SD-WAN

What is SD WAN?

SD WAN stands for Software-Defined Wide Area Networking. It allows businesses to manage their network across multiple sites from a centralised software interface rather than via hardware at each location. By abstracting the network control plane from the physical infrastructure, SD WAN brings agility, visibility and efficiency: routes can be configured, traffic prioritised, and failover managed automatically.

Not only does it save your business valuable time but it also makes collaboration seamless as you’ll be able to manage any of your locations from wherever you might be in the world.

SD WAN is the next generation in MPLS and has been designed to connect with any network that is already in place, including existing WANs, fibre, broadband, 4G/5G, MPLS and Ethernet.

Enquire about SD WAN

If you want to find out more about SD WAN, get in touch with one of our experts today.

Read more about the differences between WAN and SDWAN. and SD-WAN vs MPLS.

Benefits

Cost Efficiency
Resilience & Redundancy
Improved Application Performance
Scalable & Flexible
Rapid deployment
Centralised Management
Increased Visibility & Control
Security Built-In

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Managed SD WAN

A Managed SD WAN service means outsourcing the setup, monitoring, maintenance and optimisation of your network to a specialist provider. This can include:

Designing WAN architecture, selecting optimal links (public broadband, fibre, LTE etc.)
Provisioning edge devices / appliances at sites and configuring policies
Ongoing monitoring of link health, performance, security
Automatic failover / rerouting in case of outages
Regular reporting & analytics, plus support & SLA guarantees

For many businesses, managed SD-WAN is especially attractive because it reduces internal IT burden, speeds deployment, and ensures best practices are followed (security, redundancy, performance).

SD-WAN Benefits

Implementing SD-WAN offers a range of benefits for businesses, especially those with distributed sites, cloud-first strategies or high demands on network performance. Key advantages include:

Benefit	What it means in practice
Cost Efficiency	You can use cheaper broadband / internet links alongside or in place of more expensive MPLS, reducing connectivity costs without compromising performance.
Resilience & Redundancy	Multiple links and built-in failover ensure business continuity – if one link degrades, traffic is automatically rerouted.
Improved Application Performance	Prioritisation ensures critical applications (VoIP, video conferencing, cloud apps) get the bandwidth and QoS they need.
Scalable & Flexible	Easy to deploy new sites; capacity can be scaled up or down; hybrid architectures integrate new link types like 4G/5G.
Centralised Management	One dashboard to monitor, manage, push updates or policies—less onsite overhead and quicker response.
Increased Visibility & Control	Better diagnostics, analytics, usage monitoring; you can see which applications are using the most bandwidth or causing issues.
Security Built-In	Many managed SDWAN providers include encryption, segmentation, threat detection etc. for traffic flowing across multiple links or over public networks.

SD WAN vs MPLS

For years, MPLS has been the go-to option for secure, reliable connectivity. But as businesses move applications to the cloud and support more distributed workforces, its limitations have become clear. SD-WAN delivers the same reliability while adding flexibility, faster deployment, and significant cost savings.

By intelligently routing traffic across multiple connection types, SD-WAN gives you performance where it matters most – without the high overheads of a legacy MPLS network.

Feature	MPLS	SD-WAN
Cost	Generally higher per Mb, especially for remote sites or multiple locations.	More cost-effective, especially when using a mix of lower-cost internet connections.
Performance / QoS Guarantees	Strong; MPLS gives predictable latency, jitter, packet loss as part of the service.	Modern SD-WAN can offer similar guarantees via traffic prioritisation, SLA-backed links, and smart routing—but depends on design and provider.
Flexibility / Agility	Changes (e.g. adding a site or reconfiguring routes) often take longer and require more manual setup.	Highly flexible; changes can be made centrally; new sites can be onboarded quickly; dynamic routing adjusts to link conditions.
Link Types	MPLS is a private circuit, not dependent on the public internet.	SD-WAN can use a mix: broadband, fibre, LTE/5G, MPLS etc., giving options for cost vs performance trade-offs.
Scalability	Scaling MPLS to many sites or to remote or mobile locations can be costly & slow.	Easier scale: mix & match link types; deploy appliances or virtual edges; use cloud connections; fast rollouts.
Visibility & Control	Less granular compared to software-defined solutions; monitoring often less real-time.	Stronger visibility: dashboards, analytics, real-time monitoring, policy-based control.

What is the difference between WAN & SDWAN?

A WAN (Wide Area Network) is a traditional network that connects multiple sites, data centres or branch offices using private circuits or leased lines. Management is often hardware-based and changes can be slow or costly to implement.

SDWAN, on the other hand, is a software-defined approach that sits on top of existing connections – whether broadband, fibre, 4G/5G or MPLS – allowing businesses to centrally manage traffic, prioritise applications and use multiple links intelligently.

In short, WAN is the underlying network, while SDWAN is a smarter, more flexible way of controlling and optimising it.

MPLS differs from both in that it is a private, dedicated network service offering predictable performance and security, but at a higher cost and with less flexibility than SDWAN.

Enquire about SDWAN

If you want to find out more about SDWAN, get in touch with one of our experts today.

Read more about the differences between WAN and SD-WAN. and SD-WAN vs MPLS.

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?Is a leased line the same as dedicated internet access? ?What is a lease line vs leased line internet? ?What is a leased line? ?What’s the difference between a leased line and Ethernet? ?What are the different types of leased lines? View all FAQs

Yes. Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) is another way of describing the lease line service where the internet connection is not shared, giving exclusivity, symmetric speed, and strong SLAs. Read our blog What is Dedicated Internet Access vs a Leased Line?.

“Lease line” is often a mis-spelling or shorthand; the correct term is leased line. “Leased line internet” emphasises that the leased line is used to provide your internet connectivity. They all refer to the same type of dedicated service.

A leased line is a dedicated internet line. Unlike business broadband which is shared amongst other businesses, a leased line isn’t shared with anyone else. This means a leased line can give you guaranteed symmetrical speeds, enhanced reliability and unrivalled speeds to make sure your business gets the connectivity service it needs.

A leased line and Ethernet are essentially the same. Dedicated business internet access using a superfast Ethernet cable is known by many names, including leased line, Ethernet or Dedicated Internet Access.

There are several different types of leased lines available. All suit different budgets and different business needs. They include:

Ethernet in the First Mile (EFM) – EFM provides an end-to-end solution using multiple copper wires to connect your business to the Ethernet core network. Ideal where fibre Ethernet is not currently available or would be costly to install.

Generic Ethernet Access (GEA) or Ethernet over Fibre to the Cabinet (EoFTTC) – A hybrid solution where existing fibre or copper cables connect your business to the street cabinet before a dedicated Ethernet line carries your data to the core network.

Leased Line or Fibre Ethernet – The ultimate end-to-end connectivity solution which offers unparalleled levels of speed and reliability. It can be implemented in most locations whether fibre is currently available or not.

Fibre Flex Leased Line – Commit to a low cost minimum bandwidth i.e. 200Mb and you will get burstable bandwidth of up to 1Gb when available, at no extra cost.

Point-to-Point – Perfect for connecting two or more offices in different locations and ensures your data is secure and your network performance is more reliable.

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