Enhance Network Performance with SD-WAN's
Reliable & Scalable Connectivity

Consolidated Communications SD-WAN, powered by VMware increases agility and cost effectiveness, while assuring application performance across the WAN.

With the advent of online collaboration tools (e.g. Microsoft Teams, Zoom), increased reliance on cloud-based applications, and the need to work with large data sets and bandwidth-intensive applications, today's branch offices use significantly more bandwidth than ever. IT departments face significant challenges addressing these demands, due to the complexity, cost and static architectures inherent in their existing WANs.

The vast majority of branch office WAN traffic is carried over expensive leased lines (private MPLS circuits) or unpredictable Internet connections (DSL, Cable, Wireless LTE)—neither of which is ideal on its own. Deploying leased lines for all bandwidth needs is cost prohibitive and time-consuming, while using the public Internet—with its lack of uptime, reliability and service level assurances (SLAs)—often result in poor performance.

Consolidated Communications SD-WAN with VMware enables enterprises to support application growth, network agility and simplified branch implementations while delivering optimized access to cloud services, private data centers and enterprise applications simultaneously over both ordinary broadband Internet and private MPLS circuits.

 

Challenges with Branch Office Wide Area Networks

According to Ashton, Metzler, and Associates, WAN technologies used in most branch offices today have changed little, if at all, since the 1990s. Traditional wide area networks utilize rigid architectures, which are optimized around private data center applications. These architectures are unable to seamlessly integrate cloud computing, Software-as- a-Service (SaaS), virtualization, and other industry advances. Branch offices with only private-circuit connections rely on backhauling of all cloud applications, SaaS and Internet traffic through the enterprise data center, adding latency, degrading application performance and driving up private network bandwidth costs.

 

MPLS typically provides high quality of service, but with the trade-off of limited capacity, higher cost and long deployment lead times. Broadband provides fast deployments and greater capacity, but sacrifices some reliability. These factors can have the following negative impacts:

  • NEW APPLICATIONS inhibited by bandwidth or the lack of assured performance
  • BRANCH NETWORK DEPLOYMENTS delayed due to IT complexity
  • CLOUD MIGRATION not supported by traditional hub and spoke branch network architecture

Hybrid WAN enables enterprises to incorporate both private MPLS and broadband Internet which can reduce costs. Hybrid WAN, on its own, does not increase agility, performance or simplicity.

 

Solution Overview

Consolidated Communications SD-WAN powered by VMware combines the economics and flexibility of a hybrid WAN with the deployment ease and low maintenance of a cloud-based service. It includes policy-based network-wide application performance, visibility and control, while dramatically simplifying the WAN by delivering virtualized services from the cloud to branch offices.

The VMware Edge appliance is a compact, thin edge device that is zero-touch provisioned from the cloud for secure, optimized connectivity to applications and data. The VMware Edge is also available as a VNF (Virtual Network Function) for instantiation on a virtual CPE platform.

The VMware Edge with Dynamic Multi-Path Optimization (DMPO) and deep application recognition aggregates multiple links (e.g. Private, Cable, DSL, Wireless LTE) and steers traffic over the optimal links to other onpremises VMware Edges in branch offices, private data centers, campuses, and headquarters. The VMware Edge can also optionally connect to the system of global VMware Gateways as shown below to provide performance, security and visibility for cloud services.

This system of VMware Gateways is deployed globally at top-tier cloud data centers to provide scalable and on-demand cloud network services. VMware Gateways implement VMware DMPO, cloud VPN and VMware Multisource inbound Quality of Service between global cloud services (SaaS, IaaS, network services) and each VMware Edge, enabling multiple broadband and private leased lines to appear as a single, high-performance WAN. The cloud-based VMware Orchestrator is used to provision network-wide business policy, enable services insertion, perform real-time monitoring and analyze application performance.

 

Benefits of SD-WAN

Network Agility: Because SD-WAN is cloud-delivered and software-based, it allows for quick adaptation to changing needs including adding access to cloud-based services, standing up new branches or remote offices, and dynamic routing of all traffic for optimized application and data delivery.

Ease of Deployment: SD-WAN allows for various deployment options including completely cloud- or softwarebased, hardware based, or a hybrid (cloud/software and hardware). In each instance, all the components are able to connect to each other when brought online and configurations are pushed from the central monitoring and management orchestrator. There is no need for a specialized technician to facilitate installation.

Central Management and Control: A centrally located orchestrator monitors all network activity, alerting of problems, and enabling the remote remediation of issues. The orchestrator enables the automatic push of configurations to each network node and addd accessibility to common software platforms to every location quickly and efficiently. In addition, it delivers real-time analytics and reporting.

Assured Application Performance: SD-WAN boosts the service level and capacity of hybrid networks or of standard broadband Internet links by implementing its unique Dynamic Multi-Path Optimization.

Unified and Robust Security: SD-WAN provides unified secure communications no matter what the underlying transport may be steered across.

Quality of Experience (QoE): Reporting shows the application specific quality of experience delivered by SD-WAN. Application performance is assured, delivering a high quality and capacity WAN via a virtual overlay across multiple links, including private and Internet broadband.

Cost Reduction: Gartner reports that an SD-WAN deployment is 2.5 times less expensive than traditional WAN architectures. The root of this reduction is attributed to:

  • Leveraging existing infrastructure to transmit all traffic and access cloud applications (MPLS, broadband, LTE).
  • Reducing problem identification and associated remediation costs: Central management and control of network activity eliminates the need to send out trained technicians to assess issues and repair them.
  • The lack of need to deploy application-specific hardware or software at each branch location as all locations can access the same cloud-based applications.

 


SD-WAN Resources

 

Download white paper
on Guide to SD-WAN.

Download SD-WAN for
Dummies to learn more.

Learn why SD-WAN is
the path to the future.

 

Exactly what is SD-WAN?
Download to learn more.

Download more info on CCI
SD-WAN Services.

Watch our Webinar
Modernizing the Network for the Healthcare Industry.

Infographic: SD-WAN Enables Network Transformation

 

The network required to drive innovation into the future needs to transform today. SD-WAN has become that path to the future for: Cloud, IT infrastructure, branch connectivity, application support, AI, IoT, and more.

Enterprise@Home

Business-grade Solutions for the Remote Workforce

Enterprise@Home allows your employees to collaborate and work more productively from home. LEARN MORE

74% of CFOs expect at least 5% of their workforce who previously worked in company offices will become permanent WFH employees. 1

Nearly 60% of employers identify cost-savings as a significant benefit to a remote workforce. 2

VeloCloud Networks, Inc., the Cloud-Delivered SD-WANTM company, Gartner Cool Vendor 2016 and a winner of Best Startup of Interop, simplifies branch WAN networking by automating deployment and improving performance over private, broadband Internet and LTE links for today’s increasingly distributed enterprises. For more information, visit www.velocloud.com and follow the company on Twitter @Velocloud. © 2018 VELOCLOUD NETWORKS, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.