Software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) is a software overlay that decouples WAN configuration and management from the underlying network transport medium (5G/LTE, MPLS, xDSL, etc) and dynamically routes WAN traffic. To the uninitiated, that’s a mouthful. But it’s one of the most interesting trends of the last few years. Let’s jump on the bandwagon! Time for a primer on SD-WAN, why it matters, and where it’s heading now and into the future.

News over the last few years has been thick with reports of major data breaches on corporate network infrastructure. In the cases of the Panama Papers, the OPM leak, and the Hacking Team leak, the results were catastrophic leaks of extremely confidential information. In truth, a determined and well-resourced attacker can always find a way in.

Having access to all the digital resources you might need, no matter where you are or what sort of network connection you have, has become a way of life for most. Whether you’re a business sharing data with other businesses, or a traveler who needs to stay in touch at all times, access to resources is a given. While applications hosted in the public cloud go a long way towards making location a non-issue, many resources are hosted privately for reasons such as security and privacy.

Unplanned downtime carries a hefty price tag for enterprises. In 2020, critical server outages cost enterprises on average at least $10,000 per hour, with 95% of respondents stating that the cost was $200,000 per hour or more. 40% said that the average cost was closer to $1 million per hour, and 17% lost $5 million or more for every hour offline. Those are some sobering statistics that demonstrate the importance of being prepared for the worst. But you’re thinking, “We back up everything!

Any cybersecurity breach is damaging to individual companies. But when it becomes a supply chain attack, the results can be chaotic and widespread. While most businesses overlook the dangers of supply chain cyber attacks, hackers have not. Malicious actors are continuously looking for, and finding, new ways to invade company networks. With these looming threats, companies must know how to prevent supply chain attacks and find new means of securing against cybersecurity breaches.