SLA refers to the Service Level Agreement (Service Level Agreement), which is an agreement reached between the service provider and the service consumer, which aims to specify the service quality and performance requirements that the service provider should provide. Under SD-WAN networks, SLA refers to the performance indicators of network services.
The following are some key indicators in the SLA:
Bandwidth: Bandwidth refers to the amount of data that can be transmitted per unit time, and it is one of the important indicators to measure the speed of network connections.
Latency: Latency refers to the time it takes for data to travel from source to destination, and the lower the latency, the faster the network connection.
Packet loss rate : The packet loss rate refers to the proportion of data packets lost during data transmission. The lower the packet loss rate, the higher the stability and reliability of the network connection.
Availability: Availability refers to the availability ratio of a network connection within a certain period of time. For example, 99.99% availability means that the network connection will only be interrupted for no more than 4.39 minutes per year.
Failure recovery time: Failure recovery time refers to the time required to restore normal operation after a network failure.
SD-WAN technology can guarantee the SLA of the network in many ways, the following are a few common ways:
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Business intelligence and traffic optimization: SD-WAN technology can intelligently route data flows based on network traffic and bandwidth conditions, thereby ensuring optimal routing and distribution of network traffic. In addition, SD-WAN technology can also compress, deduplicate and accelerate network traffic to improve network performance and responsiveness.
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Redundant network connections: SD-WAN networks can use multiple physical or logical network connections, including the Internet, MPLS, etc., to increase the redundancy and reliability of the network. When one network connection fails, SD-WAN technology can automatically switch to an alternate connection, thereby avoiding network interruption or slowdown.
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Security hardening: SD-WAN networks can protect network security through various security measures, such as encryption, firewall, intrusion detection and prevention, etc. These measures can effectively protect corporate data and networks from security threats and attacks, thereby improving network stability and security.
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Network monitoring and fault diagnosis: SD-WAN technology can monitor and analyze network traffic and connections in real time, so that network faults and problems can be quickly discovered and diagnosed, and corresponding measures can be taken to repair them. In addition, SD-WAN technology can also provide detailed network reports and analysis to help enterprise managers better understand network conditions and performance for optimization and improvement.
Generally speaking, companies with relatively high SLA requirements are mainly those companies that rely on the Internet for core business, such as finance, e-commerce, and medical industries. The businesses of these enterprises often have high requirements for high network reliability, high security, and low latency.
For the e-commerce industry, network stability and quick response are very important, because it is directly related to the user's shopping experience and transaction rate. If the network is unstable or the response speed is too slow, users may choose to abandon shopping or go to other competitors' websites. Therefore, for e-commerce companies, network SLA is very important, and it is necessary to ensure the availability, stability and response speed of the network.
The financial industry also has very high requirements for network SLA, because it is related to the security and efficiency of financial transactions. Financial institutions need secure, reliable, and low-latency networks for fast and accurate transactions in ever-changing market conditions. If there is a problem with the network, it may cause delays, failures or security issues in financial transactions, resulting in serious financial losses and reputational damage.
The medical industry also has high requirements for network SLA, because medical data and images need to be shared and transmitted between different medical institutions, which requires high-speed, stable and secure network support. If there is a problem with the network, it may lead to delay, loss or leakage of medical data, which will bring serious health risks and legal risks.