A Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) is a virtualized architecture that enhances network performance and optimizes traffic movement across multiple connection types MPLS, Broadband, Internet and LTE. It offers better performance, scalable connectivity to organizations to connect branch offices, remote workers, devices across diverse geographic locations and telecommunications infrastructures. It offers organizations the ability to securely connect users, applications and data across multiple locations.

The SD-WAN technology and what it can offer to organizations has evolved a lot. Legacy SD-WAN with basic capabilities have become a thing of the past. Modern SD-WAN offers to organizations a lot more flexibility, capabilities and the ability to do a lot more. The essential characteristics of a modern day SD-WAN include: a) Security Everywhere  b) AI-Driven Automation c) Identity and App aware control  d) Full Stack visibility  e) Traffic Intelligence  f) Integrated 5G and IoT g) Self-Healing capabilities

SD-WAN is a worthwhile endeavour, although the deployment can be complex and pose several challenges, like:

• Choosing the right SD-WAN vendor that aligns with your organization's goals.
• Ensuring the underlying network infrastructure that can support SD-WAN.
• Effectively managing costs, including licensing, hardware and operational expenses.
• Selecting the appropriate SD-WAN deployment model
• Addressing visibility limitations and security challenges

The key area here is finding the right partner who understands your organization’s needs and can seamlessly integrate with existing infrastructure without business disruption

HCLTech’ s Managed SD-WAN Service includes several key features, such as:

• Transport-agnostic connectivity
• Converged network and security services
• As-a-service commercial models
• AIOps Service Delivery
• Consulting-led SD-WAN transformation approach
• NetDevOps, Agentic AI and GenAI approach
• Capex saving SD-WAN designs

HCLTech’s Managed SASE architecture brings together our custom capabilities in Managed SD-WAN with Industry leading SSE design offering our customers a single vendor, dual vendor or best fit SASE approach. The SSE component includes Firewall as a Service (FWaaS), ZTNA, Data Loss Prevention(DLP), Remote Browser Isolation (RBI), Secure Web Gateway (SWG), Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) and IoT Edge capability. Our ability to offer an integrated NSOC capability along with deep security intelligence and automation capability stands as a key differentiator

An SD-WAN enhances WAN performance, provides central management and visibility over the network. It meets an organization’s requirements related to scalable and flexible connectivity while at the same time enabling them to reduce their total cost of ownership, delivering enhanced application performance. The software defined approach enables intelligent traffic routing, allows network administrators to define and enforce policies across the network in real time.

Enterprises have had a shift and now are using cloud and subscribing to SaaS. Majority of Business applications for organizations are also on cloud now. The traditional architecture of backhauling traffic from offices to Datacenter for security inspection adds to latency and hampers application experience. Traditional architectures have become outdated and needs to be updated.

The answer is a no on-size fits all approach. It is developing the right custom architecture that fits your organization. Organizations should look at application aware routing, dynamic path selection, Forward error correction, tunnel bonding, consistent quality of experience, built-in security and cloud centric design as essential design mechanisms.

HCLTech’s Managed SD-WAN service offers end -end transformation from assessment, design and plan, implementation to managed services. It offers all the capabilities of a modern SD-WAN with custom defined architectures. We offer vendor agnostic solution design – Cisco, HPE, Juniper, Versa, Zscaler, Fortinet, Netskope, Palo Alto and other leading providers. Key service differentiators lie in our automation capability, automated incident management, multi-vendor SD-WAN visibility and in our GenAI capabilities that we can offer. We offer managed services offering you a complete peace of mind.

HCLTech offers different types of Managed SD-WAN services divided into two categories:

1. Option 1. Classic SD-WAN
   • Cloud OnRamp
   • Application-aware routing
   • Performance-based routing
   • Managed WAN backbone (Telco, Equinix, Megaport)
   • Secure Edge
2. Option 2. NextGen SD-WAN
   • Direct Internet Access (DIA)
   • Lightweight uCPE
   • Security Service Edge (SSE)
   • SSE WAN Backbone (Prisma Access, Cisco Secure Connect, Versa, VeloCloud, Fortinet SSE, Zscaler)

We can help organizations define their SD-WAN architecture with custom automation, automated incident management, GenAI and full stack observability requirements