Best practices for SD-WAN implementation

Telecommunications as a whole is a complex business, the provision of lines has always had its specific obstacles. So it is with SD-WAN. SD-WAN includes many components that contribute to overall corporate network performance, such as national policy, security, hardware delivery, installation and cloud applications. Each element can significantly impact a successful SD-WAN conversion. Below, we address the most common questions that arise when implementing SD-WAN and how you can make the process as easy as possible for your organization.

1. Why switch to SD-WAN?

SD-WAN offers a number of advantages that traditional MPLS cannot. It allows customers to become vendor agnostic, meaning they are not tied to a single ISP or carrier. In addition, it is possible to procure MPLS, Internet lines and SD-WAN components from different providers in order to adapt the services to the needs of a company. This separates the underlay and overlay network.

The typical benefits of switching to SD-WAN include:

• Centralized management and complete transparency across all locations
• Greater flexibility, as several access technologies can be combined
• Fast deployment, especially if Internet access is already available
• Increased security through encryption of WAN traffic
• High site availability as SD-WAN automatically redirects to the most powerful connections
• Improved performance for SaaS and cloud-based services, resulting in higher user productivity

2. Adapt SD-WAN to your network requirements

Every industry is different, as is every country in terms of the regulations that affect network architecture. It makes sense for your network to be adapted accordingly, and SD-WAN offers this flexibility. This flexibility then ideally ends in a single invoice, a single contract, a single currency, a single technical support, a single performance review and a single logistics setup.

3. Setting up SD-WAN: how much time is needed?

There is no standard timeframe for the implementation of SD-WAN. It depends heavily on how many locations are served in which countries. Logistics and shipping are often difficult to predict: is the power ready? Do you have cables ready? Do you have MPLS ready? Is the internet ready? The better prepared you are, the less time your SD-WAN migration will take.

4. Avoid network outages during the changeover

Downtime occurs when an organization attempts to implement SD-WAN without guidance or experience. It’s not enough to plug in the SD-WAN box if the cabling, software and other components don’t work together. If you educate yourself thoroughly and plan every component of the implementation, you should have no downtime.

5. Coordinate SD-WAN across international branches

If companies send an SD-WAN box from the USA to Africa without first completing the necessary paperwork, it will inevitably get stuck at customs. To avoid such delays, they need to familiarize themselves with the country-specific network systems in advance. Any self-respecting network solution provider should be able to provide the appropriate advice for global implementation, the laws, paperwork and network designs required for each country.

6. Managed or unmanaged SD-WAN: which is better?

Most organizations want to be in control of their network, but don’t want the headaches that can come with monitoring connectivity and performance. Finding a middle ground is becoming increasingly popular. There are a variety of SD-WAN support options, from simple hardware suppliers to fully managed services.