Finally, the development of SD-WAN will benefit from the widespread acceptance and adoption of software-defined networking (SDN) across the enterprise. As virtualization, cloud management, and SDN continue to grow throughout the enterprise network, SD-WAN will benefit and will receive increasing attention.

Rohit Mehra, vice president of network infrastructure at IDC, said: "The traditional WAN is not designed for cloud computing, nor is it suitable for the security requirements associated with distributed cloud computing. The hybrid WAN has some next-generation connectivity challenges. SD-WAN is built on a hybrid WAN to provide a more complete solution."
SD-WAN utilizes a hybrid WAN, but includes a centralized application-based policy controller, analytics application and network visibility, and a secure software overlay for abstract underlay networks and an optional SD-WAN repeater (routing capability). Together, these technologies provide intelligent path selection across WAN links based on application policies defined on the controller. The benefits of SD-WAN include cost-effective business application delivery, meeting the changing operational needs of modern branch/remote sites, optimizing software-as-a-service (SaaS) and cloud-based services, and automating the efficiency of IT branch offices. These advantages resonate in all aspects of enterprise IT and service providers, ensuring widespread adoption in WAN architectures.
Read More; SD-WAN Market Factors