An IT manager needs to connect ten sites in a mesh network. Each needs to be secured with reduced provisioning time. Which of the following technologies will best meet this requirement?

Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) is the best technology to meet these requirements. SD-WAN architecture utilizes a centralized controller to manage and orchestrate network connectivity and security policies across multiple sites. This centralized control plane automates the creation of a secure, full-mesh topology using encrypted tunnels (typically IPsec), which drastically reduces the provisioning time and complexity compared to manually configuring dozens of individual site-to-site VPNs. The ability to push policies from a single point of management directly addresses the need for rapid, secure, and scalable multi-site connectivity.

B. VXLAN: VXLAN is a network overlay technology primarily designed for extending Layer 2 segments over a Layer 3 network within data centers, not for building secure, managed WANs.
C. VPN: While a traditional VPN can create a secure mesh, manually configuring and managing the required 45 site-to-site tunnels for ten sites is extremely time-consuming and complex, failing the "reduced provisioning time" requirement.
D. NFV: Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) is an architectural framework for virtualizing network services (like firewalls or routers), not a specific WAN connectivity solution itself. It can be used to deploy SD-WAN components, but it is not the connecting technology. ---

1. Goransson

P.

Black

C.

& Culver

T. (2016). Software-Defined Networks: A Comprehensive Approach (2nd ed.). Morgan Kaufmann.

Page 334

Section 10.3.1

"SD-WAN Architecture": The text explains that the SD-WAN controller "provides a centralized method for configuring and managing the SD-WAN routers... This centralized control and management greatly simplifies the deployment and ongoing operation of the WAN." This supports the "reduced provisioning time" aspect.

2. Cisco. (2021). Cisco SD-WAN Design Guide.

Chapter 1

"Introduction to SD-WAN

" Section "Why SD-WAN?": The guide states

"Cisco SD-WAN provides transport-independent secure fabric with end-to-end encryption over all transports... The solution provides automated provisioning from a centralized controller." This directly confirms SD-WAN's ability to provide both security and automated provisioning for multi-site networks.

3. Nunes

B. A. A.

Mendonca

M.

Nguyen

X. N.

Obraczka

K.

& Turletti

T. (2014). A Survey of Software-Defined Networking: Past

Present

and Future of Programmable Networks. IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials

16(1)

298–336. https://doi.org/10.1109/SURV.2013.013013.00025

Section V-A

"Network Virtualization": This survey discusses how SDN principles

which are foundational to SD-WAN

enable the creation of virtual network overlays. While discussing overlays like VXLAN

the broader context of SDN's centralized control highlights how it simplifies the management of complex topologies compared to traditional

distributed control plane protocols

which is the core issue with manual VPN mesh configuration.