Network Basics: What You Need To Know About SD-WAN

There are a boatload of acronyms when it comes to networking – MPLS, LAN, WAN, SIP, VoIP, to name a few. For the non-expert, it can all be overwhelming; All that matters to you is that your network works, you aren’t dropping calls, and your data is flowing smoothly. But, there’s a new acronym coming out and we want you to know about it. Here is a primer in the revolutionary model of SD-WAN.

Let’s start at the beginning. Your office likely uses a LAN (Local Area Network), an internal computer network that links devices in a building, or several buildings in a close geographic area. Now, if you have multiple locations, you have a WAN (Wide Area Network) that connects all of your LANs using a private or public transmission system, generally a subscription based service via a telecom provider.

WANs can connect using wired and wireless service, like MPLS, T1s, commercial broadband internet, cellular data networks and Wi-Fi. These services can operate over a dedicated, private connection (backed by an SLA) or over a shared, public connection like the internet. Most WANs use a hybrid of these services, both public and private, but latency and bandwidth restraints can cause network performance issues. Enter SD-WAN (Software-Defined WAN).