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SD-WAN for Multi-Site SMEs in Plain English

SD-WAN is a control plane that sits above your physical circuits — fibre, leased lines, 4G/5G — and decides per-application which path to use, with central templates instead of logging into twelve Drayteks.

Next step: Map sites and apps before vendor bake-offs. Contact us if you outgrew DIY VPN mesh.

Problems it actually solves

Packet loss on one ISP? Steer VoIP over the clean link while bulk replication rides the cheap one. New branch? Ship an appliance that phones home for config — no on-site CCIE required.

Overlay vs underlay

SD-WAN encrypts site-to-site traffic in an overlay; you still pay for real circuits underneath. It is not a substitute for bandwidth — see speed planning.

Security bundles

Many vendors sell SSE/SASE add-ons (SWG, CASB, ZTNA). Decide whether you want network and security from one throat to choke or best-of-breed tools you already pay for.

When to skip it

Two sites, all SaaS, no legacy VLANs? A solid VPN and decent monitoring may cost less until complexity grows.

Related guides

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