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Emerging Trends in SD-WAN Technology

Enterprises are embracing software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) technology, which is an ideal solution for organizations with multiple branch locations. There are several benefits that come with SD-WAN, including the ability to prioritize internet traffic, centralize network management, and reduce costs.

Here are two of the trends taking shape with SD-WAN:

  1. SD-WAN is being embraced across a variety of industries. From banking to healthcare, manufacturing to retail, enterprises are implementing SD-WAN for their remote locations.
  2. Flux and consolidation in the market. As SD-WAN adoption increases, there’s disruption in the market with some start-ups and bigger companies vying for business. Frequent consolidations along with vendors hurrying to add SD-WAN offerings mean that organizations implementing the technology need to look for a reliable provider. Careful consideration should help organizations distinguish resellers from providers and evaluate providers’ experience with similar infrastructures.

Enterprises considering a move to SD-WAN often encounter one of a few common concerns:

Existing legacy hardware is still depreciating: If you have a situation in which you’re locked in with legacy hardware that’s on a depreciation schedule, don’t dismiss the possibility of SD-WAN. The technology can be integrated to work in tandem with existing routers, which can then be eliminated once depreciation is complete. You’ll also gain in the area of cost savings, because you’ll be able to gradually move from a Capex to an Opex financial model.

SD-WAN providers understand the dynamic affecting enterprises wanting to update their network technology, so there are a lot of options along a continuum between full legacy network setups and full SD-WAN transitions.

A reluctance to leave bundling behind. If you’re receiving the benefits of bundling from a major telecom services provider, you may be surprised to find that this bundling could be limiting your ability to reduce costs. It’s important to talk with an SD-WAN provider to see how your current savings compare to an SD-WAN solution because the added flexibility may allow for more freedom in cost savings.

Legacy applications that are on-premises: The effectiveness of applications, whether cloud-based or in-house, is of paramount importance to a successful transition. There should be significant emphasis placed on understanding the network needs of applications at a deep level so that there’s no interruption in business processes.

An SD-WAN provider should have a powerful application identification engine that looks critically at transactions so that there is no time lag in deploying applications to remote sites.

SD-WAN networks can be the solution you need to connect remote locations as if they were all in the same room. At ACR Solutions, we align you with the best suppliers to help you build the multi-location network you need to keep your business running. Contact us for more information about SD-WAN.