What aspect does Jitter evaluate in the context of SD-WAN?

Jitter is a critical performance metric used to assess the variability in packet arrival times during data transmission across a network. In the context of SD-WAN (Software-Defined Wide Area Network), it specifically evaluates the consistency of delay in packet arrival. This means that when packets are sent from one point to another, jitter measures the fluctuations in the delay time between packets reaching their destination.

A lower jitter value indicates a more stable connection where packets are received in a consistent manner, which is essential for real-time applications such as VoIP or video conferencing. High jitter can lead to poor performance and user experience, as it may result in out-of-order packet delivery and interruptions in live media streams.

Understanding jitter is therefore vital for network management and optimization; it helps organizations to ensure that their SD-WAN deployments can provide the required quality of service for sensitive applications.