SD-WAN FEATURED ARTICLE

SD-WAN Presents an Opportunity for VARs

February 11, 2016

By Peter Scott, SD-WAN Contributor

Adding value is by definition what the value added reseller is all about. Part of that role is educating businesses on how the latest technology can improve their line of work.

One emerging technology that VARs should be looking hard at right now is software-defined wide area network technology, SD-WAN for short. Companies such as CloudGenix are offering up SD-WAN solutions that should be enticing for most VARs.




Virtualization has swept through many areas of the computing world, bringing agility and adaptability, ease of use and reduced cost everywhere it touches. Virtualization of the WAN space does the same, although most businesses have never even heard about the technology.

Just as with hosted VoIP, SD-WAN brings added flexibility to firms that use it. When a new office needs to be opened or a branch must be moved, MPLS adjustment can be time-consuming and costly. This is not the case when SD-WAN is used, however.

Further, the rise of cloud applications has begun to challenge the traditional WAN, as the range of data sources challenges visibility and control. Enterprises struggle to prioritize traffic, account for all the software in use, ensure security policies and deliver appropriate connectivity.

With SD-WAN, however, businesses can centrally assign business intent policies and secure and control network traffic more easily. The WAN can be monitored, adjusted and scaled far more easily than with traditional MPLS technology.

The trick is that businesses don’t yet understand the potential, however, as SD-WAN is a relatively new technology. This is where the VAR comes in as educator and advocate.

Playing off of their existing relationship with businesses, VARs are ideally placed to help enterprise customers both understand and then transition to this important emerging technology.

Because SD-WAN can be rolled out progressively, too, VARs can help businesses take existing network resources and make an appropriate transition—another important value-added service.

SD-WAN holds much potential for VARs that seize the opportunity.




Edited by Maurice Nagle

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