BEYOND THE BUZZWORDSD-WAN

A Softchoice guide to separating the buzz from the business value

What’s all the buzz about? ..................................................................................................

What is SD-WAN, really? .....................................................................................................

Buzzkill: Why IT resists SD-WAN? ........................................................................................

Why SD-WAN? ......................................................................................................................

Who should consider SD-WAN? ..........................................................................................

Self-Assessment Worksheet ...............................................................................................

When is the best time to adopt SD-WAN? .........................................................................

How do you start your SD-WAN journey? ..........................................................................

Partnering with Softchoice .................................................................................................

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What’s all the buzz about?There’s no doubt enterprise leaders are keen to bring software-defined networking to the wide area network, or SD-WAN. Just look at the numbers1:• 2 in 3 organizations will deploy software-defined SD WAN by 2020• The SD WAN market will hit $4.5 billion in 2022, growing at a

40.4% CAGR• In 2017 alone, SD-WAN infrastructure revenues increased 83.3%

So, why is SD-WAN so popular?

Where yesterday, the primary goal was getting connected, today the connectivity issue has largely been addressed. Because businesses run on their applications, IT must provide a seamless end user experience with an agile platform for innovation that supports and enhances security.

As organizations shift operations and applications to the cloud, traditional network options can’t keep up, slowing productivity, increasing costs and leaving security risks unchecked. SD-WAN fixes all that, leveraging the automation, speed and security advantages that “Infrastructure-as-Code” provides.

Yet, regardless of these bold promises, questions still remain. What is SD-WAN, really? Why should you consider it? Who is it for? And, most importantly, how do you leverage it to meet your specific business and IT goals?

Get the answers and find out what all the buzz is about!

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“ “Two-thirds of survey respondents said they are likely to deploy SD-WAN within the next two years.– IDC2

1 IDC, SD-WAN Infrastructure Forecast.2 https://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/solutions/collateral/enterprise-networks/intelligent-wan/ idc-tangible-benefits.pdf?oid=anren006122&elqTrackId=3d23c3c79ef346949ce03df2c2258a64&elqaid =9559&elqat=2

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What is SD-WAN, really?

As the name suggests, SD WAN provides a single, abstracted overlay that extends data center, cloud, and branch locations, giving organizations a cloud-first, software-driven approach to routing traffic, controlling application performance and adapting to changing conditions, all without requiring direct, manual IT oversight. Enterprises can use this “fabric” to build large-scale SD-WAN networks that have advanced routing, segmentation, and

security capabilities with “zero-touch” automation, centralized orchestration, visibility and policy control.

From leased lines, to app centric.A closer look reveals SD-WAN is a paradigm shift from the old approach of renting out bandwidth on dedicated, “leased lines.” Legacy WANs are built on packet-based network routing methods on expensive MPLS lines. SD-WAN is different because it enables organizations to use consumer-grade broadband Internet, to partially (or sometimes, completely) replace its reliance on leased lines. This crucial differentiator is key to driving SD-WAN’s true value to the business, which we explore in the next section.

HQ/Campus/Branch

Data Center

Internet

MPLS

SD-WAN

Users

IoT

Devices

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Fear: “I don’t want my data going through the cloud.”

Reality: SD-WAN uses the cloud for management and monitoring only – all user traffic flows directly over the LAN, WAN, or Internet path as it would with a non-cloud managed solution. Worth

noting: SD-WAN solutions, such as Cisco and VMware, are trusted by hundreds of thousands of customers in security-

conscious industries worldwide.

Fear: “We can’t afford a new solution right now.”

Reality: If you are supporting multiple, disparate branches, odds are you

are spending too much, for too little performance It might be worth

investigating your current WAN costs, as well as understanding how SD-WAN

supports urgent and ongoing digital transformation plans, such as cybersecurity

and driving productivity.

Fear: “What happens if we lose connection to the cloud?”

Reality: Because the cloud is only used for management and monitoring, the network will continue to operate

normally in the event of a loss of cloud connectivity. Your devices will use their

last known good configuration until such time as they reconnect to the cloud and receive any new configuration changes

that have been made.

Here are some of the most common concerns we hear when speaking with clients about SD-WAN:

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Buzzkill: Why IT resists SD-WAN?

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Why SD-WAN?

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Your users are demanding more apps, more devices and more speed than ever before. Why would the same old network do the trick? It won’t! Add an influx of big data, and you’re pushing the limits of traditional WAN. As a result, challenges arise, from performance issues interrupting productivity (just ask anyone who’s had a bad Skype call), to unwieldy costs as

bandwidth usage soars. Let’s not forget the glaring security gaps and operational pains created as branch offices increase in complexity and scale.

No wonder enterprises are buzzing about SD-WAN. It enables your WAN to provide the application reliability, availability, performance, and security required, irrespective of the location of the apps — on the cloud or the corporate datacenter.

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To fully succeed in realizing their digital transformation objectives, enterprises must modernize and transform their network infrastructure.

Nowhere is this truer than on the WAN, which is critical to the productivity of employees, the satisfaction of customers, and the execution of

transactions at branch offices and remote sites.

– Brad Casemore, research VP for Datacenter Networks at ID3

3 https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=US44182618

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Core Benefits of SD WAN:

“ “SD-WAN can drive more than 50% savings in bandwidth costs.

Cloud expansion: The majority of enterprise traffic is moving to the cloud. SD-WAN delivers a “cloud aware” network, seamless connectivity to public cloud services, such as AWS or Azure, and a unified point of control and visibility, spanning data center, cloud and branch

Workplace experience: Users are tired of networking issues degrading the performance of mission critical applications. SD-WAN speeds the performance of SaaS apps such as Office 365, and virtually eliminates networking outages, leading to happier, more productive employees and a truly digital workplace

Costs: WAN costs are prohibitively expensive and as traffic continues to grow, simple policy changes can take weeks or months to implement manually. SD-WAN can drive more than 50% savings in bandwidth costs, while speeding provision tasks to days, or minutes, thanks to “zero touch” provisioning and automation

Security: Legacy WAN’s are difficult to secure by nature, leading to exposure of critical data, lack of end to end encryption across hybrid infrastructures, and unmonitored assets such as guest wireless systems. SD-WAN helps you enforce segmentation and granular policies, combined with cloud authentication, encryption and security capabilities. The result is a truly secure hybrid network, across all branch locations

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There are certainly industries where SD-WAN seems like a “no brainer.” Healthcare and retail, for example, frequently need to modernize their WAN to cope with the demands of digital transformation. But don’t be mistaken: SD-WAN is suitable for business across all industries, of all sizes.

The key criteria for choosing SD-WAN are less about specific industrial sensitivities, or the number of employees, and more about how your organization actually operates and plans for the future.

Is SD-WAN on your roadmap?• Multiple branch offices: Enterprises with multiple remote locations, such as branch offices

and retail stores, are natural fits for SD-WAN. As a rule of thumb, if you have more than 10 remote locations, SD-WAN will likely relieve bandwidth costs and improve network efficiency

• Securing SaaS: Even if you have a relatively small number of branch locations, security might still be a concern, especially as you shift workloads to cloud SaaS applications, such as Office 365 or Salesforce. SD-WAN’s segmentation and granular policy controls help your business effectively monitor and protect data across hybrid environments and applications, with a singular, agile and dynamic approach

• Bandwidth pains: Frequent networking outages, broken app experiences and bandwidth overage fees are a clear indicator your WAN is out of date. It’s worth exploring how SD-WAN can reduce your dependency on leased lines and allow you to optimize traffic costs (and performance) with high-speed connections to the public Internet

Who should consider SD-WAN?

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“ “70% of application outages are tied to networking problems.4

4 https://www.cisco.com/c/m/en_us/solutions/enterprise-networks/sd-wan/new-landscape-of-networking.html?oid=ebken010131

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Vertical Use-Case Insights

Retail

• Segment POS traffic for PCI compliance and Network Security

• Enable in store services like Guest Wireless and Rich Digital Media Experiences

• Increase client retention and revenue

Healthcare

• Migrate to cloud-based healthcare (EMR/EHR) applications

• Ensure 100% network uptime of patient and administrative services

• Rapidly enable services like guest WiFi, Virtual healthcare and medicinal dispensing

Manufacturing

• Segregate production equipment and employee traffic

• Secure controlled business partner access through the extranet (B2B)

• Maintain uninterrupted mission critical IoT traffic to public cloud platforms

Financial Services

• Increase up-time of kiosks and ATM’s

• Define application policies for optimal quality of experience for in branch services such as Digital Signage, and Virtual Expert HD Video

• Roll-out new branch locations rapidly without local IT support

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1 POINT 2 POINTS 3 POINTS SCORE

Over the next 12 months, how many branch locations will your organization include?

0-3 4-9 11 or more

How often do your users complain about SaaS application performance, caused by networking issues?

Rarely Occasionally Frequently

How often does your organization exceed bandwidth consumption limits? Rarely Occasionally Frequently

Is your ability to serve growing business demands being hampered by slow provisioning speeds and cumbersome ongoing management?

Rarely Occasionally Frequently

Do you have plans or are you in progress of rolling out new, bandwidth-heavy applications (such as Office 365 or Skype video)?

No, never Considering it

Yes, actively pursuing

Do simple provisioning and policy upgrades to WAN take too long to deliver, often weeks or months?

Rarely Occasionally Frequently

Self-Assessment Worksheet:

How did you do?If you scored 10 points or more, SD-WAN is strongly indicated for your networking strategy.

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As with all major IT projects, timing is crucial. Picking the right moment to pursue SD-WAN is critical in making sure it delivers the full productivity, cost savings and security potential. In our experience, organizations have a few opportune moments to begin a migration:

Are you planning a major roll out of new, cloud-based productivity apps?In the absence of SD-WAN, connecting users securely to public cloud apps is complex and expensive. With the adoption of Skype for Business, or Office 365, for example, performance issues and network stability will be crucial in ensuring success. Make sure SD-WAN is part of your cloud application roadmap.

Are you planning a growth spurt?There are a number of situations where a business’ geographical footprint will rapidly expand. From mergers and acquisitions, to adding new office locations, to entering a “hyper growth phase” to support innovation, businesses often need to cram lots of growth into a short period of time. If that’s you, SD-WAN should be a part of your networking strategy from the start.

Are you investigating a software-defined networking solution?Many organizations leverage SD-WAN as a first step toward a broader, software-defined networking strategy. In this approach, SD-WAN becomes a platform to begin implementing virtual network functions at the branch edge. From there, you can more easily expand “Infrastructure-as-Code” capabilities to other areas of your environment.

Are you hoping to leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning?Organizations are looking for low-hanging fruit to prove the potential gains promised by machine learning and artificial intelligence. SD-WAN is a natural starting point for these emerging technologies, driving a discussion around “self healing,” and “self learning” operations that are more secure, dynamic and efficient.

When is the best time to adopt SD-WAN?

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Direct to App

Remote sites using broadband Internet connect directly to applications such as Office 365. Allows higher availability and better user experience by intelligently switching between

several network paths based on measured availability and performance characteristics. Also avoids having to back-haul data from branch to data center and then back again,

providing great performance gains.

Regional Hub

When it’s not practical to get Internet connectivity directly to every branch, organizations use a regional hub to

mediate traffic to cloud applications. This can help ensure the best possible path

through the available infrastructure.

Mixed

Enterprises connect directly to inexpensive broadband Internet, but still apply

differentiated security policies depending on the service. For example, an enterprise

will route regular Internet traffic to a Secure Web Gateway (SWG), while allowing performance-optimal direct connectivity for a limited set of sanctioned and trusted SaaS

applications, such as Office 365.

3 Models of SD-Wan

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Once you determine why you might need SD-WAN, and why it is a fit for your business, now comes the hard part: doing it.

The good news is there is a proven approach every business should take, which will help bring clarity and build the strong

business case to implement an upgrade to SD-WAN. This approach will allow you to prove the value, bring momentum to your project, and ensure a successful, long-term rollout of the right solution.

How do you start your SD-WAN journey?

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• Upfront assessment: Your journey begins with facts. Organizations must work to establish an objective understanding of their current WAN requirements and consumption patterns, as well as user-centric insights on application performance and productivity.

• Align to business: Once complete, use your fact finding mission to develop a business case for SD-WAN. Here you will work to estimate the impact SD-WAN will have on your bottom line, your productivity and your security posture, depending on what matters most to you. Use this opportunity to underscore how SD-WAN can play a central role in major digital transformation projects, such as cloud adoption and hybrid IT optimization.

• Create your plan: You will need to decide on the right technology, model and starting point for your SD-WAN implementation. This decision should be based on a number of factors, including current infrastructure, cost/benefits analysis, vendor feature comparisons and high-priority user groups.

• Prove it: We recommend you begin small and grow from there. Pick an early proof of concept project, one that will be both feasible and likely to show large business returns. For example, coincide SD-WAN to occur with a recently acquired company, or test out a small sample size of remote branches. Validate the concept first and then move forward.

• Ongoing optimization: Given its very nature, a software-defined infrastructure project is a living, breathing initiative. With SD-WAN, IT has the opportunity to continuously improve efficiency with automation, coding and configuration; dynamically evolve to meet the needs of employees; and maintain secure, resilient data protection policies.

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Partnering with SoftchoiceExpert guidance to choose and execute the right solution

There is no shortage of challenges, complications and hard work when it comes to picking the right path forward for your networking – and achieving your goals. This is where Softchoice can help.

When you work with Softchoice, you will gain a comprehensive view of your networking, application and security needs. Armed with data-driven insights to evaluate your next steps and select the right vendor, you will create a strategy that goes beyond costs and timing to include adoption of the technology itself. With ongoing mentorship, you will accelerate innovation and improve quality of service while continuously optimizing the performance of your applications.

Get started with an SD-WAN business assessment:Softchoice offers a series of assessments to show you how SD-WAN can drive business value and accelerate your digital transformation.

This technical assessment covers a variety of topics, including Zero Touch provisioning, application security and compliance, and central policy enforcement.

Once complete, you receive detailed recommendations and a roadmap for adopting SD-WAN – giving you the confidence to move forward the right way.

LEARN MORE/REQUEST MORE INFO

Check out our other Beyond the Buzzword publications:Start breaking down the buzz and start making real plans on these emerging solutions: • Infrastructure Automation: Find out if you should adopt automation

across your data center - and how to do it.• Flash Storage: Find out if your mission-critical apps need a speed

boost — and where to get started.• Hyper-Converged Infrastructure: Find out if your data center belongs

in a box — and how to do it.

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