A WAN is not only the physical line. It is also made up of networking hardware, software, and other technologies. An example of a networking technology is MPLS which helped make WANs faster and less expensive. MPLS uses short router adresses in a VPN, designed to get from one network site to another, thereby lessening the call on router databases. A SD-WAN (Software Defined WAN) is a culmination of technologies that replace expensive routers and make the network development and expansion much faster and cheaper.

A Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) uses software to make a Wide Area Network more manageable and able to communicate with different input devices and connections. It's more of a communication technology than a physical architecture. A WAN manager used to have to run the network from an dedicated office. Software Defined WAN managers can run the network from any device connected to the network from any location on the network. SD-WAN also allows communications in rural areas that may be connected to the WAN via satellite or cellular service.

SD-WAN replaces expensive WAN routers in the parts of the network that do not require the full capablities of the router. SD-WAN can be software only, or a combination of hardware and software. Versitility is found in SD-WAN's ability to give it's customers exactly what they require and no more. As the customer's needs change at any site in the network, SD-WAN can adapt.

Businesses that have offices, cloud or colocation servers, or LANs in more than one metropolitan area should consider looking into WAN or SD-WAN Providers for their data netwoking needs.