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How SD-WAN Is Changing Business in the Cloud

Dustin Miller

Apr 12 2018

2 min read

By now you’ve probably heard of SD-WAN. It’s a hot buzzword and like other buzzwords, the meaning is often attention grabbing, yet it lacks real substance.

In the case of our Bigleaf partnership, cloud-based SD-WAN is solving problems that were difficult or impossible previously.

We start by leveraging the Bigleaf cloud gateways at telco hotels in the US. The gateways themselves are fully redundant and do not introduce a single point of failure. There is also redundancy between gateways.

We pair this with an on-premises device that goes between one or more ISPs and the existing on-premises firewall. This allows us to seamlessly manage multiple ISPs. We use Bigleaf public IPs on the firewall and have same IP failover, which helps with both site-to-site VPNs and hosting public services on-premises. We continue to leverage the firewall of choice for security.

With the cloud gateways and on-premises devices working together, we are able to prioritize real time traffic like voice over IP (VoIP) and RDS in BOTH directions. This was not previously possible over public Internet connections.

The pairing of multiple ISPs and using both simultaneously makes it practical to buy a small amount of high quality fiber optic Internet bandwidth and buy a large amount of inexpensive coax bandwidth. Satellite Internet can also be leveraged in areas where multiple ISPs are difficult to source. Bigleaf even has algorithms for optimizing traffic over satellite.

Overall, the combination of Bigleaf, fiber, coax and the Microsoft Azure and Office 365 cloud has proven successful with many clients, and looks to see continued growth and adoption!

Check out Bigleaf’s short video for an animated explanation.

Have any questions about SD-WAN and how it can leverage your business? Contact us at any time.

This publication contains general information only and Sikich is not, by means of this publication, rendering accounting, business, financial, investment, legal, tax, or any other professional advice or services. This publication is not a substitute for such professional advice or services, nor should you use it as a basis for any decision, action or omission that may affect you or your business. Before making any decision, taking any action or omitting an action that may affect you or your business, you should consult a qualified professional advisor. In addition, this publication may contain certain content generated by an artificial intelligence (AI) language model. You acknowledge that Sikich shall not be responsible for any loss sustained by you or any person who relies on this publication.

About the Author

Dustin Miller

Dustin Miller is a principal, who supports the managed services practice in the role of virtual chief information officer (vCIO). Dustin helps business owners and executives understand their current IT assets, create a vision and multi-year roadmap for IT that integrates with business objectives, and align specific technology initiatives within the annual budgeting process. He provides ongoing collaboration and serves as an executive-level technology team member that understands and can speak to both technology and business topics.