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SD-WAN Security

SD-WAN’s ability to control your business’s network devices and cloud services makes it ideal for implementing consistent, network-wide security policies from a single interface.

Forget about manually configuring security at each business site or using VPNs to inherit security for remote work. SD-WAN greatly enhances and simplifies security for all employees, both at the office and working remotely.

This article covers the core and premium SD-WAN security features, the main threats it protects against, and key considerations before deploying it for your business networks.

Contents:

• The importance of SD-WAN security
• Key security features of SD-WAN
• Common threats mitigated by SD-WAN
• Additional SD-WAN security considerations
• SD-WAN for UK cybersecurity compliance
• SD-WAN vs traditional WAN security

The importance of SD-WAN security

SD-WAN is a powerful cloud-based tool designed to manage complex business networks. It takes control of your organisation’s edge devices (i.e., business broadband routers and network switches) and applies intelligent routing policies to optimise traffic across your entire network from a centralised platform.

In other words, SD-WAN handles all your business traffic. It directs data moving between your sites via leased line connections, traffic from remote workers’ devices, your data centres, and even traffic to and from cloud services like Google Workspace, Salesforce, and Ring Central.

But with this level of control comes great responsibility. Besides optimisation, SD-WAN secures your network by deploying a wide range of core, advanced, and SASE features which are conveniently managed from its cloud-based architecture.

Today, SD-WAN is recognised as a critical technology for implementing consistent cybersecurity policies across your wide area network (WAN), ensuring compliance and safeguarding against various existing and emerging threats.

Key security features of SD-WAN

SD-WAN provides core, premium and SASE cybersecurity features to cater to different customers’ cybersecurity needs:

• Core features: These are included by default in all SD-WAN solutions, from the simplest to the enterprise-grade.
• Premium features: Optional upgrades (usually at an additional cost) that strengthen protection against sophisticated threats and vulnerabilities. This includes state-of-the-art features available for Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), a distinct product that uses SD-WAN technology.

Here is a comprehensive list of all SD-WAN security features tagged as core, premium or SASE:

Encrypted tunnels

Core feature

All data routed by SD-WAN is encrypted using IPsec or SSL/TLS encryption to ensure security during transit. Unlike traditional VPNs, this encryption is applied by default to all traffic (e.g., from remote workers’ devices, cloud services, business sites, data centres, etc.) regardless of location and connection. The encryption ensures that all sensitive data remains fully confidential, even if your network is breached.

Basic firewall

Core feature

SD-WAN implements basic firewalls directly into the routers and switches it controls. This introduces “stateful” traffic filtering at key points in your wide area network (WAN), blocking unauthorised access based on source, destination, and protocol. While straightforward, these form the foundation for advanced features such as zero-trust frameworks and identity-based access controls.

Network segmentation

Core feature

SD-WAN’s policy-based routing directs sensitive data over secure, isolated circuits. For instance, payment card data can be segmented from the rest of your business network and the internet to ensure its confidentiality and integrity. This enhances security and helps meet compliance requirements such as PCI DSS (for card payments).

Secure remote connectivity

Core feature

SD-WAN extends encryption to all traffic, including data from remote workers, branch offices, and cloud applications. Unlike traditional VPNs, which apply encryption to static, end-to-end connections, SD-WAN dynamically encrypts traffic as it adapts to changing routes for load balancing or failover. This ensures secure, seamless connectivity regardless of the traffic’s destination, whether it’s headquarters, cloud services, or data centres.

Consistent security policies

Core feature

SD-WAN centralises security management. Administrators can define and enforce security policies across the entire wide area network (WAN) from a single platform. These policies cover everything from application routing and network segmentation to user access rules, ensuring consistent security across remote devices, branch offices, and cloud applications, eliminating the need for manual configuration at each site.

Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW)

Premium feature

Some SD-WAN providers offer on-site installation of NGFW devices to enhance the security of specific routes within your network. NGFWs provide advanced features like intrusion prevention systems (IPS), deep packet inspection (DPI), application-layer filtering, and DDoS protection. Administrators can configure the SD-WAN controller to route sensitive traffic through these highly secure connections.

Advanced threat detection

Premium feature

Tools to strengthen threat detection. Namely:

• AI-Driven traffic analytics: These tools monitor traffic patterns in real-time to detect anomalies such as suspicious data flows or unauthorised access attempts. Powered by AI and machine learning, they proactively mitigate threats and support forensic investigations of both attempted and successful attacks.
• Threat Intelligence Feeds: These feeds integrate with analytics tools to identify emerging threats, malicious domains, and suspicious IPs in real time.

Regulatory compliance tools

Premium feature

Certain SD-WAN providers cater to industries like finance, healthcare and other critical services by offering pre-configured compliance templates and automated checks for standards such as PCI DSS and DPA 2018. These tools simplify regulatory compliance for enterprises operating in highly regulated environments. See more details here.

Identity and access management (IAM)

Premium feature

Integration with IAM systems adds powerful capabilities to SD-WAN:

• Traffic routing can be based on identity, ensuring unidentified traffic is blocked while prioritising trusted data, such as remote VoIP traffic or IoT device communication.
• BYOD (“Bring Your Own Device”) traffic from remote workers can be restricted to guest networks, enhancing security.
• IAM integration enables features like single sign-on (SSO) and multi-factor authentication (MFA) to ensure only authorised users, devices, and services can access the network.

Managed SD-WAN

Premium feature

Many providers offer SD-WAN as a managed service, taking full responsibility for network configuration and security. This ensures your SD-WAN is always optimised and up-to-date without requiring a dedicated in-house IT team. Managed services help prevent misconfigurations and provide expert oversight, though they incur an additional management cost. Managed SD-WAN is sometimes referred to as SD-WAN-as-a-Service (SWaaS).

SASE features

Premium feature

When SD-WAN is combined with specific frameworks and systems, it evolves into a Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), which is regarded as a distinct and advanced product. Here’s a brief overview of its key features:

• ZTNA (Zero Trust Network Access): Enables secure, least-privilege access for users and devices.
• SWG (Secure Web Gateway): Blocks malicious web traffic and enforces compliance policies.
• CASB (Cloud Access Security Broker): Secures cloud application usage and prevents data leakage.
• DLP (Data Loss Prevention): Prevents unauthorised data sharing to ensure compliance with regulations.
• Sandboxing: Identifies unknown threats by isolating them in controlled environments.
• Firewall-as-a-Service: Delivers cloud-based NGFW with centralised management.

Common threats mitigated by SD-WAN

As a powerful network management system, SD-WAN helps mitigate against a wide range of cybersecurity threats. However, its cloud-based architecture, centralised management, and dynamic capabilities make it particularly effective in the following circumstances:

1. Contains network breaches and infections

Business networks constantly risk being breached by unauthorised users or devices or infected with malware or ransomware. Despite your efforts, the likelihood of an employee being tricked into downloading malware (phishing) or an IoT or personal device being used as an unauthorised entry point (breach) remains high.

Once attackers gain access, they often attempt lateral movement to critical systems or sensitive data. Similarly, malware and ransomware may rapidly propagate across a network, crippling operations and encrypting data for ransom.

Traditional flat network architectures struggle to contain such breaches due to minimal segmentation and rigid routing, but SD-WAN offers a more resilient alternative with the following features:

• Network Segmentation: Contains malware and unauthorised accessed from propagating across your network.
• Encryption: Sensitive data remains confidential and private, even if intercepted.
• Dynamic routing: Can re-route traffic to bypass affected segments and maintain business continuity.
• Advanced threat detection: Contains camouflaged malicious files and detects ransomware-like behaviour through suspicious traffic patterns.

2. DDoS disruptions

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks flood networks with traffic, causing outages and impairing access to services. SD-WAN offers several features to counter these disruptions:

• Traffic prioritisation: Ensures critical traffic (e.g., business VoIP phone systems, UCaaS or e-commerce transactions) continue operating during an attack.
• Load balancing and failover: Dissipates the effect of overwhelmed connections by distributing traffic across multiple links (e.g., dedicated leased lines, dark fibre, full fibre business broadband).
• DDoS detection: Advanced SD-WAN add-ons can identify and discard malicious traffic before it overwhelms the network.

3. Phishing

Phishing remains one of the most common attack vectors, tricking users into visiting malicious websites or downloading malware. SD-WAN cannot prevent employees from being duped, but it can significantly reduce the success rate of phishing attacks by enforcing consistent security measures across the network, including for remote workers and branch offices:

• Secure Web Gateway (SWG): Blocks access to known phishing sites.
• DNS Security: Prevents employees from accessing malicious domains.
• Advanced monitoring: Detects risky employee behaviour, such as frequenting suspicious websites.

Additional SD-WAN security considerations

In this section, we answer additional frequent SD-WAN security concerns raised by the business community:

Does SD-WAN create a single point of failure?

As a centralised platform, SD-WAN has a single failure point regarding administrator credentials. If compromised, attackers could change routing and security policies to favour an attack.

However, if appropriate access controls are implemented, this risk is minimised. For example, multi-factor authentication, strong passwords and role-based access control ensure extra protection. Alternatively, work with a managed SD-WAN provider to ensure secure deployment.

How do I ensure my SD-WAN is secure?

SD-WAN security depends on correct SD-WAN deployment. Misconfigurations or skipping key features to save costs can leave your network vulnerable. If you lack in-house IT expertise, a managed SD-WAN provider can handle installation, updates, and maintenance to keep your system secure and optimised.

Can I get cybersecurity insurance by having SD-WAN?

While SD-WAN alone won’t guarantee cybersecurity insurance, it demonstrates strong security practices such as encryption, segmentation, and compliance support. For example, SD-WAN greatly facilitated qualifying for the Cybersecurity Essentials certification, which makes you eligible for insurance.

Can SD-WAN integrate with existing cybersecurity tools?

SD-WAN seamlessly integrates with existing tools like firewalls, VPNs, and next-generation security solutions. Optimising and integrating with these technologies unifies network configuration and enhances overall security.

Does SD-WAN secure my business broadband?

Yes, SD-WAN secures all traffic passing through any broadband connection, regardless of the underlying technology or technology. Regardless of the business broadband deal used by your branch offices or even if your executives connect via Starlink‘s business satellite broadband from a campervan, SD-WAN ensures optimised routing, encryption, and at least basic firewall protection as a minimum.

SD-WAN for UK cybersecurity compliance

UK businesses face increasing cybersecurity regulations, and SD-WAN’s advanced security features can help them meet these requirements. While SD-WAN alone may not ensure full compliance, it can significantly facilitate adherence when combined with additional tools and measures.

SD-WAN vs traditional WAN security

SD-WAN represents a paradigm shift in network management and security, offering significant advancements over traditional WAN approaches. Below are key differences between the two in terms of security:

• Encryption: SD-WAN encrypts all traffic across any connection. Traditional WAN encryption is limited to MPLS connections and VPNs and is not always applied by default.
• Network segmentation: SD-WAN uses dynamic, policy-driven segmentation to isolate sensitive LANs, while traditional WAN relies on static, manual segmentation.
• Threat detection: SD-WAN can integrate premium features like NGFWs and Secure Web Gateway for real-time threat detection from the cloud. Traditional WAN can achieve similar functionality but requires separate hardware and software deployment at each site, which is costly and complex.
• Access control: SD-WAN enables centralised, granular access policies with identity-based controls (e.g., ZTNA). Traditional WAN relies on static and inflexible configurations.
• Scalability: SD-WAN easily scales across sites, remote users, and cloud services. Traditional WAN scaling is expensive and time-consuming and requires manual configuration.
• Cloud integration: SD-WAN provides direct, secure cloud access with optimised routing. Traditional WAN relies on backhauling traffic to central data centres, reducing efficiency.
• Management: SD-WAN offers centralised management with unified policies and real-time visibility. Traditional WAN management is decentralised and prone to misconfigurations.

While traditional WAN systems can be highly secure, they lack the adaptability and scalability required to meet the demands of modern cloud-based and remote work environments.

Get secure SD-WAN for your business

Protect your business with a secure SD-WAN solution that enhances network security, performance, and scalability.

Contact us today to request a consultation or quote and see how SD-WAN can transform your network.

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