In today’s remote work environment, you need to get branch and individual home offices up and running fast. Long wait times for the deployment and configuration of complex devices at the edge are no longer an option. This is why virtual networking solutions, such as Software-Defined Wide Area Networking (SD-WAN), are gaining momentum. With SD-WAN, you can remotely deploy a physical or virtual network device to connect branch office or other remote sites to cloud services in minutes. According to Frost & Sullivan, the global SD-WAN market is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 50.7% from 2018 to 2023.
Fast-Track your SD-WAN Strategy
As demand for network capacity increases, enterprises are struggling to quickly deploy and scale their networks in response to changing business environments and hunger for cloud applications. Provisioning time, cost, and speed-to-connection have all become deciding factors for enterprise buyers, and taking months to provision a network connection is no longer acceptable.
Read MoreSD-WAN delivers a series of compelling business advantages in a digital world. First, it’s easy to make network traffic routing changes in real time centrally, instantly improving business agility. And by selecting the best possible route for network traffic, SD-WAN optimizes application performance and gives users a better experience. Zero-touch provisioning simplifies deployment by allowing network devices to automatically connect to the SD-WAN orchestrator and self-configure. SD-WAN also lowers CAPEX by reducing the amount of networking hardware that needs to be deployed and managed to connect remote users to a distributed hybrid multicloud infrastructure ̶ from the core to the edge.
Demonstrating these advantages in action, VMware SD-WAN™ by VeloCloud® and Network Edge from Equinix significantly enhance application performance for users by delivering fast, optimized and secure site-to-application private interconnection at the edge. VMware SD-WAN Edge and Network Edge on Platform Equinix® provide direct, low-latency access to applications deployed on public or private clouds over internet broadband, private/MPLS or LTE networks. As shown in the diagram below, this is accomplished with a WAN-agnostic SD-WAN overlay through a distributed network of VMware SD-WAN components.
VMware SD-WAN by VeloCloud
Following is a deeper dive on the individual VMware SD-WAN solution components and associated Equinix solutions:
- VMware SD-WAN Edge: A virtual or physical network device for directly and securely connecting users to cloud applications over low-latency connections that is deployed inside an enterprise or service provider. A virtual VMware SD-WAN Edge device can run inside Network Edge, allowing businesses to provision and configure SD-WAN services on Platform Equinix in minutes without deploying additional hardware. This includes provisioning fast access to leading cloud platforms via Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric® (ECX Fabric®). ECX Fabric aggregates virtual connections to multiple cloud providers, delivering a fast on-ramp to each cloud platform’s “front door” (see diagram below). You can either purchase a VMware SD-WAN license from your VMware partner to run on Network Edge or use your own VMware SD-WAN license.
Simplified Multicloud Deployment with Network Edge
VMware SD-WAN Orchestrator: A multitenant, cloud-based portal for VMware SD-WAN management, configuration and monitoring that can be hosted by VMware, a service provider, or an enterprise. It delivers a single aggregation point of management and coordinates the branch/user’s access to the cloud services.
VMware SD-WAN Gateway: VMware SD-WAN incorporates a distributed network of cloud gateways that deliver optimized data paths to application traffic. The gateways provide the controller function to route traffic between VMware SD-WAN edges and are fully managed and operated by VMware or by service providers. These gateways provide an on-ramp to cloud platforms (IaaS, SaaS) and can also be integrated with cloud security partners to offer security services. By deploying gateways for customers, VMware SD-WAN offers enterprises a high performance, secure, redundant and customizable on-demand solution.
VMware and Packet, an Equinix Company, have partnered to accelerate SD-WAN services to enterprises across global markets and regions by deploying VMware SD-WAN gateways on Packet bare metal systems at select Equinix International Business Exchange™ (IBX®) data centers worldwide. VMware SD-WAN Gateways on Packet Bare Metal will enable the rollout of an SD-WAN controller as a service without the CAPEX investment of space, hardware or racking and stacking of an appliance.
Fast, optimized access to hybrid multicloud infrastructures
Achieving top cloud application performance and a high quality of experience (QoE) predominantly depend on the efficiency and proximity of the network that connects users to cloud-based applications. VMware SD-WAN supports multiple routes (private/MPLS networks, public internet, etc.) to hybrid multicloud services, enabling the highest QoE possible by taking the optimal route (see the diagram below.)
Multiple SDN-WAN Route Options to Hybrid Multicloud Services
This optimized network overlay accelerates branch deployment connecting users to services deployed anywhere. Being in closer proximity to clouds lowers latency, enhancing performance and reducing cloud egress and metered charges as you move your workloads to/from public clouds.
You can also spin up Network Edge services and ECX Fabric virtual connections to network providers and cloud providers via a single pane of glass using the ECX Fabric Portal. In addition, you can interconnect multiple VMware SD-WAN regions via the ECX Fabric across multiple metros worldwide over 10 Gbps connections.
Interconnecting Multiple VMware SD-WAN Regions/Metros via the ECX Fabric Worldwide
Collectively these capabilities enable VMware SD-WAN Edge customers to deploy virtual edge devices and interconnect them to clouds and network providers located in new global markets, extending their reach to thousands of new business partners and customers around the world.
How VMware SD-WAN Edge on Platform Equinix accelerates digital transformation
Deploying the end-to-end VMware SD-WAN Edge solution on Platform Equinix delivers built-in benefits including:
- Simplified WAN Operations: Leverage automation to deploy SD-WAN sites globally in days rather than weeks.
- when moving application workloads between legacy on-premises infrastructures and cloud platforms over VMware SD-WAN Edge using policy-based application prioritization.
- Faster Cloud Adoption: Directly access hybrid multicloud services in just minutes using software-defined on-ramps to cloud services.
- Greater Edge Security: Harness end-to-end network segmentation and virtual network security functions for SD-WAN such as firewalls and cloud security services.
VMware SD-WAN Edge by VeloCloud is now available on Platform Equinix in nine metros worldwide, with six more coming onboard in 2020. Tap into the power of this solution to bring more remote users right to your cloud provider’s front door faster and with less complexity.
Learn more by watching the ITPro Webinar on Equinix and VMware SD-WAN™ by VeloCloud® or download the VMware SD-WAN™ by VeloCloud® data sheet.
You may also want to check out:
VMware SD-WAN Integrations: Equinix Network Edge Video
[i] Frost & Sullivan, “Global SD-WAN Vendor Market Forecasts, 2019,” March, 28, 2019.
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