What is wan in ict?

At its core, a WAN is a network of networks. The Internet itself is a giant WAN, and how you connect to it can be as diverse as through an Ethernet cable, coaxial cable, or a cellular radio signal.

Your office network, home Wi-Fi, cellphone, smartwatch, doorbell camera and vehicle-based Internet connection are just endpoints on a vast global WAN that is constantly evolving to carry more traffic, and to carry that traffic faster as the demands for near-instantaneous access to resources increase.

A Local Area Network (LAN) is confined to a relatively small area. In the business world, LANs are generally limited to a single building or a small campus. In a LAN topology, all the devices that end users need to access are connected by switches and routers. Your home Wi-Fi is also a LAN, where you can connect multiple devices, including laptops, desktops, printers and smart home devices via a central router.

When your network requires access to resources that are not available on the LAN, an external link is added to the router. So, while a LAN connects you to local resources on your network, a WAN connects multiple networks together to share resources.]

In the case of a company that has a corporate headquarters and multiple branch offices scattered around the world, the WAN connects multiple LANs, While LANs typically connect end users through Ethernet technology, WANs can employ a variety of transport methods.

LANs are typically maintained by an organization’s IT staff, but WANs are typically reliant on physical connections provided by the major telecommunication carriers. There are different ways to transport WAN data, each with benefits, drawbacks, and costs.

A private WAN is implemented with leased data lines. The service provider maintains the network (through multiple interconnects and vendors, if necessary) to create a continuous link between the network endpoints. Leased lines provide consistent symmetric upload and download speeds. Since the service provider reserves specific infrastructure for a private WAN, it is usually the most expensive option. Should there be damage at any point in the link you will likely see an interruption in service, making it necessary for you to plan for redundancy.

As employees moved to remote locations and applications moved to the cloud, organizations began shifting to a cloud-based WAN approach that takes advantage of a mesh of networks to provide highly redundant connectivity anywhere in the world.

For example, Amazon offers AWS Cloud WAN, a managed service that customers can use to build and manage a global network that connects resources running across your cloud and on-premises environments, including branch offices, data centers, and Amazon Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs).

An MPLS network is managed end-to-end by a single service provider such as Verizon or AT&T, using an already existing set of physical networks to create a virtual path through them. The Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol suite (TCP/IP) breaks the data stream into smaller chunks, or packets, that are sent independently and reassembled at the destination endpoints of the network.

Each packet contains a payload and an identifying header that includes destination and reassembly information. Every packet is verified at the destination and, if successful, an acknowledgment is returned to the sender. Should verification fail, a request is sent back to the point of origin to be re-transmitted.

Data packets on an MPLS network are labeled and routed based on that pre-defined path for fast transport speeds across the network. An MPLS cloud uses multiple physical networks and is able to change routes to take advantage of the best bandwidth or to bypass problems. Traffic can be shaped through Quality of Service (QoS) parameters, such as video and Voice over IP Telephony (VoIP), to improve performance by application. While less expensive than leased lines in a Private WAN, MPLS can be expensive compared to connecting directly to the internet.

Instead of paying a premium for a leased line or MPLS connection, organizations can also simply connect directly to the internet through an Internet Service Provider (ISP).

A straight internet connection gives you access to the vast number of network nodes that comprise the largest WAN ever built. The downside is that there is no specific authority controlling the quality and reliability of the data path through the internet.

Data packets must be inspected for destination addresses at each routing hop and are delivered on a best-effort basis. This is fine for many applications such as emails that do not have issues with latency between the sender and receiver, but could be problematic for apps that require low latency.

Also, since the internet is a distributed public network, there is a greater chance of data packets passing through the servers of bad actors looking to collect or corrupt your data. Unlike MPLS or leased lines, it is critical to use encryption on all traffic.

The internet is ubiquitous and readily available from multiple sources, making it the cheapest option available to build your WAN upon.

Vendors are also offering managed cloud WAN services, which include global connectivity, the ability to set policies for the entire global network from a single policy control point and a single management dashboard that allows organizations to monitor WAN features such as connectivity, routing, performance, access control and applications. A managed cloud WAN enables organizations to connect all on-prem sites and branch offices.

A wireless WAN deploys cellular broadband radio devices to connect with a series of radio towers, referred to as cells, which act as base stations to convert the wireless data packets that travel across private or cloud WANs. (It is also possible to connect multiple devices to perform point-to-point communication using a wireless transportation layer.)

The wireless network infrastructure is designed to support millions of connections across a nationwide footprint. As the endpoint transceiver passes beyond the range of a cell, the network automatically hands the connection off to the next, providing uninterrupted connectivity. Since the cellular network is already established, a wireless WAN can be deployed quickly and relatively inexpensively.

One of the more common uses for this type of WAN is to connect Internet of Things (IoT) devices that collect and process data. For example, the parking meter you pay is connected via a wireless WAN to collect your payment and check your authorization to stay in the space. As newer 5G technology rolls out, its higher bandwidth promises to allow mission-critical data exchanges, such as those used by self-driving cars.

It is important to understand the type of data you are working with on your WAN. You will build something different if transporting highly sensitive or low latency-dependent data.

At the WAN’s core, you will have connections from all the differing types of transports that allow traffic to route where it is most efficient and cost-effective. If you need highly secure, fast, and consistent connectivity, a private WAN should be an option.

For most of your traffic that requires reliable data delivery, such as content delivery, VoIP, or video conferencing, an MPLS connection will provide a secure, redundant, and consistent connection less expensively than with a leased Line. You will also be able to shape your network traffic by assigning QoS parameters to ensure that critical services get priority.

Finally, add Internet connectivity to direct your non-critical traffic to the lowest-cost route available. It also opens you to allowing user connectivity from anywhere through tunneling. The most common tunnel is the Virtual Private Network (VPN). VPN connections encrypt data to keep it private as it travels over public networks like the internet.

You can also establish a point-to-point VPN connection to act as a redundant link for leased lines as an inexpensive insurance policy in the event of service disruptions. The VPN is encrypted and, while slower, will provide a temporary solution in a disaster.

Sitting between the internet and your network will be a firewall that blocks any traffic that you haven’t explicitly allowed; an extra layer of protection on top of the VPN.

Wireless connectivity into your WAN will come from endpoints needing to connect over a cellular network, such as a smartphone accessing an application through a secured website or by first connecting to a VPN that allows access to resources such as database servers or storage devices.

The speed of light limits the speed of data across the WAN, as data packets travel on fiberoptic cables. The greater the distance between the endpoints, the longer it takes data to make the trip, and while a few hundred milliseconds seem like nothing to us humans, they are an eternity to modern computing infrastructures.

It is also worth noting that while things seem to be happening simultaneously on the network, data packets are actually moving sequentially along the wire. As more devices use the network, problems such as congestion and dropped packets can introduce performance problems.

WAN optimization addresses these problems with features such as deduplication (reducing redundant data transmission), compression (reducing the size of data), and caching (storing commonly used data closer to the endpoint).

A technique called traffic shaping establishes QoS parameters that prioritize network packets for time-sensitive applications such as voice and video over less time-sensitive traffic such as email, thus improving overall performance.

WAN management is both a time consuming and labor intensive effort. Software-defined WAN ( SD-WAN) helps by employing software to monitor the performance of all available WAN connections and choosing the most efficient route by traffic type.

For example, smooth video playback requires that packets be delivered in order. Putting this traffic on a busy link like the internet can slow the delivery of packets, so SD-WAN would direct these packets over the leased line or MPLS.

Email, which is not subject to poor user experience if packets arrive later, can use the public Internet. SD-WAN software accounts for each type of link and shifts the traffic to the best path based on cost and performance characteristics.

SD-WAN technology is a critical component of any networking strategy, with a $3.25 billion market in 2021 that is expected to grow 30% in 2022, according to DataVagyanik, a market intelligence firm.

A wide-area network (WAN) is the technology that connects your offices, data centers, cloud applications, and cloud storage together. It is called a wide-area network because it spans beyond a single building or large campus to include multiple locations spread across a specific geographic area, or even the world.

A wide area network (WAN) is a telecommunications network that extends over a large geographic area. Wide area networks are often established with leased telecommunication circuits.[1]

Businesses, as well as schools and government entities, use wide area networks to relay data to staff, students, clients, buyers and suppliers from various locations around the world. In essence, this mode of telecommunication allows a business to effectively carry out its daily function regardless of location. The Internet may be considered a WAN.[2] Many WANs are, however, built for one particular organization and are private. WANs can be separated from local area networks (LANs) in that the latter refers to physically proximal networks.

The textbook definition of a WAN is a computer network spanning regions, countries, or even the world.[3][4] However, in terms of the application of communication protocols and concepts, it may be best to view WANs as computer networking technologies used to transmit data over long distances, and between different networks. This distinction stems from the fact that common local area network (LAN) technologies operating at lower layers of the OSI model (such as the forms of Ethernet or Wi-Fi) are often designed for physically proximal networks, and thus cannot transmit data over tens, hundreds, or even thousands of miles or kilometres.

WANs are used to connect LANs and other types of networks together so that users and computers in one location can communicate with users and computers in other locations. Many WANs are built for one particular organization and are private. Others, built by Internet service providers, provide connections from an organization's LAN to the Internet.

WANs are often built using leased lines. At each end of the leased line, a router connects the LAN on one side with a second router within the LAN on the other. Because leased lines can be very expensive, instead of using leased lines, WANs can also be built using less costly circuit switching or packet switching methods. Network protocols including TCP/IP deliver transport and addressing functions. Protocols including Packet over SONET/SDH, Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) and Frame Relay are often used by service providers to deliver the links that are used in WANs.

Academic research into wide area networks can be broken down into three areas: mathematical models, network emulation, and network simulation.

Performance improvements are sometimes delivered via wide area file services or WAN optimization.

Of the approximately four billion addresses defined in IPv4, about 18 million addresses in three ranges are reserved for use in private networks. Packets addressed in these ranges are not routable on the public Internet; they are ignored by all public routers. Therefore, private hosts cannot directly communicate with public networks, but require network address translation at a routing gateway for this purpose.

Since two private networks, e.g., two branch offices, cannot directly communicate via the public Internet, the two networks must be bridged across the Internet via a virtual private network (VPN) or other form of IP tunnel that encapsulates packets, including their headers containing the private addresses, for transmission across the public network. Additionally, encapsulated packets may be encrypted to secure their data.

Many technologies are available for wide area network links. Examples include circuit-switched telephone lines, radio wave transmission, and optical fiber. New developments have successively increased transmission rates. In ca. 1960, a 110 bit/s line was normal on the edge of the WAN, while core links of 56 or 64 kbit/s were considered fast. Today, households are connected to the Internet with dial-up, asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL), cable, WiMAX, cellular network or fiber. The speeds that people can currently use range from 28.8 kbit/s through a 28K modem over a telephone connection to speeds as high as 100 Gbit/s using 100 Gigabit Ethernet.

The following communication and networking technologies have been used to implement WANs.

AT&T conducted trials in 2017 for business use of 400-gigabit Ethernet.[6] Researchers Robert Maher, Alex Alvarado, Domaniç Lavery, and Polina Bayvel of University College London were able to increase networking speeds to 1.125 terabits per second.[7] Christos Santis, graduate student Scott Steger, Amnon Yariv, Martin and Eileen Summerfield developed a new laser that potentially quadruples transfer speeds with fiber optics.[8]

Whereas a WAN, abbreviated from Wide Area Network, is a network that covers larger geographical areas that can span the globe.

An example of a widely used WAN is the Internet, which is a collection of tens of thousands of networks that connects tens of billions of devices.

Local Area Networks predominantly use Ethernet technology, which is a group of networking technologies that dictates how data is transmitted over the physical media, with the most common media being CAT# cabling.

Local Area Networks can use both Layer 1 and Layer 2 devices; Layer 1 devices include HUB’s and repeaters and the Layer 2 devices that can be used are switches and bridge devices. While LAN’s use Layer 1 and Layer 2 devices, WAN’s operate using Layer 3 devices such as multi-layer switches and routers.

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LAN’s are typically cheaper than WAN’s to both implement and maintain as the equipment required for Local Area Networks is less expensive, however, you can be more cost-efficient when setting up a WAN if you were to use VPN’s.

A LAN that is implemented well can bring multiple benefits to an organization such as high fault tolerance, scalability, security as well as fast and reliable speeds.

Local Area Networks have higher bandwidth than Wide Area Networks, as well as being able to transmit data at much faster speeds.

This is mainly due to the distance the data needs to travel as well as restrictions in place, such as an ISP’s speed restrictions over leased lines. That’s why many businesses use high-speed internet service providers.

Another important factor that determines how fast data can be transmitted over the network is dependent on hardware and cable quality, in addition to the data transferability of these also having an effect.

Local Area Networks are more secure than Wide Area Networks due to how WANs transmit the data and how far the data would need to travel.

A WAN is usually not owned and maintained by a single organization/entity like LANs are, therefore you have much less control over the network.

However, you are able to better secure your data over WANs using security features such as VPNs and IPsec.

LANs are typically safer networks than WANs.

This is due to how they operate, with LANs operating in a smaller area with the ability to monitor and restrict devices’ access to the network.

Furthermore, due to LANs covering a much smaller geographical location than WAN’s it also means there is less chance of someone attempting to cause harm to the network or gain unauthorized access.

An obvious advantage that WAN has over LAN is the size of the area that it is able to cover.

There are many different forms of area networks, but one of the most common networks outside of WANs is the local area network, or LAN.

Whereas WANs can exist globally, without ties to a physical location through the use of a leased network provider, LANs exist within a limited area. LANs can be used to access a greater WAN (such as the internet), but only within the area where the LAN’s infrastructure can reach.

Two common examples of LANs are ethernet and wireless networks. Wireless LANs are also known as WLANs. Other forms of telecommunication networks include the following:

If WAN connections didn’t exist, organizations would be isolated to restricted areas or specific geographic regions. LANs would allow organizations to work within their building, but growth to outside areas — either different cities or even different countries — would not be possible because the associated infrastructure would be cost prohibitive for most organizations.

As organizations grow and become international, WANs allow them to communicate between branches, share information and stay connected. When employees travel for work, WANs allow them to access the information they need to do their job. WANs also help organizations share information with customers, as well as partner organizations, such as B2B clients or customers.

However, WANs also provide an essential service to the public. Students at universities might rely on WANs to access library databases or university research. And every day, people rely on WANs to communicate, bank, shop and more.