SD-WAN is the initial building block of WAN transformation and the first step in overcoming MPLS cost and agility constraints. SD-WAN appliances are placed at the WAN edge, and are optimized to manage more WAN links to maximize bandwidth and overcoming last-mile brownouts and blackouts. Nevertheless, as a point solution, SD-WAN alone can’t address essential digital business needs such as global connectivity, network optimization, WAN and Internet security, cloud acceleration, and mobile access.
SD-WAN as a Service extends the core capabilities of traditional SD-WAN. It converges the WAN edge, a global backbone and a full network security stack into a unified cloud-native platform. Known as SASE (or the Secure Access Service Edge) it is built to optimally connect and secure all enterprise resources; physical locations, cloud datacenters, and the mobile workforce. By integrating SD-WAN into SASE, enterprises can gradually transform their WAN to address the full WAN transformation journey, without deploying multiple point solutions.
ICG's Cloud-Native SD-WAN is part of ICG's broader SASE platform. Converging networking and security into a single centrally managed cloud, ICG offers enterprises a holistic solution to support their business transformation and march confidently to the digital era.
ICG's architecture avoids proprietary hardware and converges all enterprise functions into a multitenant, cloud-native, software stack. ICG runs all functions; global routing, security, management, etc. in the cloud, creating a thin edge architecture and minimizing edge-compute requirements.
With its global private backbone supported by 50+ PoPs, ICG enables enterprises to maximize their WAN investment and gradually move to a full SASE solution, at the pace and scale fit for them.
“With a global backbone including, security, and mobility. What we see nowadays is that everyone looking at SD-WAN looks at security. The two go together. [SD-WAN] addresses both dimensions in one seamless solution"
- Lars Norling, Director IT Operations, ADB SAFEGATE
To support the digital transformation and future business needs, IT must enable secure connectivity across all edges at a global scale. With traditional SD-WAN, however, IT is left with the complexity of handling multiple point products, on top of remaining dependent on rigid and expensive MPLS links for delivering secure and well-performing connectivity.
ICG converges traditional SD-WAN, a global private backbone, full network security stack, and seamless support for cloud and mobile, providing a holistic solution that goes beyond mere MPLS cost reduction. ICG eliminates the need for multiple point products, as well as the cost, complexity and risk associated with maintaining them.
SD-WAN uses the public Internet where latency is unpredictable, hence enterprises still need to maintain some MPLS capacity to support latency-sensitive applications.
ICG's private global backbone delivers built-in WAN optimization. Customers can move to a combination of high-quality Internet last mile and SD-WAN to augment and ultimately replace MPLS. ICG SD-WAN accelerates access to key cloud applications like Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure and Office 365.
SD-WAN directs WAN traffic across encrypted Internet tunnels, providing only basic security for sending traffic over a public network. Yet, accessing websites and cloud applications directly from a remote office (without backhauling to a datacenter), requires a full network security stack including NGFW, URL filtering, anti-malware, IPS and more. This requires partnering with 3rd parties, complicating and fragmenting network and security policy management.
ICG provides a full enterprise-grade, network security stack built directly into its global backbone. There is no need to backhaul traffic to specific choke points or introduce 3rd party security products and services chained together. All network and security policies are configured within ICG's cloud-based management application.
SD-WAN solutions were designed to reduce spend on MPLS connectivity between physical locations. For legacy WAN architectures, cloud data center integration was an afterthought and mobile support was not a consideration. Yet, cloud and mobility represent an essential part of how business gets done today.
With ICG enterprises can easily connect all resources into the WAN, including physical locations, cloud applications, and fixed and mobile users. With ICG's cloud-native SD-WAN delivered as a service, networking and security capabilities are available everywhere and to all resources without the need to introduce point products.
Face to face or over Zoom, we are here to help you.