There has been a long history of building networks and then adding on security at the end, as an afterthought. This was no different for branch offices, especially since traditionally, all traffic came back to a central location for security inspection. Dedicated network lines (typically multiprotocol label switching [MPLS]) connected branches back to corporate, and there was little perceived need to worry about security within the branch.
A reliable SD-WAN at the branch solution needs to offer security—not as a mere add-on—but integrated into all equipment to best address all aspects of branch dependability. By leveraging security at the heart of SD-WAN at the branch, the WAN, LAN and device/IoT edge are all kept to optimal performance. Converging SD-WAN and LAN Services components with security enables a common framework for all branch network components, driving the best ROI.