What is Wide Area Network (WAN) & what are the types?

What Does Wan Stand For - Wide Area Network

It is a term used in the network to connect a router/modem to another modem. It is different from the local area network (LAN) used to connect to all clients or users connected to a single router. LAN is not used to connect to another modem.

WAN (Wide Area Network) 

What Does Wan Stand For?: an extensive area network (WAN) is a geographically distributed private telecommunications network that interconnects multiple local area networks (LANs). A LAN is a group of computers and interconnected systems, generally at a relatively short geographical distance. In a business or company, the WAN can include branches, placement facilities, cloud services, and other facilities. Typically, a router or other multifunction device for connecting a LAN to a WAN is used. WANs allow business users to share access to applications, services and other resources at the center. This eliminates the need to install the same application server, firewall or other functions in multiple locations, for example.

WANs are not limited to the same geographic location as LAN. A LAN can be configured in multiple geographic areas and is connected to a WAN, which means that the WAN is not limited to a specific location.

A virtual private network (VPN) facilitates connectivity and security between WAN sites. Different VPNs can be used for different use cases. An IPsec VPN is most often used for continuous open site-to-site connections, such as those between branch offices and central offices. An SSL VPN is often the preferred option for allowing remote access to individual users because the data transmitted by users on the WAN is encrypted. Deep fiber links are also used to connect sites over a WAN and often offer higher performance, reliability, and security than VPNs. Still, their acquisition and operation are prohibitive for most organizations.

Types of WAN connections and how WAN connections work 

WAN connections can include wired and wireless technologies. WAN wired services can consist of exchanges of multi-protocol labels, T1, operator Ethernet, and commercial broadband Internet links. Wireless WAN technologies can include cellular data networks, such as 4G LTE, as well as public or satellite Wi-Fi networks.

WANs on wired network connections remain the preferred way for most businesses, but 4G LTE wireless WAN technologies are gaining ground.

The WAN infrastructure may be owned or leased as a service by an external service provider, such as a telecommunications operator, an Internet service provider, a private IP network operator, or a cable company. The service itself can operate over a dedicated private connection, usually supported by a service level agreement, or over shared public media such as the Internet. Hybrid WAN networks use a combination of public and private network services.

Software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) is designed to facilitate the deployment, operation, and management of hybrid WAN architectures. Through a combination of virtualization, application-level policies, and network overlays, SD-WAN devices, software platforms, or customer premises installations (CPEs) serve two purposes:

They add several public and private WAN links.

They automatically select the most optimal route for traffic based on real-time conditions.

Historically, this last feature has forced network administrators to manually reconfigure their networks each time they want to configure traffic direction on multiple routes.

WAN optimization –

Latency and bandwidth constraints are often the cause of the activity. WAN optimization devices use a variety of techniques to combat them, including deduplication, compression, protocol optimization, traffic modeling, and local caching. SD-WAN CPE platforms or platforms provide a higher level of performance when using lower-cost bandwidth connections, typically in the form of commercial Internet services, as well as traffic modeling. . and quality of service tools - to increase reliability.

WAN security –

Security if the WAN is extended to all locations where the end users will use their devices, including users who work with home devices. End-users using the WAN must also use firewalls and antivirus software to prevent unauthorized access or compromise the device.

Using a VPN creates WAN connectivity, but also has the added benefit of encrypting data. Users must connect to a WAN via a VPN, including network devices connected to a WAN from a remote site. Also, the SD-WAN has an essential exchange function used to authenticate devices at different endpoints.