Vijay Sagar and Aaron Edwards of CloudGenix discuss the software defined WAN (SD-WAN) with the Packet Pushers. We’ve heard from CloudGenix before on Priority Queue Show 49. If you missed that show, you might want to give it a listen first to get the most out of this podcast. On this show, we go a bit deeper into CloudGenix — what it does, how it does it, and how you’d integrate it into your network.

What we discuss…
How CloudGenix defines SD-WAN vs. how others defines SD-WAN. This is important because not all of the SD-WAN solutions on the market, several of which we’re covering on Packet Pushers, are the same. They don’t work the same, nor necessarily accomplish the same goals, despite some overall similarities.
The industry problems CloudGenix has chosen to focus on. Depending on which SD-WAN solution you are evaluating, you’ll find different priorities, resulting in technical elements a vendor has emphasized. CloudGenix expresses their focus clearly.
Routing in the CloudGenix world. This is an interesting aspect of the solution, as they make a very big deal about “not routing,” which seems odd or even controversial until you grasp their point of view.
How CloudGenix deals with applications. CloudGenix talks a lot about applications — identifying them, managing them, securing them, and delivering them over a WAN. Applications are a big part of the solution, and where we spend a goodly amount of time in discussion.
The CloudGenix architecture. There are a number of elements that make up the solution, including a controller, nodes, and overlay. We talk about what the architecture looks like, so that you have a good idea of what you’re actually installing and how the elements work together.
Deploying CloudGenix. We get into the practical side of a CloudGenix deployment, talking through zero-touch provisioning, leveraging APIs for orchestration, defining and using a security perimeter, plus creating and managing security policies for users and applications.
In summary…
This is a practical show, intended to go beyond explaining the SD-WAN value proposition and addressing the more practical aspects of an SD-WAN deployment. If you’re the person managing the WAN infrastructure for your organization, you should be able to listen to this show and walk away with a solid idea of how you would integrate CloudGenix into your network, and not merely the value you’d glean from it.