As various software services migrate to the cloud, Accton’s dedicated engineering teams are surging ahead to develop open, software-defined network (SDN) platforms that will provide the foundation of the emerging next-generation networks. Part of this development involves the transformation of WAN networks into software-defined WANs (SD-WANs).

Most traditional WANs use Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) networks to link remote sites to a central data center in what is essentially a private, static architecture. These networks are expensive and complex to set up and operate, and are known to be networks lacking flexibility and scalability. SD-WANs employ the concept of abstraction to define software capabilities that are independent of the underlying hardware, enabling software services and applications to run over various networks and bring a high level of flexibility and agility. Rather than just replacing existing MPLS networks, SD-WANs operate as an “overlay” on all old and new network links, delivering a secure, reliable business-grade performance that organizations demand.

Typically, SD-WANs are deployed as edge appliances or as a service. Edge appliances are installed at every location and connect to MPLS networks, the Internet, and often other networks (Wi-Fi, LTE/5G etc.). These edge appliances have also been evolving into flexible Universal Customer Premise Equipment (uCPE) devices that perform Network Functions Virtualization (NFV), security, firewall, and other services. Based on open hardware, a uCPE is a network appliance that can be automatically provisioned, authenticated, and configured from a central location without requiring administrator installation. With optimum flexibility and cost-effectiveness, uCPE devices provide a secure virtualized network that can support a range of services and applications at either an enterprise data center, at branch locations, or in the cloud.