Global SD-WAN: How to Build An Intercontinental Network

SD-WAN solutions have evolved significantly over the years. The solutions are now packed with features that cater to the complex needs of modern enterprises. One standout feature is multi-cloud connectivity, a key attribute of global SD-WAN network architectures. 

With businesses increasingly adopting cloud solutions, the ability to connect seamlessly across continents and multiple cloud platforms has become crucial. 

Most SD-WAN tools perform admirably when deployed regionally but often fall short when deployed globally. Global SD-WAN leverages a distributed network of points of presence (POPs) to create a private network backbone that enhances cloud performance and ensures redundancy.

Global SD-WAN vs regional SD-WAN

Scope and reach

Regional SD-WAN is limited to a specific geographic area, such as a country, state, or continent. It relies on regional internet service providers (ISPs) and may leverage localized infrastructure. For this reason, it is practical for businesses with operations concentrated in one region.

Conversely, the scope of global SD-WAN extends across countries and continents. It is suited for multinational corporations with offices and branches worldwide. Thanks to its ability to utilize the combination of global ISPs, undersea cables, and international infrastructure, it can deliver connectivity across vast distances.

Performance and latency

Regional SD-WANs generally offer lower latency and higher performance within the designated region due to shorter physical distances and fewer hops. It is optimized for regional traffic, ensuring efficient routing and minimal delay within the area.

On the opposite end, Global SD-WAN may face higher latency due to longer physical distances and increased complexity in routing traffic across continents. However, it uses advanced technologies like dynamic path selection and application-aware routing to optimize performance on a global scale.

Cost and investment

Regional SD-WAN has typically lower initial and operational costs compared to global SD-WAN. It requires less investment in infrastructure and incurs lower ongoing expenses for regional connectivity. Investment is focused on regional infrastructure, including data centers and network links.

Global SD-WAN requires a more extensive network. Therefore, it is more expensive to set up. The higher costs are due to the need for extensive infrastructure, global connectivity agreements, and advanced technology to manage and optimize global traffic. It requires significant investment in global infrastructure, including international data centers, undersea cables, and partnerships with multiple global ISPs.

Complexity and management

Regional SD-WAN is simpler to manage and deploy due to the limited geographic scope. You have fewer regulatory and compliance issues to navigate. With this option, it is also easier to troubleshoot and maintain the network because the IT staff and resources are local.

With Global SD-WAN, network management is more complex due to the need to manage connectivity across multiple regions, each with different regulatory and compliance requirements. It requires a sophisticated management platform for global traffic optimization, security, and policy enforcement. It often involves a distributed team of IT professionals that needs resources to manage efficiently.

While both regional and global SD-WANs aim to enhance connectivity and performance, they cater to different scales of operations. Regional SD-WAN is more suitable for businesses with a concentrated geographic presence, offering simplicity and cost-efficiency. 

In contrast, global SD-WAN addresses the needs of multinational enterprises, providing robust connectivity and comprehensive management across diverse regions but with increased complexity and investment.

Global SD-WAN makes it easy to scale network operations globally

Scaling network operations globally using regular SD-WAN solutions is a daunting task for less-resourced companies. The thick mesh of ISPs and cloud services you would need to piece the network together makes it difficult to achieve redundancy.

Global SD-WAN tools offer capabilities that make it easy to manage a network that is expanding beyond continents. Take the example of real-time monitoring. This real-time insight allows network administrators to detect and address issues as they happen, regardless of where they occur in the world. 

For instance, if there's a sudden surge in traffic in your Tokyo office, your monitoring tools can immediately alert you, helping you to address it before it impacts performance.

By leveraging cloud-based controllers and orchestration tools, global SD-WAN allows IT teams to centrally manage network policies, security configurations, and traffic optimization, ensuring consistent performance and security across all locations.

Another key feature of global SD-WAN is its dynamic path selection and intelligent traffic routing capabilities. This technology continuously monitors network conditions and automatically selects the most efficient path for data transmission based on real-time performance metrics such as latency, jitter, and packet loss. 

Intelligent traffic routing ensures critical applications receive the necessary bandwidth and optimal routes, even as the network expands to new regions. As a result, businesses can seamlessly integrate new sites and remote offices into the global network without the need for extensive manual configuration or significant infrastructure investment.

A globally dispersed SD-WAN network also enjoys the advantage of comprehensive data collection. By gathering information from various network junctures such as routers, switches, and endpoints, you get a detailed view of how data moves globally. This all-encompassing data provides actionable insights that make it easier to troubleshoot and optimize the network.

Then there's the importance of analytics and intelligent insights. Imagine using AI and machine learning to sift through enormous amounts of global data. These technologies can highlight anomalies, detect patterns, and predict potential network issues before they manifest. 

For example, if data suggests that your European servers are approaching capacity, predictive analytics can recommend proactive measures like load balancing or adding server capacity.

You can’t overlook the rich data context, which is key to meaningful network observability. This means combining raw data with supplementary information like device metadata and user information. 

If, for example, your North American users are experiencing latency, enriched data can help you pinpoint whether it’s a specific application, device type, or network segment that's causing the issue.

By employing these strategies, you can ensure that scaling network operations globally feels less like a wild adventure and more like a well-coordinated symphony.