SD-Branch - Driving the Power of Software-defined Networks & AI Deeper into the LAN

​SD-Branch services cover managed connectivity solutions for branch network and infrastructure based on SDN. SD-Branch and SD-LAN solutions are currently gaining traction building off early maturity in enterprise managed SD-WAN services.

For the purpose of clarity, we consider SD-LAN to be software-defined capabilities in the access or edge of the network i.e., the demarcation between the customer LAN site and the WAN. The SD-Branch concept pushes management and control deeper into the LAN and includes software-defined capabilities for automation and smart troubleshooting of all the LAN infrastructure (switches, Wi-Fi routers, routers, etc.), apps, and services.

The main requirement that defines an SD-Branch service is software-based central orchestration of the network and the components at the local area network, including switches, routers, firewalls, and Wi-Fi platforms.

Many SD-Branch products are built around managing Wi-Fi for ease in provisioning (zero-touch) and trouble-shooting, but we are seeing these capabilities extend to cover more of the on-site LAN features and functions, plus integration with SD-WAN and any security, datacenter and cloud footprints.

Inline with the migration to cloud-based services and online portal-based management of secure connectivity, SD-Branch solutions leverage automation and cloud-based SDN orchestration for installing and running gateways and speeding up direct links to cloud apps including cloud security tools such as those offered by Zscaler and Check Point.