SD WAN and 5G
Network Slicing:
Security
Advantages
and Benefits

IT teams face constant challenges when it comes to protecting increasingly complex networks from security breaches.

According to IBM, the average cost of a network security breach in 2020 was $3.86 million. What's more, the Verizon 2021 Data Breach Investigations Report found that 80% of breaches in 2020 involved personal data—opening organizations up to lawsuits, regulation violations and severe reputational damage.

When you consider that security breaches have increased by 11% since 2018 and 67% since 2014, according to Accenture, there's plenty of reason for concern.

One way to build extra security into our networks is through SD WAN and 5G network slicing. SD WAN stands for software-defined wide area network. As our data exists increasingly in the cloud and networks are more virtual, this technology is essential to keeping your networks protected.

In this article, we'll cover how it works and what you need to take action.

Put simply, 5G network slicing is a way of creating multiple logical networks on a shared physical network. It involves separating a network into "slices"—each is its own isolated end-to-end network instance supporting its own specific use cases.

Each slice can be adjusted according to its requirements, like adding more bandwidth, for example, which can even take place in near-real time. Traffic from one slice doesn't interfere with any other slice—a crucial factor when it comes to security.

There are numerous benefits to 5G network slicing. Done right, it can reduce cost, improve performance, and protect sensitive data.

5G slicing separates network resources, allowing you to segment your network according to various criteria.

This separation of resources has important security implications. For instance, in the case of a cyber attack on a specific network slice, it could be possible to isolate and limit the attack to that given slice, thereby leaving other slices unaffected.

Another advantage of slicing is the ability to tailor each slice based on its individual requirements. For example, one slice might have higher security needs than other slices—perhaps the data it contains is simply more sensitive.

In this case, you can take an individual data stream and parse it into a specific, unique slice. Each slice has its own unique security requirements, which means more sensitive and mission-critical slices can be prioritized and routed most efficiently and safely. Typically, an SD WAN network is involved.

SD WAN allows us to route traffic into 5G slices according to their specific requirements. In other words, SD WAN and 5G networks can steer traffic in the correct direction according to factors like business priority, risk, and changing network conditions.

During a cyber attack, for example, your SD WAN can direct traffic to a more secure slice and away from compromised ones. SD WAN is such a powerful tool because it can provide a secure encrypted overlay that is independent of transport, providing end-to-end security.

What do you need to implement SD WAN and 5G slicing in your organization and start accessing the many security benefits? There are a few important components you'll need to help improve SD WAN security.

Network function virtualization (NFV) is a necessary prerequisite for 5G slicing. This works by installing network function software onto the virtual machines on a virtualized commercial server instead of onto individual network devices.

The advantage here is that it uses software-defined networking instead of traditional hardware-based networks, allowing for lower operating costs and more granular and precise SD WAN security.