Tag Archives: software defined network

25 Nov

Cloud connectivity more important now than ever

Cloud connectivity more important now than ever.

The software-defined wide-area-networking (SD-WAN) ecosystem is expanding into multiple clouds as the largest public cloud providers race to provide connectivity and integrations with SD-WAN technology. This is a win for everybody.

Futuriom SD-WAN Survey 2019

With virtual networking connection program such as Microsoft Azure Virtual WAN and Amazon’s Direct Connect, application programming interfaces (APIs) make it easier for the SD-WAN technology providers to tie into the public cloud at nearby points-of-presence (PoPs), speeding up access to the public clouds.

Imagine a Web of virtualized services being connected across the globe at key interconnection points, with the capability to exchange key information about the performance standards for applications. This is one of the big drivers of SD-WAN, which enables enterprises to speed up performance and access to business applications in the cloud.

Microsoft has been the leader here, describing its Azure Virtual WAN as a way to provide optimized WAN branch connectivity to Azure, its cloud services. The access points are placed in regional hubs at Internet exchange points in carrier hotels or data centers. This can enable services such as site-to-site virtual private networking (VPN), point-to-site VPN (point-to-site), and ExpressRoute. In addition, direct connections into Azure virtual WAN can enable high-performance network connectivity for cloud applications such as Office 365. Microsoft has architected its entire network to bring apps closer to the service edge.

FatPipe Networks, like other SD-WAN vendors, is quickly adopting integrations with the major cloud providers to leverage these services. Earlier this year, FatPipe announced the availability of FatPipe SD-WAN for Azure, which provides SD-WAN customers direct connections into the Microsoft Azure cloud.

By hosting a virtual endpoint, or gateway in Azure, the FatPipe SD-WAN service can improve connection and customer experience for access to Azure applications and cloud-hosted business applications such as Microsoft Office 365. FatPipe says the direct cloud access will speed up connections and avoid problems such as session drops. FatPipe does this by hosting a specific FatPipe virtual machine on the Azure platform. FatPipe SD-WAN for Azure is built around FatPipe’s MPSec technology, which provides additional WAN transmission security versus standard encryption. The improved security is targeted first at small to medium businesses where FatPipe is primarily focused, then multinational corporations, and government agencies that want to use cloud applications but are concerned about security and compromised ISPs.

But such edge connectivity does not stop at the major clouds. It will also be used to optimize performance of specific business cloud applications, such as Unified communications as a service (UCaaS).

For example, FatPipe has announced a partnership with RingCentral to deliver higher quality VoIP calls. Other SD-WAN vendors are looking to forge relationship with VOIP and UCaaS services. Connecting directly to the cloud PoP for a specific VOIP services can help reduce jitter and latency.

FatPipe’s backing a strong trend of the broader SD-WAN ecosystem, in which software and service vendors partner with Microsoft and other cloud providers to provide integrated services for WAN connectivity to cloud apps.

Now, imagine this theme spreading, as it will – to Amazon, Google, and other major cloud provider. The expansion of edge-optimized cloud connectivity extends the edge networking capabilities among partners, building a robust ecosystem.

Futuriom research indicates that the top three reasons that enterprises are adopting SD-WAN including improving security, management, and support for edge cloud services.

Providing inter-connectivity with the major cloud providers has the potential to hit on all three of these, as managers can now provision and deploy secure virtual networks across clouds. This will help them manage the user experience in the increasingly cloudified world.

29 Oct

SD-WAN Growing Use Cases for the Cloud

SD-WAN: Growing Use Cases for the Cloud

It’s remarkable how fast software-defined wide-area networking (SD-WAN) has gained momentum. Many people ask why. The answer is: SD-WAN is expanding the functionality of automating and management access to cloud applications.

The primary trigger for the growth and interest in SD-WAN is the shift, over the past decade, of a massive amount of applications to the cloud (both private and public). Networks in the client-server era were built to access applications that were housed either at an enterprise site or, more rarely, in a private data center. But the cloud shifted the game — creating the need for fast access to applications wherever they reside, including the cloud when accessed across the Internet.

Cloud Connection Challenges

From the CIO or CTO’s perspective, cloud has many benefits but also presents many challenges from the network and security point of view. Cloud applications can speed the velocity and agility of IT, enabling your workforce to connect and build on new applications on demand.

But the challenge is that you need to build a new infrastructure to support these cloud applications. There are several challenges to connecting your workforce to this new world of agile cloud applications. Here are a few:

Application Performance: Cloud means there are many routes for workers to connect – and generally they do so using the network, not always under control of the corporate network. They could be using Internet broadband to connect to a cloud application or they might be on a corporate WAN. SD-WAN technology can add network intelligence to the corporate WAN to recognize which applications are being accessed and connect them in the most efficient, cost effective way. It can provide Internet breakout to make sure that general Internet traffic is not routed through expensive private data-center connections (such as MPLS). And furthermore, SD-WAN technology can be used to connect directly to recognize the most common cloud applications (Microsoft Office 365, Salesforce), and connect to application-specific gateways that speed up applications access.

Security: With the increased use of the Internet and cloud technologies, it’s harder for IT staff to assure security when employees are using the network to connect to the cloud. SD-WAN can enable additional network visibility and security functions that assure that cloud applications are being accessed in a secure way. More importantly, by enabling network branches and endpoints with SD-WAN, IT staff can gain more insight into how the networks are being used and implement security policies.

Agility and Automation: In the hardware-based WAN world, networks were connected with complicated hardware configurations and leased lines, making changes to the network topology and architecture difficult. In order to connect to the cloud, a more responsive network is needed to gain control and visibility over cloud connections. With SD-WAN, networks can be more quickly orchestrated and changed using software, increasing the speed with which IT and networking staff can respond to changing business demand. In addition, SD-WAN deployments can often be set up using software-based automation tools such as templates.

End-User Attraction: Making Life Easier

What’s most powerful about SD-WAN is that it has the potential to solve several of these challenges at once, by providing an integrated, software-driven platform for automating network policy and applications.

Cloud applications mean that traffic flows within the network have drastically changed and become inefficient. The technology to handle these new traffic flows is embedded in many SD-WAN platforms.

SD-WAN emerged with a few use cases anchored to the need for fast cloud access, but those use cases are now expanding, according to Futuriom research.  That is because the WAN is a key enabler — and also possibly stumbling block — for cloud applications.

So how exactly does SD-WAN do that? The MEF, a global industry alliance comprised of more than 150 networking technology and service-provider organizations, is working to reduce the confusion surrounding SD-WAN technologies and solutions. As part of their work the MEF has identified the following as being fundamental capabilities of SD-WAN managed services:

  • Secure, IP-based virtual overlay network
  • Transport-independence of underlay network
  • Service assurance of each SD-WAN tunnel
  • Application-driven packet forwarding
  • High availability through multiple WAN links
  • Policy-based packet forwarding
  • Service automation via centralized management, control and orchestration
  • The MEF also identified some value-added services that are beyond the fundamental SD-WAN service offering. This includes WAN optimization and advanced security services.

These expanding capabilities of SD-WAN show why it’s growing so fast – it’s become the Swiss army knife of WAN automation and management. This is why IT and network managers have taken a liking to the approach is that streamlines the management of many of challenges posed to given users a better experience in connecting to the cloud.

FatPipe Networks has been developing and delivering traffic management solutions for over 17 years and was “SD-WAN before SD-WAN was cool”- Gartner.   With 12 seminal patents and a comprehensive suite that addresses any SD-WAN need, FatPipe Networks is a must for any WAN administrator considering or updating their WAN traffic management needs

31 Jan

Cloud-Hosted, Cloud Enabled Unified Communications WAN

Securely Evolving UC and CC with FatPipe SD-WAN for Success in the Cloud

At Avaya Engage, we featured our recently completed Avaya DevConnect test results. Successful UC and CC deployments must be architected on a network with reliable, redundant, load-balanced internet connectivity delivering ample bandwidth. Avaya Aura 8.0 and Avaya IP Office 11.0 combined with FatPipe SD-WAN has been DevConnect tested to complement and extend joint value from premised based and between the cloud or HQ and the branch. FatPipe’s policy engine manages QOS, jitter, latency, and WAN Optimization ensures good call quality and sub-second failover for NO dropped calls.

All About the Cloud

It’s was all about the cloud! FatPipe Networks Dynamic Path Selection of Multiple Active Hybrid wide area network (WAN) paths is an effective Next GEN SD-WAN transformation solution that provides a critical aspect of a diversified hybrid Cloud WAN infrastructure.

We reviewed investment areas in the cloud for next generation WANs and how FatPipe’s routing options for internet traffic flow deliver an optimal user experience for business cloud applications like Avaya.

01 Dec

Proven SD-WAN for Hybrid Networks is Here Today

The promise of software-defined wide area networks (SD-WANs) has been touted for several years, but most organizations have yet to adopt the technology: fewer than 1% of enterprises have deployed SD-WANs as of the end of 2015 (Market Guide for Software-Defined WAN, Gartner, Dec 1, 2015). A recent survey of IT professionals by consulting group Ashton, Metzler & Associates (When will SD-WANs ‘cross the chasm’?, Jim Metzler, PhD, TechTarget, 2016) reveals some of the obstacles that prevent greater adoption of SD-WAN in organizations:

  • 25% of respondents are concerned about how to integrate software-defined networks into their current infrastructure
  • 25% of respondents feel there isn’t a strong business case for implementing SD-WAN
  • 25% of respondents believe enabling technologies for SD-WAN are immature

With the introduction of the industry-first Avaya SDN Fx™ + FatPipe® SD-WAN integrated solution, Avaya customers can now expect the simplicity, security and scalability of SDN Fabric Connect in their LANs extended via FatPipe across the entire Unified Communications network or hybrid WAN. This converged solution from two technology innovators addresses the main concerns about implementing a software-defined network:

  • Support for a multitude of connection types and legacy systems – MPLS, broadband, wireless, satellite, T1/E1 and more—allows for cost-effective, in-place implementation that easily integrates with an organization’s network investments
  • Multi-line compression and WAN optimization increase bandwidth availability of existing lines by up to 70%, yielding large cost savings on expensive MPLS lines; and aggregation of a variety of paths presents options for additional cost savings and extra capacity for future growth, thereby strengthening the business case for an SD-WAN deployment
  • With 11 patents and 180 technology claims, FatPipe has been in the SD-WAN business for more than 15 years and has successfully deployed 10,000+ devices world-wide, thereby assuring enterprises that the SD-WAN technology is mature and ready to implement

As connected devices proliferate, data flows continue to expand and security concerns rise. Software-defined networks solve many of the problems that come with the increasing complexity of today’s networks. Legitimate concerns about SD-WAN have hindered wide-spread adoption to date, but the Avaya SDN Fx + FatPipe SD-WAN solution alleviates issues and presents enterprises with options for a next-generation hybrid wide area network. From Datacenter-to-Desktop™, Avaya SDN Fx + FatPipe SD-WAN delivers the benefits of software-defined networking today.

18 Nov

Software Defined Network

SDN is one of the most important trends for the future Internet and regional networks. You do not need to program, configure, or troubleshoot each network device individually. Instead, you can just sit in a centralized management office and customize your network based on the different needs whether it be scientific experiments, business management, home networks control, and local community communications.

SDN is a cutting edge technology. SDN can dynamically model and shape traffic depending on what is required. Essentially what happens is SDN separates Networking into a control plane and a data plane. The data plane contains all hardware such as switches, routers, bridges that allow packets to go from point A to point B. The control plane is a set of management servers that communicate with the different networking equipment in the data plane and determines how the data should move on the data plane.

FatPipe is a pioneer in software defined networks for wide area connectivity, having developed patented products for software defined WANs over the last 10 years. FatPipe Networks invented the concept of using software to manage routers of any kind for routing data over wide area networks from corporate to branch office connectivity for reliable, redundant and application delivery management.  This enables a customer to deploy a self managed, self healing wide area network in any part of the world in about an hour per location, increasing network reliability of up to 99.999988%.

FatPipe’s unique hybrid multi-line wide area networking technologies uses intelligent software to bring in a variety of innovation to the network infrastructure domain. Application performance can be improved with quality of service rules and FatPipe can provide you improvement and visibility for individual applications for enhanced user experience.