VMware SD-WAN is a Gartner leader, with optional gateway POPs, software licenses, and a cloud orchestrator. VMware operates around 18,000 enterprise SD-WAN clients, which are mainly provided by their service provider end clients. Over the next 18 months, VMware plans to enhance SD-WAN Cloud Transport, SASE security, edge computing and private 5G. Investments are expected across AI for digital experience assurance and analytics. Broadcom's announced their acquisition of VMware on May 26, 2022 - VMware and Broadcom were independent at the time of writing this article.
VMware (VeloCloud) Hands-on test and review
I started testing VMware SD-WAN by exploring the portal interface. The first step was to define the business policies to steer traffic based on the priority of different applications by identifying SaaS applications used by branch-office sites and remote users.
Once traffic steering was configured, the process enabled automatic routing adjustments in real-time as VMware optimises the application performance even under conditions of fluctuating network packet loss. VMware's demo environment intelligently direct traffic across multiple links measures the real-time conditions of the network, with dynamic routing of traffic via the most optimal path (Broadband, 4G, 5G or leased line).
I also tested VMware's impact on SaaS application performance. The built-in performance monitoring tools provided metrics related to latency, jitter, and packet loss before and after VMware SD-WAN implementation. These tools offered quantifiable evidence of VMware's capacity to improve application performance.
VMware SASE offers access to their global network of POP locations (VMware gateways). Within my test, I connected to the nearest POP in the UK and registered with VMware's Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) server, which pushed down the required profiles and configurations. The rules defined specific access policies for allowed and blocked websites, which demonstrated the ability of VMware SASE to block access to certain websites as per the configured policies to secure branch-offices and remote users.
Network management is simplified through the VMware dashboard, which gave me a central view of the entire network. VMware Zero-touch offers the ability to oversee branch deployments without having to physically manage routing equipment on-premises.
The hands-on test of VMware SD-WAN demonstrated ease of deployment and the measurable improvements in network performance and application responsiveness.
VMware's SD-WAN has seen significant evolutions since 2016. The solution was initially thought of as a cost effective basic SD-WAN, but by 2017, VMware was recognised for unique features such as Dynamic Multi-Path.
A shift in the business model occurred in 2019 when VMware started selling through Service Providers. By 2021, service providers leverage VMware's ability to clearly show the Quality of Experience (QoE) and underlay link state based on real traffic.
In 2022, VMware introduced features for firmware upgrades, focussing on improving reliability and uptime. As of 2023, the market was noting that VMware's custom-built Dell appliances offered high performance and uptime.
What are the pros and cons of VMware SD-WAN?
List of the pros and cons associated with VMware SD-WAN.
VMware SD-WAN Pros and Cons
| wdt_ID | wdt_created_by | wdt_created_at | wdt_last_edited_by | wdt_last_edited_at | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | hyelland | 21/10/2024 04:00 PM | hyelland | 21/10/2024 04:00 PM | ✓ Scalable: Offers scalability to meet the needs of growing businesses. | ❌ Scaling Issues: Some users report issues when scaling the solution to larger environments. |
| 2 | hyelland | 21/10/2024 04:00 PM | hyelland | 21/10/2024 04:00 PM | ✓ Simple Deployment: Easy and quick to deploy. | ❌ Feature Limitations: Certain features have limitations, restricting advanced configurations. |
| 3 | hyelland | 21/10/2024 04:00 PM | hyelland | 21/10/2024 04:00 PM | ✓ Multi-cloud: Supports multicloud environments, allowing integration with multiple cloud providers. | ❌ Complexity: The solution can be complex to configure and manage. |
| 4 | hyelland | 21/10/2024 04:00 PM | hyelland | 21/10/2024 04:00 PM | ✓ Integrated Security: Provides integrated security features for enhanced protection. | |
| 5 | hyelland | 21/10/2024 04:00 PM | hyelland | 21/10/2024 04:00 PM | ✓ Public Gateways: Offers public gateways for improved connectivity options. | |
| 6 | hyelland | 21/10/2024 04:00 PM | hyelland | 21/10/2024 04:00 PM | ✓ Efficient QoS Configuration: Quality of Service (QoS) is efficiently managed. | |
| Pros | Cons |
VMware Pros & Cons
| wdt_ID | wdt_created_by | wdt_created_at | wdt_last_edited_by | wdt_last_edited_at | VMware Pros | VMware Cons |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | hyelland | 30/10/2024 02:20 PM | hyelland | 30/10/2024 02:20 PM | Good threat hunting capabilities | Expensive |
| 2 | hyelland | 30/10/2024 02:20 PM | hyelland | 30/10/2024 02:20 PM | Similar features whether cloud or on-premise | Can be resource intensive |
| 3 | hyelland | 30/10/2024 02:20 PM | hyelland | 30/10/2024 02:20 PM | Tons of integrations | Agent doesn’t play nice with other security tools |
| VMware Pros | VMware Cons |
Comparison: VeloCloud vs Palo Alto vs HPE Aruba vs Versa Networks SD WAN & security
Consider the points below to compare VeloCloud vs Palo Alto (CloudGenix) vs HPE Aruba (Silver Peak) vs Versa Networks SD WAN and SASE security.
VeloCloud
- VeloCloud is a suitable choice for Small-Medium Businesses and large multinational corporations with over 1,000 sites.
- VeloCloud SD WAN is fully cloud-based, leveraging VMware SD WAN gateways globally.
- VeloCloud accesses cloud vendors via VMware SD WAN gateways, with full integration for AWS, Azure natively built-in and connectivity for Google Cloud.
HPE Aruba vs VeloCloud vs Cisco Catalyst Comparison
| wdt_ID | wdt_created_by | wdt_created_at | wdt_last_edited_by | wdt_last_edited_at | HPE Aruba | VeloCloud | Viptela |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | hyelland | 04/11/2024 03:03 PM | hyelland | 04/11/2024 03:03 PM | HPE Aruba is a suitable choice for clients with complex requirements. | VeloCloud can support Small-Medium Enterprises as well as large multinational corporations with over 1,000 sites. | Viptela is more aligned with large enterprises with the resources to utilize the solution effectively. |
| 2 | hyelland | 04/11/2024 03:03 PM | hyelland | 04/11/2024 03:03 PM | HPE Aruba offers SD WAN and SASE with managed services from MSP partners. | VeloCloud offers SD WAN. Their SASE solution is offered via an OEM agreement with Menlo Security. | Viptela's SD WAN offering can be deployed physically, virtually, or from the cloud. Their SASE solution can be deployed on-site or via the cloud. |
| 3 | hyelland | 04/11/2024 03:03 PM | hyelland | 04/11/2024 03:03 PM | HPE Aruba offers connectivity to AWS, Azure, Oracle Cloud, and Google Cloud. | VeloCloud's offering is fully integrated with AWS and has connectivity to Azure built-in. Connectivity to Google Cloud is also offered. | Viptela cloud interconnect uses a cloud-agnostic backbone to connect site-to-site and multi-cloud services. |
| HPE Aruba | VeloCloud | Viptela |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the VeloCloud SD-WAN architecture?
VMware VeloCloud services support MPLS, Cable, DSL and LTE underlays. VeloCloud’s offering is primarily focused on delivering overlay solutions and therefore does not manage and keep SD WAN underlays first-hand. Underlays are instead provided, supported and managed by third-party partners. VeloCloud has strong partner channels, which means that there are many possible options for underlay services.