As businesses continue to expand their operations, distributed workforces have become increasingly common. While there’s a big push to get employees back into the office, many organizations are eschewing brick-and-mortar and opting to find ways to enhance employee experiences. SD-WAN for Work-From-Home seems like the best option for both maximizing productive, employee (and customer) network experience, and delivering an affordable Wide Area Network.
With employees working from different locations and using various devices, the need for efficient network connectivity has become more important than ever. This is where SD-WAN comes in.
SD-WAN, or Software-Defined Wide Area Network, is a networking technology that enhances the management and operation of a wide area network (WAN) by separating the networking hardware from its control mechanism. It’s a new(ish) approach that allows for more flexible and efficient routing of traffic across WAN/Internet connections, which is particularly useful for businesses with multiple locations or those that require robust cloud service connectivity.
Ditch VPNs and Deliver SD-WAN Instead
Ditch VPNs in favour of an always-on, remote workforce productivity tool like SD-WAN. Get a demonstration of how Fidalia’s OnePort SD-WAN service can enable your workforce with faster, more reliable connectivity that support VoIP and filesharing.
The core advantages of SD-WAN for Remote Workers
By using SD-WAN, businesses can ensure optimal application performance through intelligent path selection and real-time traffic management, which adjusts to the current network conditions and application needs.
But where SD-WAN for remote users really excels is in its less-granular features:
1. SD-WAN and Voice Quality:
SD-WAN also offers support for phone systems. It provides high-quality voice and video communication, even over low-bandwidth networks. This is especially important for distributed workforces that rely on voice and video communication to collaborate and conduct meetings. SD-WAN ensures that employees can communicate effectively with each other, no matter where they are located.
2. Backup Internet Connectivity:
Another key feature of SD-WAN is backup internet connectivity. In case of an internet outage, SD-WAN can automatically switch to a backup connection, such as a cellular network. This ensures that employees can continue to work without any interruptions, even if the primary connection fails.
3. Private Connectivity:
SD-WAN also provides private connectivity, which is important for distributed workforces that need to access sensitive information. It ensures that data is transmitted securely, without the risk of interception or data breaches. This is especially important for businesses that deal with sensitive customer information or financial data.
4. Network ACLs for Improved Security to Corporate Resources:
Sure, we’ll use a term like ACLs when we’re talking about SD-WAN, but for Work-from-home?
SD-WAN’s main “enterprise” feature is in its ability to route and filter traffic. Users/Groups of users get access to specific assets, workloads, and applications in the cloud. Well, that same functionality can be used to ensure that WFH users are only accessing what the org wants them to.
SD-WAN provides network access control lists (ACLs) to improve security. These ACLs ensure that only authorized users can access corporate resources. This means that employees can work securely, without the risk of unauthorized access to critical information. ACLs also help businesses to comply with data protection regulations, such as GDPR and HIPAA.
SD-WAN: An affordable peace-of-mind and productivity tool for remote workforces
As prices for over-the-top connectivity solutions like SD-WAN continue to come down, SD-WAN becomes a more viable solution for businesses with distributed workforces. It simplifies network management and ensures that employees can access the resources they need, no matter where they are located.
It offers many benefits, including file and resource sharing, QoS for remote workers, phone systems, backup internet connectivity, private connectivity, and improved security. With SD-WAN, businesses can optimize their network infrastructure and provide their employees with a seamless work experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How is this different from a traditional VPN for remote employees?
VPNs grant access into the network. OnePort places the user on the network. All traffic originates from the corporate WAN IP, eliminating split environments and inconsistent policy enforcement. Think of it like Portable Corporate LAN Presence.
2. Can remote users appear as if they’re always inside the corporate network?
Yes. OnePort routes all traffic through the corporate WAN, so users inherit the same IP, policies, and access controls regardless of location.
3. How does this improve reliability for employees with poor home internet?
OnePort supports multiple connections (e.g., DSL + cable + LTE) and can fail over or use them simultaneously, preventing outages caused by a single unstable link.
4. Does this solution improve performance, or just redundancy?
Both. It can bond connections for higher throughput and apply QoS (Quality of Service) to prioritize business-critical traffic like VoIP and SaaS applications.
5. What happens when an employee’s connection degrades mid-session?
Traffic is dynamically rerouted across available links without interrupting sessions, avoiding the disconnect/reconnect cycle common with VPNs.
6. How does this handle traveling executives or mobile employees?
Users remain consistently connected to the corporate network wherever they are, with no need to reconfigure access or rely on local network conditions.
7. Is there still a need for VPN logins or session management?
No. Connectivity is persistent. There are no login steps, no session limits, and no dependency on user behavior to establish secure access.
8. Can IT still control what remote users can access?
Yes. Access Control Lists (ACLs) allow precise control over which internal systems or external services users can reach, regardless of location. What’s more, a lost device can be wiped remotely, rendering it useless in the hands of 3rd parties.
9. How do you extend the corporate network to multiple devices at a remote location?
OnePort can act as a wired or wireless access point (wLAN), allowing multiple devices to connect while enforcing DHCP controls and network policies.
9. How do you extend the corporate network to multiple devices at a remote location?
OnePort can act as a wired or wireless access point (wLAN), allowing multiple devices to connect while enforcing DHCP controls and network policies.