SD-WAN vendor search: 10 important considerations

Trusted Advisor for IT & Telecommunications Sourcing

The 10 most important considerations when choosing an SD-WAN provider

How to find the right SD-WAN provider

The choice of provider determines the performance, security and cost of your SD-WAN.

The SD-WAN market is growing rapidly and companies are faced with the challenge of choosing the right provider. This decision can be critical to the performance and security of your network architecture. For an overview of technology, providers and cost, see our page on SD-WAN for businesses.

In a nutshell:

Managed vs. do-it-yourself is the first fundamental decision: managed relieves your IT team, DIY gives internal flexibility.
Assess providers on performance, security, know-how and ability to grow, not on price alone.
An end-to-end solution including underlay management unlocks the full potential of SD-WAN.
Global reach, a strong partner ecosystem and a focus on innovation safeguard operations long term.

The solution: A carrier-neutral partner like SAVECALL compares more than 80 carriers and platforms vendor-independently and finds the SD-WAN solution that fits your locations both technically and commercially.

What this article covers: This article works through the ten most important criteria for evaluating an SD-WAN provider, from operating model and performance through security to cost.

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Managed SD-WAN or do it yourself
Performance
Know-how
Safety
A growth plan
An end-to-end solution
Partnerships and ecosystem
Focus on innovation
Global reach
Costs
Frequently asked questions

The SD-WAN market is growing rapidly. Analysts put the market at around 8.9 billion US dollars in 2024 and expect double-digit annual growth rates through the end of the decade. This growth has also led to the emergence of a complex SD-WAN provider landscape. This poses a challenge for companies: How do they make the right choice when deciding on an SD-WAN provider?

The key question is: How can you ensure that the SD-WAN provider you choose will meet your requirements in the long term? Below we have listed the ten most important considerations your company should take into account when choosing an SD-WAN provider:

1. managed SD-WAN or do it yourself

One of the first decisions a company has to make when switching to SD-WAN is whether it wants a do-it-yourself approach or a managed offering. The biggest advantage of a fully managed SD-WAN solution is that it places fewer demands on employees. The provider then takes over all tasks relating to the operation of the SD-WAN solution. The advantage of a do-it-yourself solution is its flexibility. Desired changes or extensions can be implemented immediately by internal employees. There is no need to wait until the provider has time to implement the requested changes. For a deeper look at market groups and operating models, see our overview of managed SD-WAN service providers.

2. performance

Choosing the right SD-WAN provider depends to a large extent on the performance they can offer. A good provider will improve the performance of your key applications, such as O365 or Salesforce, resulting in significant productivity benefits. A good SD-WAN provider will constantly monitor traffic to identify and implement opportunities for improvement. In addition to performance monitoring, a good SD-WAN provider also offers optimized connectivity to SaaS solutions. Such SD-WAN gateways always guarantee the best route to the desired SaaS provider and thus ensure increased performance.

3. know-how

SD-WAN is still a comparatively young technology. A company should therefore look for a provider that already has a high level of expertise and experience in this area. It should be ensured that the provider not only has the technical know-how, but also understands what a company expects from the SD-WAN solution today and, above all, in the future. To see how SD-WAN fits into the wider picture, our enterprise WAN overview provides useful context.

4. safety

With the ever-increasing threats to network security, from malware to DDoS attacks, a strong security framework is an essential part of any SD-WAN solution. It is important to ensure that a provider can integrate tools such as next-generation firewalls, anti-malware, etc. to provide the necessary safeguards to protect your network from the likely threats not only today, but in the future. How SD-WAN and security increasingly converge into SASE also matters during a migration from MPLS to SD-WAN.

5. a growth plan

When selecting an SD-WAN provider, pay attention to whether they are able to fulfill growth plans. An SD-WAN provider must therefore be able to integrate functions and new technologies into its solution.

6. an end-to-end solution

When selecting an SD-WAN provider, it is important to check that they also provide the underlay network that underpins the SD-WAN infrastructure. Whether it is MPLS, Direct Internet Access or wireless broadband, the physical underlay network is ultimately responsible for the transmission of data packets across your network. SD-WAN providers should be able to manage at least the underlay if the full potential of SD-WAN is to be realized.

7. partnerships and ecosystem

As the SD-WAN market has grown, so has the number of solutions and applications that can be integrated into it. From security tools to cloud-based SaaS applications, the best SD-WAN vendors have a rich ecosystem of partners that can be integrated into the SD-WAN solution.

8. focus on innovation

SD-WAN technology will continue to evolve in the coming years. The best providers are those who are prepared for the future and have the answers to future requirements with regard to new digital challenges.

9. global reach

SD-WAN orchestration and management will probably be done remotely in most cases. However, if on-site support is required, it is of course helpful to work with a vendor that has the capability or a partner network that can provide fast and competent on-site service. No matter where in the world.

10. costs

SD-WAN offers a number of cost benefits by making legacy hardware obsolete and helping to significantly reduce capital expenditure. However, SD-WAN costs vary from vendor to vendor, so you should carefully factor this into your IT budget.

How SAVECALL supports your SD-WAN provider search

As a carrier-neutral advisor, SAVECALL assesses platform and underlay independently and is not tied to any single network. That way we find the combination of availability, reach and cost that fits your locations, and support you from provider selection through to ongoing operation. If you are looking for an SD-WAN provider to meet your needs, contact SAVECALL today.

Conclusion: choosing the right SD-WAN provider

Choosing the right SD-WAN provider is not a pure price comparison. Companies that weigh operating model, performance, security, scalability, end-to-end capability, ecosystem, innovation, reach and cost together find a provider that will carry them today and in the future. Vendor-neutral advice makes this comparison transparent and prevents lock-in to a single network.

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Written by

Frank Frommknecht

Key Account Consultant, SAVECALL

Has been advising companies on the selection and optimization of their connectivity solutions for over 20 years. His focus: making complex telecommunications understandable from the customer’s perspective and finding the right solution strategically.

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Sources

Grand View Research: Software-defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) Market Size Report, 2030.
DataM Intelligence: Software-defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) Market, 2024.
SAVECALL: SD-WAN for businesses: providers, cost and benefits.

Frequently asked questions about SD-WAN providers

What matters most when choosing an SD-WAN provider?

What matters most is that the provider fits your operating model, your locations and your security requirements. Assess them against clear criteria: managed or do-it-yourself, performance, know-how, security, ability to grow, end-to-end capability including the underlay, partner ecosystem, focus on innovation, global reach and cost. Price alone is not a good selection criterion. What counts is whether the provider reliably covers your requirements today and in the future.

Managed SD-WAN or do-it-yourself: which is better?

It depends on your internal resources. A fully managed SD-WAN solution relieves your IT team because the provider handles operation, monitoring and changes. The do-it-yourself approach offers maximum flexibility instead, since internal teams can implement changes immediately without waiting for the provider. Companies with many locations and business-critical applications usually do better with a managed model, while lean environments benefit from DIY flexibility.

How important is security when selecting an SD-WAN provider?

Security is an essential part of every SD-WAN solution. Given ever-increasing threats from malware to DDoS attacks, a provider should be able to integrate tools such as next-generation firewalls and anti-malware. Increasingly, SD-WAN and security converge into SASE, meaning networking and security from a single platform. Make sure the provider protects your network not only today, but against future threats as well.

Does an SD-WAN provider have to supply the underlay?

For a true end-to-end solution, the provider should at least be able to manage the underlay. The physical underlay network, whether MPLS, Direct Internet Access or wireless broadband, is ultimately responsible for transmitting your data packets. Only when overlay and underlay work together can you realize the full potential of SD-WAN. A carrier-neutral provider can choose the underlay freely and is not tied to a single network.

What does SD-WAN cost and what drives the price?

SD-WAN can reduce costs by making legacy hardware obsolete and lowering capital expenditure. The actual costs, however, vary considerably from provider to provider and depend on the number of locations, bandwidth, underlay choice, managed level and security features. You should therefore factor SD-WAN carefully into your IT budget and compare offers in a vendor-neutral way instead of looking only at the lowest list price.

Why is a carrier-neutral SD-WAN provider worth it?

A carrier-neutral provider assesses platform and underlay independently and does not lock you into a single network. This makes it possible to find the best combination of availability, reach and cost, both technically and commercially. As a carrier-neutral advisor, SAVECALL has compared more than 80 carriers and platforms since 1999 and guides companies vendor-neutrally, from provider selection to the ongoing operation of their SD-WAN solution.