Facilitating Hybrid Workplaces with SD WAN

Despite calls for back-to-office moves from certain quarters, remote and hybrid work is here to stay. At many organisations, most support function staff now embrace work from any location, thereby expanding the network’s perimeter and presenting challenges for seamless network and cloud connectivity. 

Gartner forecasts that 85% of organisations will adopt a cloud-first strategy by next year and expects that 95% of new digital workloads will be cloud-based by 2025. 

Challenges Faced in Hybrid Workplace Connectivity 

As businesses rely more on cloud applications and remote work, they need networks that are always available and performant. This ensures employees can seamlessly access the applications, whether they are in the office or working remotely. 

Yet, many organisations continue to use outdated remote access methods such as VPNs. This makes management complex, leads to unpredictable application performance, and increases vulnerability to data breaches. This adversely affects user experience and, consequently, productivity and business efficiency in remote work environments. 

Role of SD WAN in Facilitating Hybrid Workplaces  

Software-defined wide area networks (SD WAN) offer a quick and secure way for hybrid workplaces to boost network security and connectivity. By overlaying existing WANs, SD WAN lets companies combine broadband, MPLS, and LTE for secure, efficient cloud application access anywhere with minimal investment. It simplifies network management by dynamically routing traffic and reducing the complexity of extending WAN services to branch offices and remote workers. 

Furthermore, SD WAN facilitates centralised and adaptable network security management. It supports the implementation of advanced frameworks like Zero Trust, ensuring all individuals accessing the network — whether employees, contractors, or freelancers — receive secure access, thereby reducing the risk of both malicious and unintentional data security incidents. 

Benefits of SD WAN for Hybrid ​​Workplaces 

​SD WAN enables organisations to manage devices and networks programmatically, reducing the reliance on manual operations. It also provides centralised control, simplifying network management and allowing for the instant provisioning of branch networks or remote users, which helps minimise costs and supports cloud adoption with the increasing use of cloud-based applications and services. 

Moreover, SD WAN’s compatibility with newer connectivity technologies such as 5G and satellite offers businesses increased flexibility and agility. It optimises data flow across channels with built-in load balancing, making efficient use of bandwidth and enhancing network responsiveness for remote users, ensuring seamless access to cloud-based applications. 

SD WAN inherently enhances security through traffic prioritisation and dynamic connectivity, facilitating the adoption of advanced security frameworks like Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA). This ensures that all individuals accessing the network – whether employees, contractors, or freelancers – receive secure access, thereby reducing the risk of both malicious and unintentional data security incidents. Its encryption across sites, whether remote or branch offices, ensures a high level of security and data integrity. 

Furthermore, SD WAN eliminates the need for traffic to pass through centralised hubs, providing direct and dynamic cloud connectivity based on current network conditions. This capability ensures uninterrupted data flow and streaming video to remote employees and global sites, regardless of the prevailing network conditions. By optimising the network for remote workers to access cloud-based applications efficiently, SD WAN supports a productive and secure hybrid work environment. 

SD WAN: Paving the Way for Futuristic Networks 

In hybrid working environments, SD WAN excels by reducing communication delays, boosting cloud application performance, and enhancing interactions and collaboration — outperforming traditional networks. Crucially, SD WAN is a fundamental component of a modern Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) strategy, shifting network security to the cloud to improve security, efficiency, connectivity, and performance. 

SD WAN not only optimises network performance and ensures resilient connectivity but it also simplifies the deployment of advanced, cloud-based security inherent to SASE. This contributes to a network infrastructure adaptable to future advancements and growth. Epsilon’s flexible, cloud-optimised managed SD WAN solution transforms WANs into agile, application-aware networks, delivering the flexibility, security, and consistent performance critical for forward-thinking businesses. 

Experience the future of network connectivity with Epsilon’s managed SD WAN solution today.