Over the last few years, the world of business communication has come to be driven by data. From financial transactions to information sharing, the ways in which the application software we use affects how we create and manage this data is almost endless.
To facilitate this growing dependency, hardware-based networks were traditionally used to backhaul data traffic from users, located in business branches or satellite offices, to a central Data Centre (DC) hub, to provide access to assets and ensure information security.
However, the dramatic increase in Cloud-based applications and the uptake of SaaS options means that sending traffic from remote stations to DCs and then on to the Cloud simply doesn’t make sense. The delay and degradation in performance, not to mention the consumption of costly bandwidth caused by traditional WAN structures, has necessitated a whole new way of structuring data traffic.
The SD-WAN solution
By decoupling data transmission from applications and control functions, SD-WAN is providing enterprises of all sizes with a reliable, flexible and vastly improved way of working. Traditional device-centric networks present a whole range of problems for their users that the adoption of SD-WAN can mitigate, saving your business time, effort and ultimately money.
As well as performance degradation, data transmission speeds and reliability can suffer latency and jitter when using SaaS or Cloud-based applications running over traditional networks. Perhaps more seriously, they also open data up to an increased risk of cyber-attacks due partly to the complexity of upgrading security measures across multiple sites.
However, with SD-WAN deployed as part of your SASE architecture, security policy changes can be configured centrally and deployed within a matter of minutes, reducing the potential attack surface as well as the likelihood of human error.
SD-WANs are continuously self-monitoring and developing, so can adapt in real-time to any changes in the state of your network. Their ability to actively use multiple forms of WAN transport means users can enjoy seamless access to business-critical applications without packet loss, latency or jitter, regardless of any impairments such as traffic congestion or a transport black-out.
Not only does this reduce the pressure on your IT team, but it also provides a vastly improved user experience with positive implications for productivity.
SD leadership from Xpertex
Any organisation that wants to maximise the efficiency and productivity of its data network needs to partner with a systems provider that deals in the future, not the past.
To ensure your company benefits from an optimal data management system, it is necessary to craft a centrally managed, single platform that unifies SD-WAN, firewall, segmentation, routing, WAN optimisation and visibility and control functions that form the core of your SASE solution.
That is why Xpertex only offers enterprise networking solutions from brands at the forefront of secure Software Defined technology, providing its clients with products that ensure they are working with tried and tested, forward-facing modern technology.
Explaining the company’s leadership in the field of SD networking, Joel Sweeney, director at Xpertex, points to the fact that by 2025 the amount of data generated each day is expected to reach 463 Exabytes globally. (Source: seedscientific.com/how-much-data-is-created-every-day.)
“This extraordinary scale of data growth will render traditional networks obsolete as they simply will not be able to cope with demand,” Sweeney states. “Not only the demands of data transmission but, more importantly, the demand that will be placed on individuals tasked with managing every single device within their data networks will rapidly become unsustainable.
“We at Xpertex recognised the significance of Software Defined Networking in 2018, so developed our SD-XXX strategy to become experts in all things Software-Defined.”
The Juniper Effect
Juniper Networks is one Xpertex partner whose AI-driven enterprise packages work to deliver the best user experience, security, cloud-friendliness and connectivity.
The Juniper AI-Driven Enterprise packages leverage visibility, data science and the power of AI to provide a ‘self-driving’ network built on client and application awareness, which intelligently routes client and application traffic to ensure a superlative user experience.
Deployed on its NFX Series network services platforms, as well as any x86 commodity hardware, either on-premises or in the Cloud, Juniper’s Session Smart Router is able to deliver AI-driven SD-WAN for all distributed enterprises.
Session-aware and application-centric, the virtualised Session Smart Router is a software-based system that provides a centralised, intuitive and easy-to-use web-based management platform for your business.
Juniper’s NFX Series platforms offer industry-leading stateless and stateful firewall features as well as a best-in-class hypervisor that enables the provisioning and deployment of virtualised Smart Session Routers in a resilient, federated solution.
Building in a new landscape
It goes without saying that every organisation is looking for the most cost-effective, efficient and productive way to conduct its operations. As enterprises become increasingly dispersed, with essential assets stored and accessed via the Cloud, the case for an SD future is clear.
To find out how Xpertex can help you build a secure future in the newly defined networking landscape, email info@xpertex.co.uk or call 020 3021 0749.
