Day Two Cloud 065: Building Your Cloud On-Ramp With SD-WAN

Cloud access is a critical part of any network design, especially considering the number of business applications that run in the sky. The challenge is finding the best way to provide robust, secure, and measurable connectivity.
One option is SD-WAN, which creates a fabric of multiple WAN links and can direct traffic based on a combination of policy and performance requirements. SD-WAN vendors offer a variety of mechanisms to connect end users to SaaS and public cloud applications. Day Two Cloud co-host Ethan Banks interviewed many of these vendors to understand the architectural nitty-gritty of different approaches.
On today’s show, Ethan plays the role of consultant while Ned Bellavance plays the role of a company looking for a cloud access solution. Ethan shares what he learned from his research and presents the pros and cons of several SD-WAN cloud on-ramp options.
They discuss:

* How SD-WAN works and how it’s different from traditional WAN networking
* Different vendor architectures for SD-WAN, including outsourced and DIY options
* Pros and cons of each architecture
* Questions to ask when putting together a POC
* Why visibility is essential
* How to integrate with zero-trust and security services
* More

Key Takeaways:

* SD-WAN cloud on-ramps are going to cost you money. What’s the ROI? Will you have one?
* Evaluate WAN optimization carefully against your own traffic mix. It’s not free, and your mileage WILL vary.
* Think about visibility. These are complex solutions. When they break or underperform, do they offer the tooling to troubleshoot?

Sponsor: VMworld
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Show Links:
List Of SD-WAN Vendors – Packet Pushers
“Dynamic Path Networking: SDWAN’s Better Way To Choose The “Best Path” – Whitepaper – Packet Pushers Ignition
Ned Bellavance on Twitter
Ethan Banks on Twitter
NedInThe Cloud – Ned’s blog