IT teams embrace time saved through software-defined orchestration for hub-and-spoke networks
Hub-and-spoke network architectures have served enterprises well for many years. However, with the edge of the network expanding rapidly — and now including everything from employee’s mobile devices to widespread IoT and cloud applications — IT professionals everywhere are aware that automation and ease of use simply have to increase.
Setting up secure private networks is one of those tasks that must be made easier for the hub-and-spoke model to continue to thrive. Traditionally, VPNs have been manually configured as part of a complex and lengthy process. Even remote setup of VPNs through a cloud management tool has been more difficult than it needs to be, with many configuration windows required.
Auto VPN is a technology that transitions the manual, labor-intensive steps of setting up VPN tunnels into a simple, software-defined, and cloud-orchestrated process that takes just a few clicks. Software-Defined WAN (SD-WAN) techniques such as Auto VPN are like an “easy button” for branch networking, allowing IT teams to orchestrate end-to-end hub-and-spoke networks from the cloud.
Here’s how enterprises use Auto VPN by Cradlepoint, a feature within NetCloud Manager, to create VPN tunnels much easier and faster than with manual methods:
How to Use Auto VPN to Create VPN Tunnels
- Click the “Networks” tab in NetCloud Manager.
- Click the “Add” button to begin creating a new Auto VPN network.
- Name the network.
- Select an “Encryption Profile.” The available Encryption Profiles are “HIPAA,” “PCI,” “Suite B 128,” and “Suite B 256.”
- Select a “Tunnel Mode." The options are “Split Tunnel” or “Full Tunnel.”
- Click “Hub.”
- Select a hub router and available WAN interface.
- If using a split tunnel configuration, make sure any subnets you need accessible appear in the list titled “Available Subnets via Hub.”
- Click “Spokes.”
- Select all routers you want to serve as spokes within your VPN network.
- Click “Build.”
For a longer, more detailed version of this process, view the following Cradlepoint Knowledge Base article.
Explore More Cloud Management Tools
To learn more about cloud management features that make remote networking easier than ever, visit the NetCloud Manager webpage.