Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2019. Read them in this 11th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
Contributed by Rob Willcock, President of the Americas, Orange Business Services
Taking SD-WAN Global
In
2019, more enterprises will turn to SD-WAN to enable their network
infrastructures on a global scale. With SD-WAN they can achieve a flexible,
automated network that can dynamically anticipate and respond to changes in
their business environments while migrating applications to the cloud. However,
some enterprises may rush into these SD-WAN projects without realizing there
are hidden challenges in the implementation process that can make such projects
go off the rails before it begins. These problems are magnified when an SD-WAN
is rolled out across an enterprise's international operations, including
privacy concerns with user data, managing multiple local ISPs, peering latency,
and the new security threats that an SD-WAN model faces. Here are seven common
things enterprises could overlook when taking their SD-WAN global:
1.
Global connectivity needs
Pay
close attention to locations where you have branch offices that need to be
connected -- but without established telecoms infrastructure -- and be
realistic about your availability requirements. Choosing the right ISP and
deployment is very important with branch offices that are on the perimeter of
an established telecom grid.
2.
Not enlisting in a managed service provider
Turn
to a global service provider/integrator with the expertise and local resources
to navigate and manage an SD-WAN for you. For example, a multisourcing service integration (MSI) partner can
manage ISPs and other service providers on your behalf. They would also be more
adept to figure out any issues, especially since they are managing both the SD-WAN
infrastructure and the network underlay.
3.
A customized management model
There
are a range of flexible options to determine the level of management you want
to have over an SD-WAN: Do-It-Yourself (DIY), Do-It-for-Me or Co-managed
SD-WAN deployment. Each model has their pluses and minuses depending on how
involved you want to be in the process. But, access to a self-service portal to
monitor service delivery and make network changes yourself is invaluable.
4.
Having a robust SD-WAN management portal
If
you choose a management model where you will play an active role, make sure you
implement a unified management dashboard so that you have consistent visibility
into your applications and branch offices. A portal should also enable you to
easily make network changes and configure an SD-WAN on the fly.
5.
Building out a comprehensive SLA
SLAs
that extend to the SD-WAN customer premise equipment (CPE) are key. The repair
or replacement time of a CPE is critical to ensuring continued operations of
SD-WAN locations.
6. Localization
SD-WAN
requirements tend to vary across applications and locations. Using service
chaining and micro-segmentation, enterprises can add security and WAN
optimization functions in a highly targeted way at specific regional locations
where there is a need.
7.
Not looping in the Security team
SD WAN brings new security requirements and
possibilities. Having your security team engaged early ensures you maintain
high levels of security while your architecture changes.
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About the Author
Rob Willcock is president of the Americas for Orange Business Services. He leads the company’s enterprise activities across North and Latin America, positioning Orange Business Services as a trusted partner in the digital transformation of multinational corporations. Rob has more than 20 years of business and technology experience in the telecommunications industry encompassing consulting, business development and global customer programs across multiple regions. He was previously the country manager for Orange Business Services in the UK and Ireland, and vice president of Orange’s European customer division.