SD-WAN

Correct Answer: Centralized management

The best answer is 'Centralized management'. This feature of SD-WAN helps to simplify the process of configuring and managing a large number of remote branches by centralizing the control of the entire network. It allows for unified configuration and management of all sites through one console, which significantly reduces the complexity involved. This is the primary reason SD-WAN would be used by a network administrator in this scenario. The other answers are incorrect because they do not contribute to reducing the complexity of managing multiple branches. 'Stateful firewall' provides advanced network security but does not simplify management process. 'Dynamic path selection' improves network performance by choosing the best path for traffic flow but is not related to management simplicity. 'Virtual private networks' enhances secure communication between the branches and the main network but does not reduce the complexity of the management itself.

Correct Answer: Data encryption

For an organization concerned about the security of network traffic in an SD-WAN deployment, 'Data encryption' is the best feature to address this concern. Data encryption helps ensure the privacy and integrity of the network traffic by converting it into a code that can only be understood by designated parties. This is why this feature is directly related to enhancing security. 'Application-aware routing', 'Centralized management', and 'Dynamic path selection', while useful features in an SD-WAN deployment, do not primarily address network security. Application-aware routing improves network performance through intelligent path selection based on application requirements. Centralized management simplifies network operations. Dynamic path selection can help with network performance and reliability but not specifically with security.

Correct Answer: Dynamic path selection

The correct answer is 'Dynamic path selection'. An SD-WAN has the ability to dynamically determine the optimal path for network traffic based on real-time network conditions. It takes factors such as latency, jitter, and loss into account, allowing the network to automatically reroute traffic, if necessary, to ensure optimal performance. This feature makes it uniquely suitable for addressing the issue of increased latency after deploying SD-WAN. The other options are not as relevant. 'Application-aware routing' could potentially help with the issue, but it is more about prioritizing traffic based on the type of application, not based on network conditions. 'Zero-touch provisioning' is a feature that allows devices to be configured automatically, and it doesn't directly address latency problems. 'Stateful firewall' provides network security, but it does not directly contribute to path selection for reducing latency.