🩹SD-WAN & Resilient Paths | Building a Strong Network Backbone 🦴

In today's digital landscape, network resilience is crucial for business continuity. The traditional methods of failover may not always guarantee a seamless transition, and as a result, organizations are increasingly turning to SD-WAN (Software-Defined Wide Area Network) for a more robust and reliable solution. In this article, we will delve into the concept of network resilience, highlight the limitations of poor-quality failovers, and explore the benefits of using SD-WAN with diverse paths.

Understanding Resilient Paths

Network resilience refers to a network's ability to maintain an acceptable level of service during and after an event that threatens normal operation. This includes scenarios like network failures, outages, or even natural disasters. Resilient paths are designed to ensure that a network can continue functioning even if one component or path fails.

The Pitfalls of Poor-Quality Failovers

Many organizations implement failovers, which are secondary connections meant to take over in case the primary connection fails. However, not all failovers are created equal. A common mistake is assuming that a cheaper alternative can be an equivalent substitute for the primary connection. If this were true, it would be the primary connection. The problem with this approach is the risk that the secondary path may not meet performance expectations when needed.

For instance, using LTE as a failover option can be compared to providing passengers on an aircraft with parachutes. While it might offer a safety net, the transition can be messy and far from seamless.

Often people in South Africa are influenced by marketing material by Silicon Valley vendors who expose the benefits of LTE. Our reality is that loadshedding makes it a wounded duck. It might only be successful in very few use cases and then only in an intermittent fashion.

Diverse Paths for True Resilience

The best strategy for network resilience is to have equivalent paths with true path diversity. This concept is akin to the redundancy built into jet planes with two engines. The failure of one engine should not compromise the plane's ability to land safely. In the world of connectivity, this translates to having diverse fiber paths from different operators. This approach ensures a robust and reliable network, as opposed to a diverse path from the same operator, which may share common points of failure.

An alternative, and in many cases equally effective, solution is a high-capacity microwave link. This microwave link can be quickly provisioned, providing a strong backup path.

Mitigating Risks with Fusion's SD-WAN

The fundamental issue in ensuring network resilience is that skimping on risk mitigation in a significant project can lead to failures, as was evident in the Department of Home Affairs' digitalization project. Such an investment should not be undermined by inadequate network provisions. [ Link to read about the DHA digitalization project. ]

Fusion's SD-WAN solution offers a cost-effective way for business owners to achieve network resilience. With Fusion, the ability to enjoy a good night's sleep without worrying about network disruptions can be as affordable as a cappuccino a day per location. It leverages diverse and equivalent paths to provide businesses with the highest level of network resilience, ensuring that downtime is a thing of the past.

Wrapping up, the key to network resilience lies in diverse and equivalent paths, ensuring that network failures become a rare occurrence. Fusion's SD-WAN is at the forefront of this solution, providing a robust, cost-effective, and reliable way for businesses to fortify their network backbone.

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Ronald Bartels specializes in connecting Internet-inhabiting things at Fusion Broadband.🚀📡 Learn more about the best SD-WAN in the world: 👉Contact Fusion 💼🚀