SD-WAN might help your enterprise create a hybrid cloud networking solution, contact us at Clarksys. We can discuss your options for leveraging the best solution for your needs, as well as one that fits your budget.