What is Orchestration?

SD-WAN orchestration is a tool that provides Software Defined Wide Area Networks with a centralised management. This central management system provides SD-WAN solutions with a single interface with the capability for automation, coordination of network functions, and policy enforcement across the entire network. This single interface for all network functionality simplifies network operations for network administrators and enables optimisation of application performance across the network whilst ensuring consistent security and compliance is followed by all users and devices.

Core Components of SD-WAN Orchestration

SD-WAN orchestration enables automation of the entire WAN from a central location. These automations allow for Zero Touch Provisioning, remote configuration management and monitoring of network performance. By providing network administrators with a unified platform to manage and maintain the network in one singular location, this reduces the overall workload complexity and improves operational efficiency.

Application performance is optimised by SD-WAN orchestration through its ability to intelligently route traffic based on application requirements and network conditions. These enable dynamic path selection, Quality of Service (QoS) enforcement and application-aware routing and means that critical network applications are prioritised and given the necessary bandwidth to minimise latency, packet loss and jitter. By minimising degradation of network traffic, SD-WAN Orchestration improves the overall user experience (UX) and improves productivity.

SD-WAN orchestration also enforces consistent policies across the entire network, ensuring that all access control rules, and compliance requirements are met. By leveraging a central interface for defining policies, this makes management and changes to the policies easier for network administrators and means that all network devices will be affected by policy roll outs simultaneously regardless of location. This improves network security and reduces configuration error where manual configuration was previously needed.

Integration with SASE (Secure Access Service Edge)

SASE is a cloud-based networking framework that integrates SD-WAN with cloud delivered services, such as Firewall-as-a-Service (FwaaS), Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) and Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) within a single unified system for improving the security of cloud-centric enterprise network infrastructures. The SD-WAN orchestrator is therefore a vital role within the integration of SD-WAN and SASE as it acts as the control hub for the entire network and its functionality.

By integrating SD-WAN orchestration with SASE frameworks, it provides network administrators with a single management system for the network, where configuration of security functions and network performance can be performed, simplifying network operations and reducing complexity for network administrators. The ability to leverage dynamic and granular enforce security policies based on application performance, user authorisation and device further enhances the capabilities of the SD-WAN orchestrator and enables secure and optimal deliver of applications and services to users regardless of their geographical location or device being used.

An example case study of SD-WAN orchestration being integrated with SASE is Masergy SD-WAN being used for Eurostar. Masergy integrated fully managed SD-WAN and SASE security across a global infrastructure with flexible managed service options. Eurostar runs high-speed trains linking England, France and Belgium. The goal of engaging Masergy was to migrate critical apps to Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud meaning that the network was vital for access and security. With a small IT team, Eurostar wanted a managed provider to support this shift. It needed an MSP with traffic engineering, bandwidth on demand, and strong cybersecurity. Masergy created a custom software-defined WAN with direct AWS links, which intelligently delivers primary and backup connectivity globally. This meant that Eurostar could adjust bandwidth in real time as needed in order to maximise network performance for critical applications.

The Role of AI in Enhancing SD-WAN Orchestration

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are being increasingly used to enhance SD-WAN capabilities, with AI evaluating network real-time telemetry data, analysing patterns to find anomalies and detecting performance issues or threats before they have even affected the network. This enables the SD-WAN orchestrator to provide proactive issue response, optimising network efficiency and user experience (UX).

The ability to use predictive analytics can also be leveraged by Artificial Intelligence in order to manage threats to security. This allows the SD-WAN orchestrator to automatically trigger security controls in order to manage potential threats.

Challenges and Considerations in SD-WAN Orchestration

A common challenge in SD-WAN orchestration is that the complexity of integrating the orchestrator into existing network infrastructure and management system requires planning, testing and staff training.

As the SD-WAN orchestrator becomes the only point of management, it creates a single point of failure within the system and is thus a prime target for potential network threats. This means that network administrators deploying SD-WAN need to consider the security of orchestration layer, ensuring measures such as encryption, authentication and access controls in order to protect the integrity of the orchestration system.

Future Trends and Directions

SD-WAN vendors are increasingly adopting Artificial Intelligence for adding automation to networks in order to enable adaptation within changing real time network conditions and user requirements. This allows organisations to be more agile and efficient when providing optimised performance and security of their network.

5G wireless and edge computing are becoming more prevalent and their impact is being felt within the SD-WAN market. As these technologies are becoming more widely adopted, it is important for IT decision makers to evaluate their network as these integrations into SD-WAN help support new emerging network requirements.

Conclusion

The SD-WAN orchestrator is a tool for improving the efficiency and agility of network management through a centralised control system. The orchestrator enables key offerings such as automation, policy enforcement, optimisation of application performance, security enhancements and simplified networking operations. Therefore, as the use of cloud services and remote working becomes more common in modern business, the importance of having a centralised remote orchestrator grows.

It should also be noted that SD-WAN orchestration requires ongoing maintenance, with regular upgrades and policy updates in order to keep up potential threats, monitoring of network performance to find potential issues and investment in new technologies/skills to keep up to date with best practices and regulations. This pro-active strategy not only protects and optimises the network in its current state but also future proofs the network.

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