Security solution for SD WAN

1 August 2019 Infrastructure

The benefits of SD WAN (Software-Defined Wide-Area Networks) seem to have resonated with many companies in Africa, providing an intelligent and cost-effective way to use the internet to supplement, or even replace, expensive MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching). While SD WAN delivers tangible benefits which include faster access to web-based applications, lower cost and more intelligent application routing - the one thing it does that goes against most organisational mindsets is the decentralisation and loss of control over security.

“The SD WAN business case promises lower cost and better performance, but is often undermined by the need to decentralise security and add a firewall at each branch break out to the internet. In this regard, maintaining the same level of security as in a centralised model is complex and prohibitively expensive”, says Stuart Hardy, Director at OneSecure

Today, most organisations still run centralised security architectures, with secure internet breakout from an MPLS network. However, in a growing cloud application world and due to SD WAN growth, this traditional architecture is breaking. Some of the challenges related to the old security perimeter include:

1. Users and branches are only protected when they are inside the secure perimeter making it challenging to enforce policies when outside.

2. It’s difficult and prohibitively expensive to replicate this (centralised) security stack at the edge when using SD WAN or local internet breakout.

3. Appliance driven security cannot keep up with the exponential growth of internet, creating a bottleneck.

4. The security stack is often made up of a range of point solutions with little visibility or real-time analytics.

5. Deploying appliance-based security at the edge for hundreds of sites on SD WAN comes with a high cost, and logistical and management overhead – especially in Africa.

6. Secure remote access solutions still require users to connect to corporate HQ even when accessing cloud applications.

7. Secure remote access provides network wide access to users when remote.

Moving to cloud security

Moving your centralised security stack to the cloud is the only logical option when your users and applications are moving out of the network. Essentially, it’s the same argument as when moving business-critical applications to IaaS (Infrastructure-as-a-Service) like Azure and AWS, as opposed to placing applications on hardware in your head office.

With a product like Zscaler, you can seamlessly protect your users, branches and applications in any architecture, which will underpin your drive into both SD WAN and cloud.

Some key benefits include:

1. Secure your users no matter where they are by routing all mobile user and branch based internet traffic through the Zscaler cloud.

2. Secure all internet breakouts without compromising security and maintaining same standard as the headquarters.

3. No appliances means instant deployment and evergreen scalability, with no logistical or high-availability issues.

4. Connect remote users directly to corporate applications and not the network (zero trust).

5. Direct access to private cloud applications securely, bypassing the corporate network for faster private and public cloud application delivery.

“When you move your security to the cloud, you remove all the limitations associated with physical hardware, while positioning your company to easily evolve into greater mobility and cloud application delivery. With Zscaler your users will always be driven to the Zscaler cloud ensuring global policy enforcement no matter where the user is,” adds Hardy

Zscaler for SD WAN

The Zscaler Cloud Security solution is not only recognised by leading companies worldwide, but by almost all SD WAN vendors as the No 1 cloud security solution for SD WAN network designs.

In most cases, integrating Zscaler in a SD WAN deployment, is as simple as provisioning a simple API call at the click of a button. This makes sure all internet traffic will go directly to Zscaler, ensuring comprehensive security enforcement and protection. This full inline inspection provides a full security layer and includes URL filtering, antivirus, sandboxing, DLP and advanced Level-7 firewall in the cloud.

It’s clear that the traditional appliance-based strategy is out-dated and is being replaced by a new generation of cloud-focused services. The benefits of IaaS solutions like Azure and AWS go beyond just the economics of cloud, driving straight into the concept of digital transformation where organisations can quickly, efficiently and economically, take advantage of technology that will improve their business processes.





Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page



Further reading:

Upgrade your PCs to improve security
Information Security Infrastructure
Truly secure technology today must be designed to detect and address unusual activity as it happens, wherever it happens, right down to the BIOS and silicon levels.

Read more...
The hidden cost of cheap networking gear
Duxbury Networking Infrastructure
When it comes to building a network, price is always a consideration, especially in the current economic climate, but there is a difference between smart spending and short-term savings with long-term losses.

Read more...
Open source code can also be open risk
Information Security Infrastructure
Software development has changed significantly over the years, and today, open-source code increasingly forms the foundation of modern applications, with surveys indicating that 60 – 90% of the average application's code base consists of open-source components.

Read more...
Fastest PCIe Gen 5.0 NVMe SSD
Products & Solutions Infrastructure
Sandisk has unveiled the WD_BLACK SN8100 NVMe SSD with PCIe Gen 5.0 technology, an internal SSD delivering speeds up to 14 900 MB/s and capacities up to 4 TB, with 8 TB solutions available soon.

Read more...
Unified storage solution
Products & Solutions Infrastructure
CASA Software has announced the local availability of Nexsan’s upgraded unified storage solution, Unity NV4000, which is ideal for mixed workloads, from virtualisation and video surveillance to secure backup and recovery.

Read more...
Suprema unveils BioStar Air
Suprema neaMetrics News & Events Access Control & Identity Management Infrastructure
Suprema launches BioStar Air, the first cloud-based access control platform designed to natively support biometric authentication and feature true zero-on-premise architecture. BioStar Air simplifies deployment and scales effortlessly to secure SMBs, multi-branch companies, and mixed-use buildings.

Read more...
Back-up securely and restore in seconds
Betatrac Telematic Solutions Editor's Choice Information Security Infrastructure
Betatrac has a solution that enables companies to back-up up to 8 TB of data onto a device and restore it in 30 seconds in an emergency, called Rapid Access Data Recovery (RADR).

Read more...
Advanced surveillance storage from ASBIS
Infrastructure Surveillance Products & Solutions
From a video storage solutions perspective, SkyHawk drives, designed for DVRs and NVRs, offer high capacity, optimised firmware, and a reliability workload rating of hundreds of terabytes per year.

Read more...
Power surges are killing our networks
Duxbury Networking Infrastructure
With power surges and lightning strikes becoming an all-too-familiar threat to South African infrastructure, Duxbury Networking is calling on local installers and network integrators to follow proper grounding protocols.

Read more...
A passport to offline backups
SMART Security Solutions Technews Publishing Editor's Choice Infrastructure Smart Home Automation
SMART Security Solutions tested a 6 TB WD My Passport and found it is much more than simply another portable hard drive when considering the free security software the company includes with the device.

Read more...










While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.




© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd. | All Rights Reserved.