A common misconception about software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) is that all solutions are essentially the same. Choose your vendor, the thinking goes, and you’ll save countless dollars every year thanks to the efficiencies of centralized management. The truth is a little more complicated.

Whenever people ask me about preparing their IT networks for the future, two emerging technologies immediately come to mind: software-defined WAN and 5G mobile broadband connectivity. While 5G is still emerging, many organizations are already taking advantage of the capabilities of SD-WAN. By combining these technologies in the coming years, organizations will be able to achieve exceptional levels of performance, efficiency, security and resiliency.

Here are some of the ways these technologies are set to help organizations meet the networking challenges of the future.

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