--- title: "SD-WAN and SASE" description: "SD-WAN design and migration, secure access service edge, cloud security gateways and Zero Trust access for branches and remote workers." url: https://www.expandware.com/services/networking/sd-wan-and-sase/ section: "Services" topics: ["Networking", "Fortinet Secure SD-WAN", "Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN", "Palo Alto Networks Prisma SASE", "Zscaler"] publisher: "Expandware Private Limited" --- # SD-WAN and SASE SD-WAN design and migration, secure access service edge, cloud security gateways and Zero Trust access for branches and remote workers. Connect every site and every user through one secure fabric. Traffic used to flow from branches to a central data center and out through one firewall. Now applications live in the cloud and users work everywhere, so the network and its security have to follow them. SD-WAN steers traffic across any mix of circuits by application, and SASE moves security inspection to the cloud edge closest to each user. We design, migrate and operate both, site by site, without losing control. Where it usually starts: - MPLS circuits are expensive and slow to change. - Cloud application traffic is backhauled through the head office. - Remote users connect through a VPN that grants the whole network. - Each branch has its own firewall policy, and nobody keeps them consistent. What is included: - SD-WAN design: Application-aware routing across broadband, MPLS, 5G and satellite. - Migration: Sites moved from MPLS or legacy routers in planned waves. - Secure web gateway: Web traffic inspected in the cloud, close to each user. - Zero Trust network access: Application access by identity, replacing broad VPN access. - Cloud firewall: One policy, enforced the same way at the office, at home and on the road. - Visibility: Application performance and security events in one view. Where it sits: SD-WAN and SASE carry most of the networking architecture's edge: branch offices and remote users connect through the WAN and edge layer, with security applied in the cloud before traffic reaches SaaS applications. Decisions to settle early: - Single vendor or best of breed. One vendor for SD-WAN and security simplifies operations; separate vendors can be stronger in each. Integration and skills decide. - Which circuits to keep. Broadband suits most sites; some still need private circuits. Each site is decided on its own traffic. - How fast to retire the VPN. Access per application reduces risk; some legacy applications need more time. The VPN shrinks as applications move. How the work runs: Assess, Sites, circuits and applications. Design, Fabric, policy and security. Migrate, Site by site, with fallback. Operate, Monitoring and policy management. How it is bought: - A fixed-fee assessment: We measure application traffic and circuit use per site, review current circuits and security, and price the options. You receive a business case outline and a fixed migration price. - A fixed-price build: Architecture, policy design and site by site migration with fallback for the sites in scope, priced before the first site moves. - Running it afterwards: The fabric and its policies are then operated monthly by us, or by your team with dashboards and runbooks. Worked example, mpls bills and a vpn to the whole network. Say an engineering consultancy connects its offices over MPLS to a head office that inspects all traffic, cloud applications feel slow, and remote staff use a VPN that reaches every system. - Assess: We measure application traffic and circuit use at each office and price the alternatives, including keeping MPLS at some sites. - Design: SD-WAN steers traffic over broadband and the remaining MPLS by application, and web and application access is inspected at the nearest cloud edge. - Migrate: Offices move one at a time with the old circuit kept as a fallback, and remote staff move from the VPN to access per application. - Operate: Policy is managed in one place, and dashboards show application performance at every office. At the end, each office reaches cloud applications directly, remote staff reach only the applications they need, and security policy is the same wherever people work. (An illustration, not a client account.) What you have at the end: - Current state assessment and business case: Your sites, circuits, applications and costs today, and the case for change with its assumptions. - SD-WAN and SASE architecture: How sites connect, how traffic is steered by application, and where security is enforced. - Site migration plan and runbooks: The order in which sites move, the steps for each, and the fallback if a cutover fails. - Security policy set: One set of web, application and access policies, enforced the same way for every user and site. - Operations dashboards: Application performance, circuit health and security events across all sites in one view. Standards and platforms worked with: Fortinet Secure SD-WAN, Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN, Palo Alto Networks Prisma SASE, Zscaler, Cloudflare One, Netskope, VeloCloud. Where it goes wrong, and what we design out: - Replacing MPLS everywhere at once. Some sites still need private circuits. Each site is assessed on its own traffic. - Security left at the head office. Backhauling cloud traffic for inspection slows everything. Inspection moves to the cloud edge near each user. - Policies diverging by site. Branch firewalls drift apart over time. One policy applies everywhere. What it changes: - Lower circuit costs. Broadband and wireless replace or supplement expensive private circuits. - Better application performance. Traffic takes the best path for each application, including direct to the cloud. - One security policy everywhere. Users and sites are protected by the same rules wherever they connect. How you will know it is working: - Cloud applications are reached directly from each site. - Remote access is granted per application rather than to the network. - Security policy is the same in the office and at home. - Circuit costs follow the business case. Who you work with: - Network architect. Designs the SD-WAN fabric and the security architecture. - Security engineer. Builds the web, application and access policies. - Migration engineers. Move sites one at a time, with a fallback for each. What we need from you: - Site lists with circuits and contract dates. - Application lists, including SaaS in use. - Your security policies and remote access setup. - Local contacts for each site migration. Common questions: Q: Can SD-WAN replace MPLS entirely? A: For many organizations, yes, using multiple broadband or wireless circuits with application-aware routing. Some keep MPLS for specific sites or applications; the design is decided site by site from measured performance. Q: What is SASE? A: Secure access service edge combines networking and security services, web gateway, firewall, Zero Trust access and data protection, delivered from the cloud close to users rather than from a central data center. Q: Do we need one vendor for SD-WAN and security? A: Not necessarily. Single-vendor platforms are simpler to operate; combining specialists can suit larger estates. We compare both against your sites, your team's skills and your existing contracts. Q: How disruptive is the migration? A: Usually minimal. Sites move one at a time out of hours, with the old circuit kept as a fallback until the new path is proven. Q: What is the difference between SD-WAN and SASE? A: SD-WAN is about connectivity: steering traffic between sites and the internet across several circuits by application. SASE adds security delivered from the cloud, with a web gateway, cloud firewall and Zero Trust access close to each user. Many organizations adopt SD-WAN first and SASE alongside or after it. Q: How does SD-WAN improve the performance of cloud applications? A: By sending cloud traffic from each site straight to the internet over the best available circuit, instead of backhauling it through a head office. It measures each path continuously and moves traffic away from one that degrades, so a congested circuit no longer spoils a video call. Q: What happens to our branch firewalls? A: Often they are replaced by the security functions of the SD-WAN device and by cloud inspection, so policy is managed centrally rather than box by box. Sites with specific needs may keep a local firewall, and the design says which ones and why. Q: Can remote workers and offices share one security policy? A: Yes, and that is a central reason for SASE. The same web, application and access policies apply whether a user is in an office, at home or travelling, because inspection happens in the cloud rather than at a building. Often paired with: Enterprise LAN, WAN and Wi-Fi, Identity and Zero Trust, Network security. --- Canonical page: https://www.expandware.com/services/networking/sd-wan-and-sase/ Site index for machines: https://www.expandware.com/llms.txt Full site text: https://www.expandware.com/llms-full.txt Expandware Private Limited. Inquiries: solutions@expandware.com, +92 (333) 32 11011.