Digital Transformation & Improvements With 5G and SD-Wan Edge Computing

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Digital transformation is the need for today’s enterprises’ ecosystem across the globe. Organizations worldwide are switching towards video, cloud, and IoT technologies to stay competitive and stable with the increasing demands of their customers and partners. Many companies plan to implement multiple new services and solutions to their existing digital infrastructure. In this paper, we will mainly focus on the Edge computing requirements like SDN or SD-WAN. This paper will be a good introduction to the combined work of 5G with a software-defined wide area network and software-defined network. 5G is a new form of communication that provides high bandwidth to an organization. SD-WAN is responsible for managing the traffic across all the available links, such as MPLS, Broadband, and 5G, in an efficient way by keeping track of network conditions.

Implementing SD-WAN TECHNOLOGY TO 5G

Organizations and government agencies are increasingly adopting SD-WAN to replace legacy WAN running on MPLS. SD-WAN is typically used to add broadband, DSL, or mobile links to the existing connections of the enterprises market due to which organizations can increase their bandwidth of already existing MPLS connections while providing a failover backup, all at substantial cost savings compared to directly upgrading the MPLS line to the same standard of bandwidth and reliability. Some other features include WAN optimization, application-specific network rulesets, and Centralized control of branch networks via cloud.

Current Market Scenario and Future Expectations

Various research has predicted an optimistic future for the business network market, mainly for broadband access equipment and software-defined wide area network. It is predicted that the SD-WAN market is proliferating and will continue to grow in the coming years as well. SDN/SD-WAN market’s growth declined in 2020 due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. During the pandemic, the organizations adopted the remote working model, due to which there was a lack of investments in their IT infrastructure. Many vertical markets were completely shut down, like- travel, hospitality, retail businesses, etc. However, 2021 has shed new light; industries started to make a good level of investments towards their network infrastructure to improve their remote access work model, which includes security, speed, storage, etc. During 2020 and 2021, some bold collaborations and acquisitions were made in the SDN or SD-WAN market. For instance,

• Aryaka Announces “All-in-One” SD-WAN and SASE Offerings for the Cloud-First Enterprise and Hybrid Workplace Deployments.
• HPE completes the acquisition of SD-WAN leader Silver Peak an SD-WAN (Software-Defined Wide Area Network) leader, in a transaction valued at $925 million.
• Riverbed launches SaaS accelerator and updates SD-WAN products to improve network and platform performance.
• Citrix and Microsoft will provide collaborative tools and services to simplify and speed the transition of on-premises Citrix customers to Microsoft Azure. The companies will also devise a connected roadmap to enable a consistent and optimal flexible work experience that will include joint offerings comprised of Citrix Workspace, Citrix SD-WAN, Microsoft Azure, and Microsoft 365 sold through their direct sales forces via the Azure Marketplace and a robust community of channel partners.
• Aryaka Recognized in First Global Provider Carrier Managed SD-WAN LEADERBOARD by Vertical Systems Group.

Market Trends

SD-WAN has reduced the need for backhaul traffic; it helps establish secure, reliable, and high-performance connectivity for an application that runs on multi-cloud environments without any need for backhaul traffic. SD-WAN has the potential to improve the multi-cloud environment, because of which leaders in SD-WAN technology are collaborating with cloud providers to make access easier and accelerate cloud connectivity. Moro hub, a subsidiary of Digital DEWA, which is the digital arm of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), has signed an SD-WAN Managed Service Provider has signed an agreement with Omni clouds, a leading technology start-up in the cloud service provider space and migrator for the Middle East region. Omni cloud has agreed to offer a set of SD-WAN services to Moro Hub. In addition, the company will also provide a range of SD-WAN services and solutions like cloud migration, connectivity, and security-managed services to the motor hub. This partnership aims to deliver enhanced cloud connectivity for Moro Hub’s enterprise customers in the UAE and beyond.

The emerging trend of the SD-Branch, a software-defined Branch, is designed in such a way that it can replace a portion of the whole branch network architecture. It helps to simplify the deployment process by combining WAN connectivity with security and LAN/WLAN. Brasfield & Gorrie, one of the largest privately-held construction firms based in Birmingham, Alabama, is deploying an end-to-end Aruba SD-Branch network to connect its 12 offices and more than 180+ active job sites. Along with that, it will also connect six locations of B&G Equipment and Supply. ZPE Systems has introduced an open SD-Branch platform for distributed enterprises and managed service providers. It consists of a Node grid Hive Services Router (Hive SR) with integrated 5G/4G LTE, cloud-orchestrated SD-WAN application, and wireless access points.

SD-WAN is proven to be a secure remote access solution when integrated with a Secure access service edge or zero-trust network access. It is analyzed that SD-WAN vendors are working on their business models to expand their offerings to include SASE, ZTNA, and many others. The vendors are currently making efforts to understand this technology to improve the security of LAN, WLAN, and WAN security policies, at branch offices. LOGIX Fiber Networks has collaborated with Versa Networks to offer its SD-WAN and SASE solutions to its customers. With the help of this collaboration, Logix will deliver a combination of full-featured SD-WAN capabilities such as integrated security, scalable advanced routing, remote worker access, and analytics to meet the evolving WAN Edge requirements.

Selecting the Right Trusted Vendor

SDN or SD-WAN is not a simple technology, and the key to its success is to understand what the vendors are offering. What type of features are present in their solution, and their constant modifications and pricing should be clear? Here we are going to mention some of the top SD-WAN vendors operating in the industry today.

HPE (Aruba and Silver peak)

The company is heavily investing in SD-WAN technologies; Aruba and Silver Peak have a common goal to provide simplicity, scalability, and application awareness at the edge. Aruba’s all-in-one SD-Branch portfolio is combined with Silver Peak’s self-driving SD-WAN and WAN optimization solutions. It helps Aruba better address comprehensive customer requirements to gain an advantage in a promising market opportunity. Aruba Edge Connect SD-WAN edge platform powers a self-driving wide area network for the cloud-first enterprise.

Aruba Edge Connect SD-WAN:

                

• Increases the application performance across the network
• It has segmentation and increased security to ensure the smooth running of networks with high safety.
• It algins network resources to the changing needs of the business
• It has centrally managed and on a single platform that unifies SD-WAN, security, routing, and WAN optimization.
• Aruba Microbranch solutions provide a simple access point that includes advanced SD-WAN capabilities to protect and provide safe working conditions to remote workers, retail stores, and other small locations. Its edge connect includes automated orchestration and secure internet breakout with leading cloud security providers.

Source:  Arubanetworks.com

Riverbed

Riverbed's secure enterprise SD-WAN provides connectivity across the branch, data center, and multi-cloud infrastructure. It increases WAN capacity and cost-effective Internet Broadband and LTE to replace MPLS. Riverbed SteelConnect EX SD-WAN increases the speed of the application by 100 and optimizes workflows throughout the network and, in turn, production. It can remove any redundancies in traffic from the WAN and free up the pipes for more pertinent data. IT managers can connect servers and storage across branches and data centers without losing network performance, saving a ton on OPEX. Consolidation also increases the security of the networks, which makes the company less vulnerable to hackers. SteelHead is very much efficient in case of visibility. Real-time tracking allows IT companies to fix and enhance app performance quickly and provides support to end-user to make sure consumers are connecting with their apps smoothly without any hindrance. The riverbed SD-WAN solution is best suited for companies with a high latency environment looking to increase their workflow and productivity.

Benefits of Riverbed SD-WAN:

• Ultimate Agility
• Ultimate performance, accelerate app performance by up to 33x or more
• Ultimate security

Cisco Systems

Cisco is the world leader in IT and has innovative networking solutions. The company has constantly been trying to overcome networking problems head-on by launching solutions that help improve communication, connection, and collaboration for various clients. Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN image supports the hardware platforms such as Cisco ASR 1000 Series Aggregation Services Routers, Cisco 1000 and 4000 Series ISRs, and Cisco 5400 ENCS. Cisco offers customizable solutions so that your company can find the perfect choice for optimization. Cisco provides solutions to different sizes of companies; it offers customizable solutions to companies with cloud applications and those finding the eager solutions to block hacks with increased security. Cisco SD-WAN has a transport-independent design that helps simplify the WAN infrastructure with a cohesive design over all transports. Another feature is intelligent path control, a cost-effective feature that helps you save a lot of money if you use a hybrid solution by ensuring unnecessary traffic isn’t running on your MPLS. The cisco SD-WAN helps apps to run quickly by using encryption techniques and VPN overlay to secure the networks from attacks. Cisco makes large deployments in all major sectors like retail, financial services, healthcare, and energy. It is expected to be the most widely deployed SD-WAN across the fortune 2000, with deployments in 70% of fortune 100 enterprises.

Benefits of Cisco SD-WAN

• 65% lower cost of connectivity
• 33% more efficient WAN management
• Reduces the unplanned downtime by 94%
• Improves the Microsoft 365 performance by 40%
• 48% reduction in application latency
• 38% lower five-year cost of operations per 100 users
• 58% faster implementation of policy and configuration changes

Source: Cisco

VMware

VMware velocloud’s cloud-delivered SD-WAN is one of the first SD-WAN offerings; it connects company locations with broadband internet access or MPLS into a virtual overlay. Its collection of services gateways delivers network services from the cloud from the underlying transport system to data centers, branches, and web applications. One of its fundamental advantages is that it spots and corrects performance problems quickly with troubleshooting tools and reduces the operational costs of hardware delivery. It is best suited for companies that are dispersed globally and for enterprises that rely heavily on cloud-based applications.

Vendors	Features	Best suited for:
Riverbed Steelhead	Timely integration Flexible purchase option Quickest connection for apps	Companies having large WANSs Companies that have a lot of network traffic Enterprise whose main priority is network quality
Cisco IWAN	Better performance and management of apps Security features Good reputation in the industry	Companies with the high-latency environment Reduction of redundant traffic For organizations who want to meet security compliance standards
VMware SD-WAN	On-premises deployment Provides data plane services in the cloud Policy-based access for data center applications Solutions for service providers	Companies that are dependent on cloud applications Companies whose geographical reach is expanding Start-ups Service providers
Cisco Viptela solution	Optimize with already existing WAN Packet forwarding encryption, QoS, and ACL functions Centralized management	Companies who can manage the extra hardware settings Companies that don’t want to integrate into SD-WAN fully Companies that store sensitive data and need a complete security
Oracle Talari’s SD-WAN	Selective packet duplication Routing with enhanced quality Intelligent load balancing Failover without any session interruption	Businesses relying on heavy applications performances Companies who want to make their WAN less complex Companies who are looking forward to migrating their applications to the cloud

 

About the Author

Akansha Malik is a Market Research Analyst at Knowledge Sourcing Intelligence LLC. Akansha works with various qualitative analysis tools to understand and analyze the current and future market dynamics of the target market. Her expertise lies in mining large data sets, primary or secondary research, and market assessment to supply current market information to administrative personnel regarding decision-making and implementation. She is passionate about supporting the IT and Telecom sector to flourish and be useful in making a more digital, better working world. Through her qualitative research, she helps her clients to achieve excellent performance. To read more informative articles and white papers from her and for more information regarding the global market scenario, visit www.knowledge-sourcing.com.