SD-WAN solutions are not the same, though. Deploying one does not automatically mean reliable protection. It is important to examine options carefully and find the SD-WAN product most suitable for specific requirements, especially in terms of geographic expansion, cloud migration, and the optimization of WAN capacity and resilience.

Below are five of the best SD-WAN solutions designed to maximize protection and optimize IT operations in highly distributed settings.

Check Point Security Gateway

Check Point is well known for its robust security products, and its AI-Powered security gateways are no exception. The company’s line of security gateways provides next-generation firewall protection for reliable threat prevention, unified management, and scalable deployment. They offer cloud-delivered and AI-amplified protection that touts a 99.8% block rate against zero-day attacks.

Check Point’s security gateways come with SD-WAN to provide not only threat protection but also the optimization of IT infrastructures and application performance under any network conditions. It features advanced traffic routing or auto-steering capabilities, including the ability to dynamically set the traffic paths of multiple applications based on a number of factors monitored in real-time. It examines latency, bandwidth, jitter, and other factors to ensure consistent performance while prioritizing the traffic of critical applications. It also comes with fast failover speed to minimize disruption, maintain application availability, and ensure good user experiences.

Check Point’s security gateways feature zero-touch provisioning and simple onboarding facilitated by a step-by-step wizard. They do not require complex configurations and setup procedures. They are also built with ISP redundancy in mind. They come with two SIM slots that allow organizations to switch to 5G or mobile data connectivity if they lose their main internet connection. The device itself can be the backup internet connection, provided there is 5G or other forms of wireless internet connection in an area.

Moreover, Check Point’s security gateways readily integrate with existing infrastructure. It is compatible with already deployed firewalls and other threat detection and prevention products. It supplements existing cybersecurity tools to maximize defenses cost-efficiently. These attributes make Check Point’s SD-WAN security gateways well-suited for distributed operations.

Fortinet Secure SD-WAN

Providing fast and scalable SD-WAN for cloud and on-premise applications, Fortinet Secure SD-WAN is designed to simplify deployment and security. It can serve as a foundation for organizations that are transitioning to Secure Access Service Edge (SASE). It extends secure high-performance connectivity to users in different locations, which makes it a great choice for organizations with distributed operations.

Fortinet’s SD-WAN enables robust security by providing advanced threat protection and integrated security. It comes with next-generation firewall functions including sandboxing, deep packet inspection, and intrusion prevention. It brings security and SD-WAN together, making it unnecessary to use multiple network security appliances while simplifying security management across multiple locations.

When it comes to performance optimization, Fortinet’s solution employs SD-WAN mesh networking to enable branch offices to have direct communication with each other to reduce reliance on central hubs while optimizing traffic flow. It also uses dynamic path selection in routing traffic across different connections and application acceleration to prioritize critical business applications like video conferencing platforms.

Fortinet has a centralized platform for an enterprise’s full SD-WAN network. This provides the benefits of simpler configuration, consistent policy enforcement, and more convenient troubleshooting. Just like most other SD-WAN solutions, it is also designed for scalability and agile deployment.

VeloCloud SD-WAN

VeloCloud SD-WAN from VMware is a high-performance but simplified SD-WAN solution. Organizations with branch and remote site operations benefit from its automated platform that enables WAN visibility, agile functions, and scalable deployments.

A key selling point of VeloCloud SD-WAN is its support for hybrid teams coupled with cloud migration. It allows organizations to deploy hybrid work arrangements seamlessly with the ability to connect a wide range of devices or users to any application, regardless of location. It supports the data centre, cloud, as well as edge connections, including cloud migration, to address the new IT arrangements of modern organizations. It also provides in-depth network analytics.

Additionally, VeloCloud provides zero-touch provisioning and cloud management, which not only help expedite deployments but also accelerate cloud adoption for organizations that are new to the cloud paradigm. It provides the functions and features organizations need to adopt multi-cloud strategies while maximizing network performance and reliability.

VeloCloud SD-WAN also provides comprehensive edge security. It comes with advanced threat defence, end-to-end network segmentation, and security virtual network functions. Together with centralized monitoring, it enables efficient, reliable, and properly protected connections that are a boon for enterprises with dispersed operations.

Cisco SD-WAN

Formerly known as Viptela, IT and networking giant Cisco’s entry to this list is an open, programmable, and scalable solution with cloud-scale architecture. Cisco SD-WAN makes it possible to connect branches, remote sites, data centers, campuses, as well as co-location facilities securely without sacrificing network performance. It is designed to maximize network speed and efficiency.

A key feature of Cisco SD-WAN is Cisco vManage. This console is responsible for the creation of an SD-WAN overlay fabric that connects a wide range of devices and users. It supports flexible WAN management and comes with a suite of services for branch and cloud security, application performance optimization, and collaboration.

Cisco’s solution is designed with cloud-scale infrastructure to ensure high availability and throughput. It includes multiple Gigabit ports as well as 5G cellular links. It is optimized for multi-cloud environments with its ability to integrate with IaaS solutions and synergy with SaaS products. Additionally, it is designed to enhance app visibility and support the transition of organizations to SASE.

Juniper SD-WAN

Juniper Networks has an AI-driven SD-WAN solution created to maximize the user experiences of those directly involved in IT management as well as end users. It combines multiple proprietary Juniper technologies, from Juniper Mist AI to Juniper Session Smart Routing, to simplify network operations while ensuring secure connections and resilient networks.

Juniper SD-WAN helps enterprises with highly distributed operations by providing AI-powered automation for deployments and troubleshooting. It establishes a tunnel-free architecture that addresses issues associated with inefficiencies, scaling, and cost constraints.

This SD-WAN solution helps ensure efficient and streamlined operations by ensuring simple deployments backed by automated templating functions, zero-touch provisioning, and rapid network troubleshooting. At the same time, it provides solid security through the principle of zero-trust or “deny by default” policies when it comes to access requests.

Conclusion

As businesses become increasingly geographically dispersed, organizations need to keep up with the performance and security challenges that impact connectivity. SD-WAN solutions provide a highly viable way to address current and emerging network performance issues while keeping security risks or threats at bay. The five solutions described above are among the best SD-WAN options at present, but it is important to cautiously examine them with respect to specific operational requirements to pick the most suitable solution to use.