SD-WAN Pilot Project for FMCG Industry

MAJOR ISSUES

Client’s existing WAN infrastructure at the Shanthiniketan office was outdated and presented significant operational limitations:

• Static Subnet Mapping: Specific subnets were permanently assigned to a single P2P link, limiting load balancing and optimization.
• Underutilized Bandwidth: No dynamic load balancing meant one 200 Mbps link could be overutilized while the other remained idle.
• No Local Internet Breakout: All traffic was routed via a centralized internet breakout at the datacenter, overloading P2P links and increasing latency.
• No Application-Aware Routing: Traditional link load balancers could not perform intelligent routing based on real-time application needs or user experience.
• Complex Hardware Requirements: Existing solutions required additional routers/firewalls and lacked support for overlay tunneling for real-time and mission-critical apps.

IMPACT

The SD-WAN transformation had a significant positive impact on Britannia’s network performance, user experience, and operational efficiency:

• Improved Bandwidth Utilization: Dynamic load balancing across all WAN links maximized throughput and prevented bottlenecks.
• Enhanced Application Performance: Application-aware routing ensured priority handling of mission-critical traffic.
• Reduced Latency & Increased Redundancy: Local internet breakout reduced
  dependence on DC for all traffic, lowering latency and improving user access speeds.
• Consolidated Infrastructure: Eliminated the need for additional hardware like routers and load balancers, reducing management complexity.
• Business Continuity: SD-WAN overlays and IPSec tunnels enabled resilient, always-on connectivity between office, DC, and public cloud environments

HIGHLIGHTS

Legacy Architecture:

• Dual 200 Mbps P2P links without intelligent routing.
• Static subnet-to-link mapping without failover or optimization.
• No support for application-level decisions or load distribution.

Proposed SD-WAN Solution:

• IPSec-based encrypted tunnels between on-prem and public data centers.
• Management Plane: HTTPS web sockets over TLS.
• Data Plane: End-to-end IPSec connectivity with EdgeConnect Cloud.
• Local internet breakout via ZIA Cloud for internet-bound traffic.
• Dynamic, application-aware path selection and failover.

Modern Architecture Benefits:

• Packet-based tunneling for real-time and critical applications.
• Unified architecture with centralized management and monitoring.
• Enhanced end-user experience without additional appliance layers.

KEY STRATEGIES

• Transition to SD-WAN with EdgeConnect: Implemented an overlay architecture that enables real-time tunnel formation, smart routing, and entralized policy
• Redundant Link Utilization: Introduced intelligent bandwidth sharing across all available links with automatic failover and prioritization.
• Cloud-First Connectivity: Enabled direct internet access for cloud-based apps via ZIA Cloud, cutting down on dependency on the centralized DC.
• Security Built-in with IPSec: Secured all data flows between locations and to the cloud with native end-to-end encryption.
• Streamlined Operations: Simplified the network topology by eliminating multiple hardware appliances and providing a software-defined alternative.