6. Security:
On-premises infrastructure provides organizations with more control over security, as they can implement their own security policies and procedures. With cloud infrastructure, the organization must rely on the cloud service provider to implement and enforce security policies.
In summary, the choice between on-premises and cloud infrastructure deployments depends on the organization's specific needs, resources, and priorities. On-premises infrastructure provides more control, while cloud infrastructure provides scalability and cost-efficiency.
1.4 Explain the working principles of the Cisco SD-WAN solution
SD-WAN stands for Software-Defined Wide Area Networking. It is a software-based approach to managing wide area networks that provides improved agility, flexibility, and control over traditional WAN technologies. SD-WAN solutions allow organizations to connect their branch offices and remote sites over a combination of public and private networks, including MPLS, broadband, and LTE.
SD-WAN solutions use advanced routing and traffic management algorithms to optimize the use of network resources, ensuring that critical applications and services receive the necessary bandwidth and quality of service. SD-WAN solutions also provide advanced security features, such as VPN, IPsec, and SSL, to protect against network threats and ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data.
The benefits of SD-WAN solutions include increased network performance, improved application delivery, reduced network complexity, and lower costs. SD-WAN solutions are particularly beneficial for organizations with multiple branch offices and remote sites that require reliable and secure connectivity to their central data centers and cloud-based applications and services.
SD-WAN solutions are gaining in popularity due to their ability to provide a cost-effective and flexible alternative to traditional WAN technologies, which are often complex, expensive, and difficult to manage. Many vendors, including Cisco, offer SD-WAN solutions that provide comprehensive network management and monitoring capabilities, allowing organizations to optimize their network performance and ensure the reliability and security of their network infrastructure.
1.4.a SD-WAN Control and Data Planes Elements:
Cisco SD-WAN is a software-defined networking solution that simplifies WAN deployment and management, providing secure, fast, and reliable connectivity to applications and services. It consists of the following control and data plane elements:
vSmart Controller: This is the centralized policy and configuration management component of the SD-WAN solution. It communicates with the other SD-WAN components and is responsible for pushing policies and configurations to the other devices.
vEdge Routers: These are the SD-WAN edge devices that connect to the WAN and provide secure connectivity to branch offices and remote sites. They are responsible for establishing secure tunnels to other vEdge routers and for performing data encryption and decryption.
vBond Orchestrator: This is the SD-WAN orchestration component that provides secure device authentication and authorization. It verifies the identity of each SD-WAN component and ensures that they are authorized to participate in the SD-WAN network.
vManage NMS: This is the SD-WAN network management system that provides centralized management and monitoring of the SD-WAN network. It provides real-time visibility into network performance and enables network administrators to quickly troubleshoot and resolve issues.
1.4.b Traditional WAN and SD-WAN Solutions:
Traditional WAN solutions are based on static, hardware-based configurations that are inflexible and difficult to manage. They rely on expensive, dedicated MPLS circuits for connectivity, and are prone to network outages and performance issues.
SD-WAN solutions, on the other hand, are software-defined and dynamic, providing flexible and scalable connectivity options. They use a combination of MPLS, broadband, and LTE connections to provide secure and reliable connectivity to applications and services. SD-WAN solutions use advanced routing and security protocols, such as VPN, IPsec, and SSL, to provide secure connectivity and protect against network threats.
In summary, SD-WAN solutions offer many benefits over traditional WAN solutions, including reduced costs, improved network performance, and greater flexibility and scalability. The Cisco SD-WAN solution provides a comprehensive set of control and data plane elements that work together to provide secure, fast, and reliable connectivity to branch offices and remote sites.