MPLS vs. SD-WAN: A WAN Speed Test
If an SD-WAN and an MPLS connection have the same bandwidth, which offers better performance? The prevailing wisdom is the MPLS connection since it’s managed, but that’s not necessarily the case, as we learned from one customer. Internet performance has improved so much in the past two decades that its performance can rival and even exceed that of private WAN […]
SD-WAN Security: How Gartner Got it Wrong
A new Gartner report accurately identifies the major macro shift in the SD-WAN market — the transition from pure networking architectures to one intimately tied into broader SD-WAN security designs. It’s a shift we’ve been speaking about for some time. But while Gartner got the basic market change correct, it’s in the details that the report was mistaken. […]
Supplier Management Disrupts SD-WANs – Here’s Why
In a recent blog on Network World, I spoke about the impact SD-WANs have on supplier management. It’s a pressing issue that anyone evaluating SD-WANs must consider. John Spiegal, the IS/Communications Manager at Columbia Sportswear, just sent me a recent SDXCentral article that pointed out a few additional alternatives Multiple Paths: The Key to SD-WAN Availability One […]
No More Routing
A customer of mine and I were chatting over lunch the other day, and our conversation turned to what was going on with his network. His routers were coming end-of-life. I asked him what his plans were, and he looked at me with a blank stare and said: “Upgrade them, of course.” I do not […]
SD-WAN, Hybrid WAN, and MPLS: What’s the Difference?
We’ve been discussing using the Internet as part of your overall wide area network (WAN) strategy. One of the questions I get asked with some frequency is something along the lines of “Steve, how does a software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) differ from a hybrid WAN and how’s that different from what I’ve been doing until now?” Let me […]
From SD-WAN to ZTNA to SASE: Don’t Lose Sight of What Matters
It wasn’t that long ago that SD-WAN was the next great frontier. It was the technology to displace MPLS and to give enterprise networking teams what they wanted for years – freedom from the tyranny of carriers with their overpriced capacity, long deployment times, and dysfunctional support. In short, it seemed like SD-WAN was the […]
Alternative Private Backbones for SASE and SD-WAN
Part of the premise behind secure access service edge (SASE) and global SD-WAN services is to replace the MPLS services that long anchored enterprise networks. But to do that, they first need ways to overcome the unpredictable and high latencies of the global Internet. Enter global private backbones. Whether they’re independent backbones, like Azure Virtual […]
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Work with Unbiased Experts, not SalespeopleWe speed your process and improve your decision process.Learn MoreSASE & SD-WANGet the cost savings of internet access and the performance of MPLS with integrated securityLearn MoreJumpstart Your SD-WANSave time and make more informed purchase decisions with our free WAN RFP templateLearn More Previous slide Next slide How SASE & […]
Zero Trust: What To Consider When Evaluating SASE Solutions
One of the big changes in the network selection processes that I’ve been running of late has been the interest in remote access and in particular Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA). Once a poor step-child to the WAN, remote access has, of course, become the de facto approach for how many of us work every […]
Palo Alto SASE Platform: Plenty of Security, But What About Networking?
When buying a Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) solution, comparing features is the easiest part of a SASE acquisition process. A well-designed table and a bit of vendor honesty (or, more likely, head smashing on your part) will get you the capabilites provided by various SASE vendors. No, the bigger challenge in selecting a SASE […]
