When to Choose Global Ethernet Over SD-WAN

SD-WAN over the internet has become a popular way to connect sites globally because it is flexible and cost-effective. Dedicated Global Ethernet services remain the better choice in certain situations. Many organisations use both.

Strengths of SD-WAN over internet

• Quick to deploy wherever internet is available
• Cost-effective for many small sites
• Application-aware routing across multiple links
• Centralised management

Strengths of Global Ethernet

• Consistent latency and jitter
• Reserved bandwidth for large data flows
• Private paths that never touch the public internet
• End-to-end SLAs for performance and availability

Choose Global Ethernet when

• Critical applications are latency-sensitive, such as voice-heavy operations or real-time systems.
• Large volumes of data move continuously, such as replication.
• Compliance or security policies require private paths.
• Contractual SLAs are needed for international connectivity.

Choose SD-WAN when

• You connect many smaller sites where cost matters most.
• Applications are mostly SaaS and cloud-based.
• Sites need to be deployed quickly.

Combining both

A common architecture uses Global Ethernet between major hubs and data centres, and SD-WAN over internet for branches. SD-WAN can also use Ethernet links as one of its paths.

Review periodically

As applications move to the cloud and traffic patterns change, revisit the balance between dedicated and internet-based connectivity.

The bottom line

Use Global Ethernet where predictability and privacy matter most, SD-WAN where flexibility and cost lead, and combine them for a global network that serves every site well.

Learn more about Global Ethernet from UbiFi, or talk to our team.