This year, the Wavestone team were lucky enough to take part in the discussion, debate and exploration of ideas related to the world of WAN. Including Senior Managers Steve Glasgow and Nick Conway participating in two of the panel discussions.
If you are unfamiliar with the event, this 2-day event brings together enterprise, consultancies and vendors to discuss the latest ideas and trends related to WAN through a series of discussions, case studies and demos.
In this article, Wavestone shares the five key themes that we took from the event.
SD WAN was unsurprisingly discussed at great lengths throughout the conference
Historically, many organisations signed long contracts with a global telco or vendor. Now, the whole game has changed. Global reach has improved, with the internet now having a bigger part to play, there is a lower cost of availability, and tech like SD-WAN is helping leverage these lower-cost options.
SD-WAN is no longer the brand new, mysterious new technology and the discussion has shifted from why should I implement SD-WAN to how do I effectively implement SD-WAN?
Throughout the summit, many questions arose on the topic of how to effectively implement and here is the advice given:
- The best way to prepare for an SD-WAN implementation must include running a proof of concept (PoC)
- Have a clear view on what would constitute a successful PoC, clearly demonstrating the benefits of the technology and its impact on the client’s infrastructure
- The business case is not always fully substantiated before proceeding with an SD-WAN implementation. Whilst the technology may be exciting, it is important the project is implemented on the back of a strong business case
- Training can often be forgotten about and is often deemed the hidden cost of SD WAN. Therefore, the PoC process should be used to gain a clear understanding of the knowledge gaps within their teams. Traditional core network skills are still required, as are newer skills aligned to SD-WAN
The selling point of SD WAN is the continuity of service and network performance, the primary reason shouldn’t be about saving money, although in some circumstances SD-WAN has the potential to lead to cost savings.
SD-WAN implementations can and often improve network service reliability, particularly in geographic regions accustomed to unreliable network infrastructure.
SD WAN can help organisations to optimally leverage a selection of circuits including premium and contended internet & MPLS. Indeed, contended internet, when used appropriately in an SD-WAN can provide a valuable level of resilience for low cost.
Managed SD-WAN service providers provide a one stop shop for businesses that want the flexibility of SD-WAN without their own WAN contracts and services.
As enterprises move away from on-premises data centres, the methods used to secure the WAN are fundamentally changing.
Security should be a part of the SD WAN offering and network security must be evaluated before SD WAN is implemented.
WAN managers must rethink not only network security strategies, but also how to manage network security responsibilities with their Cloud Service Providers and internal security colleagues. Some Managed SD-WAN service providers include network security features such as DDoS protection and web security, providing a converged network and security platform.
As companies increase their IoT footprint and more devices are provisioned in the cloud, the attack surface increases leading to a heightened security risk. It’s therefore important that both network and SOC (Security Operations Centre) teams know their responsibilities and the right systems, processes and tools are in place to mitigate the risk.
“Don’t replicate your datacentre network architecture in the cloud” was the message from many attendees, who had seen specialists from other areas of the business build the network without necessarily adopting best practice. These networks are built in a similar fashion to on-premise, leading to a large number of virtual routers and firewalls being installed. This quickly becomes unmanageable.
5G is going to massively disrupt the market due to the volume of edge devices coming in to play. The increase in network speed with 5G will open up the possibility of having far away edge devices that could instantly give updates. The demand for edge computing will also increase as devices will no longer need to send data back significant distance. It is expected that the computation will happen at the edge. There will be both private and public 5G networks available in the future to WAN security owing the volume of edge devices.
With its ability to aggregate premium and contended internet circuits, will lead, in time, to even large enterprises moving to internet only based network.
Renewals of MPLS will decline over the next few years as SD-WAN will drive confidence and reliance on internet. The majority of organisations are retaining an element of MPLS, at least to start, is often appropriate. It is unwise to move to internet straight away. The highly risk adverse will still need private networks and new technologies like 5G is already being used for this.
A final piece of advice…
Steve Glasgow
Hedge your bets when you buy a solution and don’t get locked to a vendor. In 3/5 years time there may be something better, so don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
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