In SD-WAN, what is application proxying?

• A. Routing traffic directly to the internet without optimization.
• B. Routing traffic through a local or centralized proxy/gateway to optimize performance, apply security controls, or enable direct cloud access when appropriate.
• C. Disabling proxies and using only direct host routes.
• D. Installing proxies only for guest networks.

Answer: (B)

Application proxying in SD-WAN means steering application traffic through a local or centralized proxy or gateway so it can be optimized, inspected, and governed before it reaches its destination. The proxying point can perform WAN optimization (acceleration and caching), apply security controls (firewalls, threat protection, TLS inspection, access policies), and still allow direct, efficient access to cloud applications when policy says it’s appropriate. This centralized handling enables consistent security and performance for different apps, including SaaS and cloud services, while giving the network the flexibility to choose the best path or proxy based on the application and policy.

This is why routing traffic through a proxy/gateway to optimize performance, enforce security controls, or enable direct cloud access when suitable is the correct concept. Routing directly to the internet without optimization bypasses these benefits, disabling proxies removes the control point, and proxies only for guest networks don’t capture the broader, policy-driven approach used in SD-WAN.