Buyer's Guide to Optimizing Secure SD-WAN Performance for Hyperconnected Networks in the Age of AI

Abstract

This guide examines the challenges and ideal approaches for optimizing secure SD-WAN performance in today’s distributed, hybrid, multi-cloud business environment. With organizations typically using multiple cloud providers and data centers, network connectivity has become increasingly critical, especially with the rise of AI deployments across the enterprise. Modern solutions must deliver high performance, high security, flexibility, resilience, simplicity, and cost-efficiency. Check Point’s Quantum SD-WAN offers a comprehensive approach to addressing these demands.

The Current Environment

The new normal for most IT infrastructure is hybrid and multi-cloud. Enterprise Strategy Group research found that the average enterprise organization is using at least three public cloud providers, at least two colocation providers, and at least two private data centers. This means that complexity is high, and the need to provide effective, high-performing, and highly reliable network connectivity between distributed locations has never been more critical.

Further, one of the greatest new technology waves of the past two decades—applying AI across all facets of business and IT—is having a clear impact on planning and decision-making, as AI tools demand higher throughput and low-latency connectivity whether consumed from the cloud or from an on-premises data center. Ninety percent of IT decision-makers believed that networks are becoming more critical to their organizations due to AI deployments.

Throughout all of this, there has been no relief from the ongoing imperative for high-quality end-user and employee experience across all business-critical applications and services. This applies to locally hosted, cloud-based, or SaaS applications as well as interactive voice and video conferencing. All must be accessible and performant from wherever users might be connecting, be it traditional offices, home offices, remote sites, or from the road.

What Is Needed

Meeting today’s demands requires designing and deploying a WAN that can connect users and applications across hybrid infrastructures and deliver consistently excellent experiences. To meet that need, WAN approaches need to deliver:

• High performance : Fully accommodating the network proficiency requirements that underpin excellent digital experiences for users, such as adequate bandwidth and latency.
• High security : Leveraging best-in-class security capabilities, such as modern zero-trust security service edge and secure access service edge (SASE) architectures, to reduce operational complexity.
• Flexibility : Ensuring an ability to cover all potential types of locations that require connectivity.
• Resilience : Delivering continuous connectivity and network service quality, ensuring the absolute minimum in potential downtimes or degradations.
• Simplicity : Finding a feature-rich and broadly capable solution that does not bring with it a steep learning curve and difficult administration and operations.
• Cost-efficiency : Encompasses a range of financial considerations spanning solution licensing and acquisition, deployment services required, and resource intensity for ongoing operations.

Check Point Quantum SD-WAN: An Integrated Network and Security Solution

Check Point is well known for its solutions spanning hybrid mesh network security and workspace security. The Quantum line focuses on network security, including high-efficacy, next-generation firewalls with advanced threat prevention in its Quantum Security Gateways. In fact, according to Check Point, its Quantum gateways have a 99.9% block rate.

Key Features of Quantum SD-WAN:

• Converged security and networking: Fully integrated Harmony SASE offering that leverages unified cloud-based delivery of secure internet access, zero-trust access, anti-malware, anti-phishing, web and DNS filtering, browser security, and more.
• Optimized connectivity: Immediate performance optimization with Check Point’s first-packet application detection engine and out-of-the-box steering policies.
• Unified Management: Unified cloud-based management for both SD-WAN and on-premises security appliances/gateways.
• Flexible Solutions: Integrated SD-WAN capabilities as a software subscription across its entire gateway portfolio.

Conclusion

Enterprise network complexity is not abating, in fact quite the opposite, and criticality of networks has never been higher, demanding uninterrupted, non-stop connectivity from site-to-site, site-to-cloud, and internet-based WAN connectivity. The Quantum SD-WAN solution from Check Point Software offers a comprehensive approach to building and protecting today’s network architectures.