Why Is Managed SD-WAN More Secure?
You may have already decided that using a software-defined WAN is the proper choice for your business. But now you must choose between self-managed SD-WAN solutions and a managed SD-WAN. With all other things considered, it’s almost always the better choice to go with a managed SD-WAN solution. We’re going to look at why managed SD-WAN services are more secure.
What is a Managed SD-WAN?
A software-defined WAN is a WAN through which configuration, routing and security are all performed on a software level rather than a hardware level. Very few organizations today can benefit from a hardware WAN, only those that have the utmost security concerns. SD-WANs are almost always better because they are easier to control, scalable, high-performance and agile.
But organizations can choose to manage their own SD-WAN or have another organization provide their SD-WAN essentially as a service. More and more, companies are outsourcing their SD-WAN management because it just makes sense. When SD-WAN technology is provided as a service, the organization doesn’t need to worry about its own WAN functionality.
Here are the major reasons why managed SD-WAN is more secure.
1. Your SD-WAN Service is Configured Correctly
Under an SD-WAN, the entirety of your network service is managed by software. And that can present security vulnerabilities if the system isn’t configured correctly. There are very few ways to incorrectly connect a physical service. Conversely, there is a multitude of ways to incorrectly connect a software service. A managed SD-WAN security service will ensure that your system is configured correctly from the start, with high-security zero-trust policies that protect your network by default.
2. Your Monitoring and Troubleshooting is Handled for You
Your SD-WAN can be monitored 24/7 by an external team, rather than only monitored when team members are in the office. 24/7 monitoring and troubleshooting are very expensive when you try to manage it internally. But when your security service does it for you, the costs are far lower; you’re only paying for the services that you need and you’re distributing the cost over other clients.
What happens if your SD-WAN service goes down overnight? For many companies that fly solo, they wouldn’t discover the issue until morning. Likewise, what if you experience a major attack? Your managed SD-WAN security service will know and mitigate the threats immediately. Your internal IT team may not be able to.
3. Your Virtual Security is Integrated with Your SD-WAN
Ideally, you deploy your virtual security systems and SD-WAN technology together. By integrating into a single, holistic service, you can create a fortified network ecosystem. But this isn’t always so for companies that just want to launch an SD-WAN system without having to modify the rest of their security infrastructure.
Many companies just don’t have the resources available or the teams available to completely revamp their security solution, so they end up with multiple solutions that don’t quite work right for them. But SD-WAN managed services will do this all for you so you can move forward with a single, consolidated system.
4. You Have a Team Dedicated to Performance and Support
How many people do you have on your internal IT team? Managed SD-WAN providers have an entire toolkit of specialized professionals who are experts within their field. It would be unfeasible to hire expert professionals for most internal IT teams, but an SD-WAN managed service will give you access to these experts to provide you with greater levels of performance and support.
Your internal IT team likely needs to spend its time putting out fires, answering trouble tickets and working on internal initiatives. But your SD-WAN managed services can concentrate purely on ensuring that your network has the performance and support it needs. This provides a solid technology foundation for your organization.
An SD-WAN solution isn’t just set and forget. It also has to be improved incrementally. You can do this with a managed security provider.
5. You Don’t Have Any Ownership-Related Confusion
Who is responsible for your network? Who escalates threats and to whom? With any addition to network technology and software, there’s the question of who owns and is responsible for the technology. Who in the organization is going to be responsible for troubleshooting, configuring and improving upon the SD-WAN?
Often, it’s easier to engage with managed SD-WAN security because the question of ownership is inherently answered. Your organization doesn’t have to take responsibility for the improvement and optimization of the system and that means that your IT team doesn’t have to wear as many hats.
And this prevents the burnout of your IT team; your IT team can continue to work on supporting your employees and making your company great (or you may be able to remove your internal IT team altogether).
How Can You Find a Managed SD-WAN Provider?
As with any managed services provider, it’s important to find the one that will work best for you. There are many SD-WAN managed services out there; look for the one that is most reliable, will fit with your budget and will work well with your internal IT team.
Hallmarks of a great SD-WAN service are the ability to have a primary, unchanging person of contact as an account manager (so you always know who to contact) and a wide breadth of services. If you can, having a managed SD-WAN provider as your major cybersecurity expert can also help.
There are many all-in-one managed services out there today that can help you with everything your organization needs to technologically grow and thrive while also improving upon your security solutions. Make a list of all the security questions you have and find the technology company that can handle all the work for you. A completely integrated, all-in-one system is always easier to manage and more secure.
Red River provides complete SD-WAN managed services, managed SD-WAN security and cybersecurity solutions. If your organization is interested in transitioning to SD-WAN technology, wants to improve its current SD-WAN security or wants to improve the security of its entire network, Red River can help. Contact us today for more information.
