How SD-WAN and Cyber Security Partner for Better Protection
Cyber security remains one of the most pressing concerns for enterprise IT, with threats changing shape and tactics from one day to the next. A shortage of IT professionals who specialize in security issues is encouraging teams to look at new approaches. Software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) and cyber security are increasingly paired to improve data and systems protection.
SD-WAN is inherently more secure than running a traditional hub-and-spoke for software-focused cloud solutions, with better visibility and the ability to segment out different types of traffic, thus isolating any potential threats from the rest of the network.
SD-WAN and cyber security make good partners in other ways, as enterprises are learning new techniques for optimizing their networks while making them more secure.
Address VPN Vulnerabilities: When an enterprise uses the internet for transport purposes, they generally utilize a virtual private network (VPN) to ensure secure transport. Each of these VPNs must be managed, and there must be firewalls at the data center or a firewall at each remote location.
This concern is eliminated with SD-WAN because you don’t need firewalls for VPNs. SD-WAN comes with a controller that immediately builds IPsec tunnels as soon as the device is plugged in. The only thing you need to do is assign an IP address to the remote location and the SD-WAN will build the tunnel.
Reduce Security Traffic: SD-WAN and cyber security make another successful partnership when it comes to managing security traffic. SD-WAN reduces the amount of traffic that needs to pass through any security parameters because all site-to-site traffic is encrypted. VPNs no longer need to go through a firewall and the SD-WAN splits traffic based on whether it goes through the internet or needs to go to the data center.
SD-WAN Security Features: In addition to these ways that SD-WAN improves security, it also has features that make it more secure. There are certain security features that can be implemented directly through the SD-WAN platform, which can reduce costs and complexity related to the other security tools the enterprise is utilizing. For instance, with some SD-WAN products, you can visualize the firewall, so there’s no need to add a physical firewall on top of the SD-WAN.
SD-WAN can allow or deny traffic to certain websites, or it can limit the amount of traffic allowable from a certain site.
In many situations, enterprises are using SD-WAN to improve the security tools they already have in place and using these capabilities to keep pace with changing cyber security threats.
Are you wondering whether SD-WAN and cyber security might be a good strategy for your enterprise? Even if you have a solid security plan in place, the optimization capabilities of SD-WAN and the added protection will make supporting your digital transformation easier in terms of both execution and managing your budget. Contact us at Net Tel One Communications for more information.