Introduction
Networks are undoubtedly increasing in complexity due the variety of places we need to access resources from - home, the road, the branch office, and HQ.
In addition, the resources we need to access are no longer simply sitting in some enterprise data center - they are on-premise, at remote locations, in the cloud, and even deployed in a hybrid environment.
For the most demanding of applications, network architects have turned to privatized networking technologies, such as Frame Relay, ATM, MPLS, and Ethernet services to stitch together networks from HQ to the branch and branch to branch. They’ve layered on VPNs for the remote worker so they can get access to these stitched together networks. And finally, they’ve begun to add Cloud service interconnects to the mix. All of this is a ton of complexity to deploy, manage, and upgrade.
Software Defined Wide Area Networks (SD-WAN) has become a defacto modern alternative to stitching networks together using a variety of outdated technologies. SD-WAN unifies any means of transport, including plain old broadband Internet access, into a common private network across HQ, branches, and the Cloud. Enterprises use SD-WAN to implement private networks across the world.
The Problem
Private networking is hard, complex and expensive. There is a multitude of legacy technologies to choose from, each driven by an ecosystem of hardware and software vendors and their objectives. These range from appliance manufacturers trying to sell boxes, to telecommunications providers trying to sell circuits, to systems integrators selling solutions. And the problem is, these are all point solutions!
Challenges:
- Hardware Boxes: Meant for the corporate data center, these devices have no home in today’s world of cloud. Where exactly should we ship a piece of hardware to have it reach Amazon, Google, or Azure’ clouds?
- Telecommunications Provider Circuits: Expensive, complex, and inflexible, network architects and administrators are tired of slow provisioning cycles and outdated technologies.
- Lack of Integration with VPN: Traditional SD-WAN solutions focus on HQ to Branch or Branch to Branch connectivity, leaving remote workers on a different, segmented and silo’d platform, leading to excessive support overhead, improper traffic routing, and yet another system to secure.
- Unknown Pathway to Hybrid Cloud: Solutions meant for on-premise deployments simply don’t transfer to today’s Cloud Native Networking models.
Our Solution: SD-WAN
Big Network’s SD-WAN intensely simplifies the process of building private networks across remote users, HQ, branch offices, and the Cloud. No special circuits, long delays, or silo’d elements to configure. Cloud native and cloud enabled from day one. Configure a Cloud Network, install our Apps, deploy the Edge, and login. Done.
Features and Capabilities:
- Centralized configuration and orchestration of Cloud Networks, Big Edges, and Big Apps.
- Secure and private L2/L3 networks across HQ, datacenter, and/or branch locations.
- Utilize commodity Internet Access, Dedicated Internet Access, or LTE as your multi-homed connectivity. Use any ISP of your choice. Create WAN redundancy with LTE/5G.
- Breakout Local Internet Access with NAT and DHCP
- Support for VLAN and VXLAN
- Seamlessly add VPN support to your Cloud Networks using Big Apps.
Deployment Overview:
- Configure a Cloud Network in the Big Network Portal. A Cloud Network defines the private Layer 2 or Layer 3 network you’ll extend over commodity Internet Access.
- Deploy the Big Edge to your HQ or Corporate Datacenter.
- Enroll the Big Edge to your Cloud Network using a device PIN.
- Configure one or more WAN circuits for connectivity using DHCP or Static IP addresses.
- Bind your Cloud Network to available physical ports on the Big Edge.
- Deploy a 2nd Big Edge to your Branch Office or Remote Location
- Enroll, configure, and deploy following the steps above.
- Repeat the deployment of the Big Edge to as many physical locations as you need.
- Connect Remote and Mobile users to your Cloud Networks using Big Apps.
Conclusion
Big Network’s SD-WAN provides businesses a simple, affordable, and manageable way to deploy resilient networks across headquarters, the datacenter, and the branch office. Use SD-WAN to utilize multiple ISPs, securely connect to remote locations, remote users, and the cloud. Enjoy simple management and security through our web-based portal for administration, configuration, and monitoring.
