A county library system wants branch sites to share a centrally managed WAN policy for encrypted paths and traffic steering without building a full MPLS mesh. Which technology best matches that goal?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
Think of SD-WAN like a smart traffic controller for the library branches—HQ sets the rules once, and each site’s links follow them. You get policy-driven paths and security posture without reinventing a private MPLS spiderweb. Plain consumer routers alone leave you without that central security steering.
Full Explanation
Software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) provides centrally managed WAN connectivity and can enforce encryption, path selection, and security policy across branch locations such as libraries. It is preferred when distributed sites need consistent, policy-driven WAN behavior without a traditional full-mesh MPLS design. Unmanaged consumer routers and Wi-Fi mesh extensions do not deliver enterprise SD-WAN policy control. Dial-up fallback without encryption fails the secure connectivity requirement.