What are the components of the VMware SD-WAN solution?
Why SD-WAN
Simplify WAN Operations
Zero-touch provisioning in minutes. WANs managed from the cloud: global visibility, remediation control. Fast scale: automation, outcome-driven policies, end-to-end analytics.
Ease of Cloud Adoption
Directly access SaaS, hybrid, multi-cloud through gateway as-a-service. Easy cloud adoption with managed on-ramp to any cloud. Reduce latency to cloud workloads - no data center backhaul.
Assure Application Performance
Optimize app performance over any WAN link. Deliver content across multiple transports. Policy-based prioritization, intelligent traffic steering, continuous link monitoring, dynamic remediation for business-critical apps.
Choices in Edge Security
Customize, enforce intelligent security policies across network. Easily insert third-party firewall, cloud security services in any traffic route. Protect, prioritize, isolate traffic via zero-trust, end-to-end segmentation.
Key Elements of SD-WAN
Key Elements of SD-WAN
Cloud-First Approach
SD-WAN leverages a cloud-delivered approach to support the growing branch network, multi-cloud environment, and SaaS adoption. SD-WAN's transport-independent architecture, intelligent traffic steering, centralized management, and zero-touch deployment provide optimized and automated secure access to cloud.
Hybrid WAN
SD-WAN uses deep application recognition, dynamic traffic steering, path selection, and link condition analytics to optimize existing hybrid WAN links and bandwidth—ensuring enterprise-grade performance and availability for applications on-premises and in cloud.
Network Edge
The network edge is rapidly adding intelligence and computing power. SD-WAN is an integral platform to deliver services to users in any location and manage edge computing, IoT, hybrid cloud and multi-cloud, 5G, and federated gateways.
Branch Routing
SD-WAN replaces the branch router to improve routing functionality, simplify IT configurations and installations, and facilitate centralized management of the branch network—enabling organizations to scale quickly and securely.
Security Services
SD-WAN centralizes network security management, enforces network-wide security policies, and provides visibility into network usage and compliance. With SD-WAN, organizations can insert third-party firewall and cloud security services in any traffic route—allowing users at the branch, home, or anywhere to securely access the data center, SaaS applications, and the cloud.
SD-WAN Architecture
SD-WAN provides a software abstraction to create a secure, reliable, transport-independent network overlay and decouples networking software services from the underlying hardware.
SD-WAN vs Others
SD-WAN vs Traditional WAN
As branch networks grow and need direct access to cloud resources and SaaS applications, traditional WAN remains complex to deploy and data center-dependent. SD-WAN enables branch agility and scalability, aggregates existing transport links into a virtual unified pool of resources to optimize performance, and provides secure access to cloud.
- SD-WAN enables branch agility and scalability. Traditional WAN is expensive and time-consuming to deploy and manage.
- SD-WAN is cloud-delivered for secure, fast, reliable access to SaaS apps and the cloud. Traditional WAN backhaul is slow and inefficient.
- SD-WAN adds enhanced security and control to the network. Traditional WAN is an unencrypted VPN and requires security add-ons.
SD-WAN vs Branch Routers
As applications increasingly move to cloud and organizations adopt SaaS applications and services, legacy architecture and branch routers inhibit scalability and flexibility. SD-WAN delivers simple branch configuration and management, secure and reliable access to resources and applications in the cloud, and reduced install and maintenance costs.
- SD-WAN scales fast with zero-touch deployment and centralized, one-click management. Complex branch routers require manual site-by-site configuration.
- SD-WAN improves app performance with deep application recognition, per-packet link steering, and real-time link remediation. Branch routers can’t do that—losing connections and sessions.
- SD-WAN is a pay-as-you-go SaaS model, reducing CapEx. Branch routers need expensive site-by-site configuration, management and highly trained IT staff.
SD-WAN vs MPLS
MPLS is widely used in the enterprise, but compared to SD-WAN it’s expensive and inflexible. Lead times are long and costs are high. MPLS is not built for the cloud, requiring backhaul through the data center which slows traffic.
- Cloud-delivered SD-WAN can replace or supplement MPLS links with cost-efficient Internet connections.
- SD-WAN can scale independent of the underlying transport links.
- SD-WAN is simple to deploy and maintain, with zero-touch deployment and centralized management.
FAQs
The components are:
- VMware SD-WAN Edge
- VMware SD-WAN Orchestrator
- VMware SD-WAN Gateway, which also contains the VMware SD-WAN Controller
These components are licensed together in a software bundle.
What is Dynamic Multipath Optimization™ (DMPO)?
VMware SD-WAN DMPO provides optimizations between two VMware SD-WAN Edges or between a VMware SD-WAN Edge and a VMware SD-WAN Gateway. DMPO has four key functions—continuous monitoring, dynamic application steering, on-demand remediation, and application-aware overlay quality of service.
What return on investment can I expect with VMware SD-WAN?
Use the ROI calculator to find out how VMware SD-WAN reduces your networking costs.
How is VMware SD-WAN licensed?
Hardware, software, and services pricing is structured to work with CapEx and OpEx budgets, and service needs based on criticality. In general, licensing scales with SD-WAN adoption (e.g., number of sites) to fit a customer’s WAN migration plans. The VMware SD-WAN Edge, VMware SD-WAN Orchestrator, and VMware SD-WAN Gateway are licensed together as a software subscription bundle with different bandwidth tiers to meet a wide range of needs. Hardware can be purchased outright or rented from VMware or a financing partner.
Pricing & configurations
What appliances are available, and what are their performance specifications?
The VMware SD-WAN Edge is available as a hardware-based appliance, a virtual appliance, and on the cloud marketplace on Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Azure. It can also be loaded in a virtual machine (VM) on a server or as a VNF. We offer over a dozen different Edge hardware appliances to meet networking needs at the branch, home office, data center, or any other location. Refer to the Edge datasheet for more information.
Does VMware SD-WAN integrate with VMware NSX Data Center?
Yes. VMware SD-WAN can work with VMware NSX Data Center to provide a complete network virtualization solution that can carry segmentation from the branch into the data center.
VMware SD-WAN and VMware NSX Data Center – Solution Overview
How is VMware SD-WAN incorporating artificial intelligence and machine learning?
VMware Edge Network Intelligence™ will extend visibility, analytics, and troubleshooting into the branch LAN. The addition of artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI/ML) capabilities to VMware’s existing network and security portfolio will make it easier for customers to operate and troubleshoot the Virtual Cloud Network and further VMware’s ability to enable self-healing networks.
Combining the capabilities of VMware SD-WAN with a cloud-based AIOps platform offering gives users access to a single platform that can deliver comprehensive and actionable data on network traffic and application performance from the cloud, to branch offices, to the end user and across their wired and/or wireless devices.
How does SD-WAN compare to WAN optimization (WANop)?
SD-WAN and WANop are distinct and complementary technologies. WANop focuses on the mid-mile and uses mechanisms such as compression and data deduplication to address latency and congestion. SD-WAN, on the other hand, focuses on the last-mile and addresses link quality and policy management.
WANop has become less relevant as applications have moved to cloud providers (i.e., closer to end users) and bandwidth has become readily available at low prices. In fact, Gartner no longer publishes a Magic Quadrant for WANop.
By operating as an overlay network, SD-WAN spreads the risk of outages and network degradations across multiple links and transport technologies. This allows SD-WAN to dynamically steer traffic over multiple links and achieve network-quality levels of MPLS but at a fraction of the cost.
Demystifying SD-WAN’s Relationship to WAN Optimization white paper
Is SD-WAN a good choice for working from home?
Yes. Flexible workplace environments are both necessary and popular in the current global health crisis. Home workers need enterprise-ready and consumer-simple access to business apps in the cloud.
VMware SD-WAN is the industry-leading secure access service edge (SASE) platform with comprehensive security options for enterprises embracing the cloud and SaaS, for both branch and at-home users, delivering simple, reliable, secure, and optimized access to traditional and cloud applications.
To help organizations quickly empower a remote workforce, VMware offers Work @ Home trial bundles, which are available on a try-and-buy basis directly from VMware, through value added resellers, managed service providers, and telecom service providers. Learn more on our Work from Anywhere web page.
Can you provide customer references?
We encourage you to refer to our Customer Case Study page in the Resources section to read about what our customers have to say about VMware SD-WAN. If you need to speak to a customer directly, please contact your account manager.
Where can I learn more about SD-WAN technology?
VMware wrote the book about SD-WAN. Download our eBook, Software-Defined WAN for Dummies, and learn about why SD-WAN is an important technology, its benefits, and the top 10 considerations for an SD-WAN deployment.
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