If you have your own firewall already or currently have a managed firewall with another service provider, you may want to know if your firewall can be integrated with SD-WAN.
Do you have your own firewall managed by you, your IT team, or another service provider? Are you looking to purchase SD-WAN but want to know if it can co-exist with your existing firewall?
Maybe you’re in the market for an SD-WAN solution but you have a contract with a provider that already manages your firewall. Can you still integrate SD-WAN with your existing firewall?
Here at Coeo, we have provided thousands of SD-WAN solutions to customers.
We understand there are lots of questions to be asked when shopping for a provider or service and we are here to educate you on everything telecommunications related.
By the end of this article, you will know a little bit about what SD-WAN is, if SD-WAN can integrate with your existing firewall, as well as the pros and cons of using your existing firewall with your SD-WAN.
What is SD-WAN?
SD-WAN or Software Defined Wide-Area-Network, is an overlay network that is built on top of underlying network connections whether it be over fiber, LTE, or broadband.
SD-WAN allows you to have your own network and connect your multiple locations. With multiple locations in different areas, you can connect them so you can communicate with employees in different locations.
SD-WAN is applied as a software network of SD-WAN appliances, connected by encrypted tunnels. Because these tunnels are encrypted, it ensures that data being sent across these tunnels is always secure.
Can SD-WAN integrate with my firewall?
If you have a firewall already managed by you, your team, or another provider, you can integrate it with an SD-WAN solution.
However, Coeo’s Versa SD-WAN can be delivered as a package, or it can be broken apart if some features are not needed.
Most standard SD-WAN solutions come with standard overlay network connectivity. Some other solutions like the solution offered by Coeo’s Versa SD-WAN can include security as well:
SD-WAN connectivity
The main service that SD-WAN offers is overlay network connectivity. Overlay network connectivity connects multiple locations using logical connections that utilize tunnels over underlying physical connectivity.
SD-WAN establishes encrypted tunnels that data uses to be delivered from one point to another. This allows for the safe transfer of data from one location to another.
Security
Another main feature that comes packaged with SD-WAN is the managed firewall piece. A managed firewall is when an organization outsources a firewall to a managed service provider.
The managed service provider will maintain and manage the firewall for you whether it be updating your firewall regularly or working on it for maintenance so it can stay as effective as possible.
While these are the two main features of an SD-WAN solution, they can be broken down into different pieces if needed. An organization can purchase separate services if they need only one or two out of the package.
With this benefit, you are able to integrate only the SD-WAN or the outsourced circuits if need be.
If you already have a firewall that is managed by you or someone else, you can request to keep your existing firewall and not integrate the managed firewall that is offered with the SD-WAN solution.
Pros and cons of using SD-WAN with your existing firewall
There are a few pros and cons to using SD-WAN with your existing firewall. In some cases, an organization may have no choice but to use the existing firewall if they are in a contract with another provider.
Still, there are some pros and cons when it comes to using your own firewall.
Pros of using SD-WAN with your existing firewall
Customizability
If you choose to use your existing firewall, the biggest benefit is that you are able to. SD-WAN is flexible to the point where you can purchase what you want and not have to purchase the whole solution.
Cons of using SD-WAN with your existing firewall
Pricing
Unless you are managing your firewall by yourself, chances are you are paying for someone to manage it for you.
Whether it be your IT team or another managed service provider, you are still paying them to manage it for you.
Not only would you be paying someone to manage your firewall, but you would also be paying another service provider for SD-WAN.
In most cases, this is more expensive than if you were to pay one service provider for a packaged deal that would include the management of SD-WAN and your firewall together under one cost.
Inconvenience
If you have two different managed service providers, it can be tough to communicate when you need something or if something goes wrong.
If you need something whether it be a simple question or if something goes wrong, it may be hard to communicate that to your service providers.
If you aren’t sure which provider to go to for help then it could be more time-consuming to figure out.
If you would like to learn more about SD-WAN you can read our SD-WAN Buyer's Guide:
Next steps to figuring out if SD-WAN is a good fit for you
Now you know that you can integrate SD-WAN with your existing firewall. This will help you if you have a managed firewall already or if you or your IT team want to continue managing your firewall.
If you have your firewall already managed, you won’t have to worry about if you can still invest in SD-WAN or not. Since SD-WAN is flexible, you will still be able to purchase SD-WAN even if you want to keep your existing firewall.
Coeo has provided thousands of SD-WAN solutions to customers and wants to make sure you have all the information you need on the solution to be able to make the best buying decision for your company.
If you would like to speak with our team to learn more about SD-WAN or ask any questions you may have you can schedule an appointment. 
Now that you know if SD-WAN can integrate with your existing firewall, read this article to learn how SD-WAN improves network security:
