How does SD-WAN improve VoIP quality and reliability?

1 What is SD-WAN?

SD-WAN is a network architecture that uses software to control and manage the traffic and routing of data across multiple WAN links, such as broadband, MPLS, LTE, or satellite. SD-WAN can dynamically adjust the bandwidth allocation, path selection, and quality of service (QoS) policies for each application, based on the real-time network conditions and the business priorities. SD-WAN can also provide centralized visibility and control over the network performance and security, as well as simplify the deployment and management of WAN devices.

2 How does SD-WAN improve VoIP quality?

One of the main benefits of SD-WAN for VoIP is that it can enhance the quality of calls by reducing latency, jitter, and packet loss. Latency is the delay between the sender and receiver of voice data, while jitter is the variation in the delay of voice packets. Packet loss, on the other hand, is the loss of some voice packets due to congestion, errors, or interference. SD-WAN can improve VoIP quality by using intelligent path selection to choose the best WAN link for each VoIP call based on metrics such as latency, jitter, and packet loss. Additionally, dynamic bandwidth allocation can prioritize VoIP traffic over other traffic and ensure sufficient bandwidth for each call. Furthermore, QoS policies can mark and classify VoIP traffic according to its importance and sensitivity. Lastly, forward error correction (FEC) and WAN optimization techniques can recover lost or corrupted voice packets and reduce bandwidth consumption respectively.

3 How does SD-WAN improve VoIP reliability?

SD-WAN can increase the reliability of VoIP calls by enhancing the availability and resilience of the network. Availability is the ability of the network to provide continuous and uninterrupted service, while resilience is the ability to recover quickly from failures or disruptions. SD-WAN can improve VoIP reliability by using multiple WAN links to create a diverse and redundant network, as well as using automatic failover and load balancing to switch VoIP calls without dropping or affecting call quality. Additionally, security features protect VoIP calls from cyberattacks, while cloud-based orchestration and management monitor and troubleshoot the network status and performance.

5 How to choose the best SD-WAN solution for VoIP?

To maximize the benefits of SD-WAN for VoIP and overcome potential challenges, you need to find the best SD-WAN solution for your organization's needs and goals. As no single SD-WAN solution is suitable for all organizations, you should consider a number of factors including network performance and quality metrics, security features and capabilities, scalability and flexibility, visibility and control, compatibility and interoperability, as well as cost and value. These factors are essential for VoIP calls, such as latency, jitter, packet loss, bandwidth, availability, resilience, encryption, authentication, authorization, firewall, VPN, IDS/IPS, anti-virus and more. Additionally, they should be compatible with your existing network infrastructure, VoIP systems, cloud providers and other applications. They should also be affordable and worthwhile for your organization's budget.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?