What security considerations come with SD-WAN?

Software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) is a common fixture of enterprise environments today. Particularly in the age of digital transformation, SD-WAN is one of the technologies that is helping organisations go through the motions. However, as with any emerging technology, SD-WAN can be vulnerability-prone. Perhaps a part of that is due to how challenging its implementation can be. It's no wonder either; it can be tricky enough securing local area networks without the added complexity of WANs. As a result, it's rather unsurprising to know that IT teams often make mistakes in securing their SD-WAN.

Strengthening your SD-WAN security

Most cybersecurity problems are made worse by the cyber skills shortage. SD-WAN only places more emphasis on this; it's yet another thing for cybersecurity teams to deal with across their mounting responsibilities, and many of these teams are running thin as it is. Many SD-WAN vendors are yet to fine tune their security offerings as part of their portfolio, passing the security puck onto organisations' in-house security teams. In turn, these security teams have to navigate around their existing solutions to securely deploy SD-WAN. This in itself can be a challenging endeavour. By the same token, it is imperative that organisations take the time to get to know their SD-WAN vendor's offering. In particular, companies must be thoroughly familiar with the security features that are and aren't there. Understanding the latter is perhaps the most important; you need to know where your organisation is left vulnerable so that you can plan how to fill the gaps. It only takes one vulnerability and one opportunist hacker to create immeasurable damage. To the relief of organisations, there are some solutions available on the market to hoist your SD-WAN security and maintain compliance as an added bonus. In turn, you could also enjoy reduction in costs and simplicity across operations. This reinforces that SD-WAN security is a collaborative effort. Between security teams and SD-WAN vendors, there must be full transparency between each side's capabilities. That way, the two can give each other leg-ups where necessary.

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