Using SD-WAN to migrate to the cloud isn't just about saving money.

It's better than that.

As businesses continue to migrate their critical communication and collaboration tools to the cloud, they’re also migrating away from MPLS as the go-to network solution for connecting remote sites.

There’s a dramatic shift taking place, and SD WAN/SDN is being hailed as the best new solution. However, it’s often being hailed for the wrong reason.

The low-hanging fruit in a sales conversation about SD-WAN concentrates on saving money, but although savings are often discovered, it’s not always the case. Additionally, this singular focus loses track of some of the most powerful benefits that can be derived from a SD-WAN conversion.

Your business shouldn’t be convinced to switch to SD-WAN because of a distracting promise about saving money.

What you deserve is the insider’s understanding of the game-changing nature of SD-WAN solutions, and the key to understanding SD-WAN’s true value is in the giant leaps you can make in productivity and functionality.

We came to this understanding of SD-WAN because of our company’s background. Serviam Telecom and IT Vendor Management was founded by Fortune 500 Telecom executives who had a diverse set of backgrounds in pricing, contracts, and sales engineering. These different perspectives led us to an approach that looks at a company’s entire telecom infrastructure when guiding our clients in decisions.

We understand that a company needs to know more than what the bill will be. They need to know that the tech they’re investing in with a vendor will support them long-term and will be there when they need it.

That vendor management perspective helped us to focus on the three most vital benefits of SD-WAN. Collectively, the value of these features overshadow the potential for savings on the cost of services.

1. Increased Bandwidth

As more business applications move to the cloud, the need for bandwidth is only going to grow.

SD-WAN leverages newer broadband technologies to break your dependence on individual vendors.

Instead, your business can source bandwidth from a variety of providers whether it be:

• Cable

• DSL

• Fiber

• Or even Satellite and Cellular.

This keeps you from getting stuck within the limitations of an individual provider.

This is a huge advantage if your SD-WAN is properly deployed, and here’s what to look out for. Applications like voice, data, email, and video have different needs to reach peak performance. Unfortunately, companies often deploy their SD-WAN technology in a way that fails to optimize redundant connections.

With today’s demands, you can no longer afford for redundant channels to remain idle. This causes them to waste the increased bandwidth they have procured.

When used effectively, your SD-WAN solution leverages your providers to maintain peak performance for all of your apps. It does this by routing applications through the connection that's performing best at any given moment.

SD-WAN provides the sophisticated and strategic management capabilities your network deserves.

2. Greater Resiliency

The ability to source multiple providers also provides the benefit of greater resiliency for your network. You simply have more backup options when one fails.

However, this resiliency applies to individual apps as well. Your administrator can create application layers for any given provider. You can prioritize apps like video conferencing, email, or voice according to their ideal internet connection and still provide backup options for all of your critical communication tools.

For MPLS veterans, SD-WAN offers a near-irresistible level of resiliency. With SD-WAN, gone are the days of a hard down for your network.

If the SD-WAN controller fails, you do lose the ability to prioritize your data traffic, but your connection to the internet through your providers remains. You temporarily lose optimization but retain the critical connectivity that keeps you moving forward.

3. Unparalleled Management and Troubleshooting Capabilities

SD-WAN solutions offer a level of visibility into network performance that has huge benefits for smaller IT shops, allowing them more ability than ever before to pinpoint and diagnose problems and self-manage their networks.

Our partner, CloudGenix, offers a great solution with this capability, and it works for larger companies as well. Their SD-WAN solution has achieved an unparalleled level of granularity and manageability and can see through the most complex of systems to identify issues in any application and resolve conflicts within the network.

To make things even better, CloudGenix also offers a fully managed option so that clients can have one simple number to call for resolving problems.

For those who remember a different world of network management, one call to resolve a problem or outage - whether it’s due to your customer premise equipment (CPE) or your carrier - sounds like a fairy tale told by an overzealous sales rep. However, it’s true.

After the call, CloudGenix does all the leg work of tracking down the problem and managing the resolution with the appropriate vendor.

The secret to this is the greater visibility the CloudGenix Controller provides into the OSI stack for troubleshooting and optimization. With this technology, IT managers no longer have to SEARCH for the problem. The controller FINDS it at a granular level of detail, points it out, and offers proof so that when it comes time to talk with the vendor to resolve the problem, there’s no painful back and forth or finger pointing to be had.

There Are Some Things Money Just Can’t Buy

SD-WAN has ended the days of having to throw money at a network issue to fix it. The answer isn’t buying more bandwidth or circuits from a single provider who has far too much control over your business.

The answer is in installing a smarter, better designed, more agile system that shifts the balance of power from the vendors back to your business.

Your business can make the transition to SD-WAN.

There are a wide range of other factors to consider when evaluating a move to SD-WAN, such as:

• The availability of broadband to your facilities.

• Security and who will handle it.

• The costs of transitions and existing contractual obligations.

However, with expertise bridging engineering, finance, contracts, and sales, Serviam is uniquely positioned to guide your organization through the transition to SD-WAN. We’ll ensure you get both the network AND the ROI you need.

Serviam’s process is simple.

1. We listen and assess your unique network situation.

2. We guide you through a custom roadmap to a better technological and contractual solution.

3. We manage your transition so you have the best possible experience.

4. We stay with you to make sure your vendors continue to support your ever-changing business requirements.

Our Telecom and IT Vendor Management service goes far beyond managing costs or negotiating contracts. We guide you through a holistic, future-forward telecom strategy for your company and provide you with a long-term partner who manages your vendor relationships so you can focus on the road ahead.

Schedule a consultation at serviamco.com to start forming a roadmap for your business to be able to access the benefits of SD-WAN.

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If you’d like to see a case study of this tech in action…

Check out this story of how CloudGenix and Serviam partnered together to make sure Diamond Crystal Brands made a successful transition to SD-WAN.

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The telecom industry expects you to find your own way

through a complex landscape of vendors, options, and risks.

We guide you through those risks

to the right voice, data, and internet solutions

for your business.

Then, we serve as your partner,

managing those solutions

 So you can focus on the trail ahead.