The rise of remote work has completely changed the way businesses operate and function in the market. So, remote work was once a perk for some businesses and today it has become a necessity for many. But, this type of shift has put significant pressure on IT infrastructure. This is because it has to manage everything right from network access to clear connectivity. Along with this, the chances of cyber threats increase because of accessibility from different points.
This makes the organizations rethink their network architecture to ensure secure, and scalable connectivity. This is the need for a distributed workforce. So, businesses are using SD-WAN which is a smart technology that is emerging in this new era of remote work.
Want to know how SD-WAN is assisting in remote work? How well does it offer flexibility and security to businesses? Read out to know everything here:
Benefits of Remote Work Revolution in Businesses
Before we understand how SD-WAN supports remote work, it is important to know the entire aspect. So, it’s already known that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the adoption of remote work. Before this situation, remote work was only a temporary measure. But, today, it has become a long-term strategy for many companies be it IT or non-IT.
According to a survey by Gartner, approximately 75% of businesses have shifted some employees to remote work permanently. This is surely helping businesses in saving their cost and their resources. But, the new work paradigm of remote work culture also has several challenges.
Security Concerns and Cyber Threats
As employees access corporate resources from various locations, it increases risk. This is riskier on unsecured networks so because of this the risk of cyber threats is increasing.
Scalability Issues
There are scalability issues that come with remote work culture. As companies grow, the need to support more remote workers also increases. So, it is important to maintain quality without compromising performance.
Complex Management of networks
For businesses, managing a distributed network with diverse connectivity is challenging. This is because it is more complicated than managing a centralized office network.
So, these are a few challenges due to which businesses need SD-WAN solutions. This necessitates a network solution that is secure, flexible, and scalable. Thus, SD-WAN is one such technology that is emerging because it can meet all these requirements.
Now, let’s understand:
What is the Role of SD-WAN in Remote Work?
SD-WAN is a transformative technology that can easily virtualize the WAN connections. Because of this, it can provide businesses with the ability to manage multiple types of connections. Whether it is MPLS, LTE, or broadband, SD-WAN can manage the connection using a software-defined interface. This flexibility feature of this latest WAN architecture makes it ideal for supporting a remote workforce.
Enhances security within the network
It is a fact that security is a concern in remote work environments. Because employees often rely on home networks and public Wi-Fi to access company resources. For such practices, traditional WAN architectures are ill-equipped to manage the security needs of a distributed workforce. Also, it requires complex and expensive solutions to secure remote connections.
But, the best thing is that SD-WAN can address these challenges by integrating advanced security features into the network.
- End-to-End Encryption
So, the SD-WAN solution ensures that is data transmitted across the network is encrypted end-to-end. As a result of this, it will help safeguard sensitive information from interception.
- Secure Remote Access
With SD-WAN, businesses can implement secure remote access solutions. This includes VPNs and other solutions more efficiently. Some SD-WAN solutions can also simplify the process of securing remote connections.
- Zero Trust Model
Several SD-WAN solutions implement a Zero Trust model, which detects the threats both inside and outside the network. Along with this, there are integrated security tools that offer the features of secure gateways, and firewalls.
So, these security features enable businesses to protect their data and assets. No matter where the employees are located, you can easily protect your data through the implementation of SD-WAN.
Improves Scalability
Today, remote work has become a permanent solution. So, many businesses need to ensure that their networks can scale to accommodate growth. Traditional WANs require investment to expand capacity so it is not a suitable solution for scalability. However, SD-WAN on the other hand can offer the scalability that modern businesses need.
- Cloud Integration
SD-WAN can integrate with cloud services that allow businesses to scale their operations. Because of this, there will be no need for significant infrastructure changes. In addition to this, SD-WAN’s ability will be able to optimize and secure cloud traffic.
- On-Demand Connectivity
The implementation of SD-WAN also allows the companies to quickly add new locations or remote workers to the network.
Flexibility in management
It is sometimes challenging to manage a distributed network particularly when remote workers are spread across multiple locations. In such a situation, traditional WANs can require manual configuration and troubleshooting.
- Centralized Control
SD-WAN offers the benefits of a centralized management interface which will be beneficial for the IT teams. They could easily monitor and configure the entire network from a single dashboard.
- Simplified Deployment
The SD-WAN deployment is easy and quick which doesn’t disrupt existing operations. So, this ease of deployment is important for businesses that need to scale their network rapidly.
Conclusion
These days, remote work is becoming the norm for businesses so SD-WAN is no longer just a smart technology. It can help in future-proof network strategy by ensuring security, flexibility, and security for the remote work culture.