Companies looking to improve application performance and reliability with SD-WAN must evaluate multiple vendors. Features, pricing, and contracts vary between providers.
Choose a vendor with a middle-mile network, direct cloud connectivity, and peering relationships into the public internet to optimize routed traffic. It will ensure faster delivery of applications and data to your customers.
Experience
When considering managed SD-WAN providers, look for one with a lot of experience working with large enterprise networks. These companies can provide expert guidance on network security and performance, ensuring your business benefits from this new technology as quickly and effectively as possible.
In addition, the top managed SD-WAN providers will have deep application visibility and Layer 7 intelligence for network policy creation and traffic engineering. It will help you ensure your applications get the best performance possible.
You should also check out a provider’s peering to see how well-peered they are. It can impact your Internet speeds and quality. You should ensure that the managed SD-WAN provider has a good track record of customer service and support. It is essential to give you peace of mind that the provider will be there when you need them.
Flexibility
With the right SD-WAN solution, IT teams can enjoy lower costs, more robust performance, and more security. However, selecting the right managed SD-WAN provider can take time and effort with so many choices on the market. Corporate network teams must consider factors like deployment model, scalability, and service package before deciding.
Network planners should also look for extensibility in an SD-WAN solution. It is essential to meet future needs. For example, ensuring that the SD-WAN platform can work with existing network infrastructure and integrate with new technologies such as next-generation firewalls is crucial.
It’s essential to understand what management features are included in the managed SD-WAN provider. Some providers manage VPNs, while others don’t. This can help IT teams make a decision that fits within their budget.
Security
Security should be a top concern as the WAN is increasingly vital to business productivity and revenue. However, you can be sure that data is safe and protected.
Look for an MSP with a deep domain of expertise and a solid track record in the industry. You also want an MSP that understands your unique network, including existing infrastructure and application requirements.
A robust SD-WAN solution should be able to protect your data through intelligent routing, directing traffic away from public networks where it might encounter congestion and other issues. The best-managed SD-WAN providers also provide advanced security features like complete, incremental updates to threat packages daily, and real-time threat detection updates hourly, and more. Additionally, you should consider an MSP’s QA process, as software bugs sometimes slip through the cracks.
Performance
With business connectivity and remote work capability becoming increasingly important, you need to ensure your network has ironclad security and optimal performance. With traditional networking options only sometimes meeting these requirements, Managed SD-WAN offers a solution to ensure maximum network connectivity and productivity with minimum risk and cost.
When evaluating managed SD-WAN providers, look beyond just their feature set to assess how they perform. A quality provider will assess your network to identify weak points and bottlenecks and recommend a plan to fix them. It could include adding bandwidth with a new MLPS line, dedicated internet circuit, or other options.
It’s also worth asking if the provider runs their middle mile network (data center points of presence, cloud connectivity links, and peering relationships into the public internet), which can provide faster, more direct traffic links for your networks and reduced latency.
Scalability
The best-managed SD-WAN providers offer scalability that enables network administrators to easily add new sites, branches, or remote users without worrying about capacity issues. It also helps reduce costs by eliminating the need to purchase and maintain hardware like routers and switches.
The ideal solution should support on-premise and cloud-delivered deployments to cater to the most varied network environments. It should also allow transport independence, allowing data to be routed through the most appropriate path for each application. Additionally, it should enable zero-touch deployments to eliminate manual configuration and provide more efficient IT management.
A good provider should also have a robust QA process, given that SD-WAN relies heavily on software. It should have a solid track record, customer testimonials, and certifications to prove its expertise. It should also support a flexible migration plan that allows customers to start small and gradually scale up to their complete network requirements.
Pricing
In addition to offering connectivity, many SD-WAN providers also provide monitoring, analytics, and technical consulting. This service often comes at an additional cost, but it may be necessary for businesses that need more staff and expertise to maintain a complex network system in-house. For example, a financial services firm that adheres to strict security and performance criteria may opt for Lumen SD-WAN’s co-managed option. The package provides a dashboard that allows users to monitor live traffic and offers a range of analytical tools that work on historical data.
The managed SD-WAN provider can ensure your business gets maximum network connectivity, ironclad security, and remote capability without breaking the bank. The tidbits above will help you make an informed choice. If you’d like to learn more about how SD-WAN can boost productivity and reduce risk for your organization, contact us today to request a free consultation.
