WAN edge infrastructure allows for network connectivity from various locations to access resources in private and public data centers. WAN edge infrastructure solutions help a business’ remote workers connect with local corporate networks, removing physical location as a barrier to fluid business function. These solutions, often administered by a business' network team, help enable any user within an organization that might need to access a business’ network and data. WAN edge infrastructure solutions also help deliver consistent connectivity and can help organizations ensure users have perpetual uptime for data and network access.
There can be crossover between WAN edge infrastructure and SD-WAN solutions, which virtualize wide-area networks for a software-defined approach. WAN optimization tools may also be used to increase WAN edge infrastructure performance.
To qualify for the WAN Edge Infrastructure category, a product must:
Enable network connectivity to private and public data sources
Monitor application and connectivity health
Provide high availability and load balancing