A flexible and agile networking solution is crucial for businesses to grow and expand continuously in today’s testing markets. A technology that has been instrumental in this endeavour is SD-WAN.
After witnessing a prosperous 2023 with a market value of $7.2 Billion, it stands poised to grow at a CAGR of more than 27% by 2032. The numbers speak to the rising popularity and adaptation of SD-WAN. The trend comes as companies seek efficient, manageable networks that can support business scaling up.
SD-WAN service providers offer adaptable solutions. These can seamlessly accommodate growing network demands amid rising remote working and increasing cloud adoption.
These are also flexible to support diverse WiFi connectivity options such as LTE, broadband internet, and MPLS. Such incredible scalability and flexibility encourage SD-WAN adoption by businesses expanding to multiple locations or undergoing digital transformation.
Scalability features that SD-WAN service providers offer
SD-WAN is a virtual network overlay that allows enterprises to route their traffic efficiently regardless of the underlying infrastructure. It bridges the gap between physical locations and the company’s digital activities. It brings several features to the table to ease network scaling.
Scaling network size
SD-WAN effortlessly cater to the network needs of all businesses, ranging from small offices to large enterprises. The architecture fans rapidly and satisfies the network requirements for thousands of sites and users. It accommodates massive and complex network needs with minimal configuration and management efforts.
Scaling with centralised control
Whether it is a digital transformation or expansion, organisations often end up with multiple legacy and cloud data centres. Issues like intertwined regulatory demands, security, and traffic backhauling further complicate network management and control.
SD-WAN provides centralised control with automation, visual dashboards, zero-touch procedures, and auto-discovery. These centralised control panels ensure unified operations and command issuance. It simplifies and boosts the efficiency of network operations.
Scaling with diverse connection types
SD-WAN supports various connection types. An enterprise can choose options ranging from MPLS and LTE to 5G and Airtel internet leased line. It delivers the ability to expand with diverse connections without overhauling the entire architecture.
SD-WAN efficiently handles different technologies, carriers, contracts, costs, and other complexities of multiple connections. It is a transport-independent overlay that comes with:
- Continuous link monitoring.
- Bandwidth measurement and discovery.
- Per-packet steering around outages.
- Auto link remediation.
- Flawless, enterprise-grade experience of quality (EoQ).
Scaling security
Segmentations, VPN meshes, and IaaS integration pose serious security challenges for large and growing organisations. SD-WAN overcomes these challenges with features like centralised orchestration, dynamic and automated VPN tunnelling, enterprise-scale network segmentation, and service chain firewalling.
Pressing Use cases where SD-WAN exhibits exceptional benefits
SD-WAN empowers businesses to tackle future scalability challenges. It ensures an uninterrupted, reliable network performance for users as the network grows. The following use cases mark the significance of the technology in scaling up a business.
Spinning up new sites across the globe
Unlike fixed physical networks like MPLS, SD-WAN is a virtual overlay. This virtual nature allows businesses to quickly access the network from a new location.
Network access remains simple and rapid whether a company shifts to a new branch, a new building on the same site, or embraces remote workplaces. SD-WAN seamlessly combine with measures like zero-touch networks to ensure security and privacy during the shift.
Reaching new customers
Identifying new customers takes businesses to locations far away from their physical locations. A common challenge here is to find the best way to serve these customers. As developing new physical premises takes significant time, it can lead to customer loss.
SD-WAN has an inherent scalability. With SD-WAN, businesses can tap into their existing network to reach new customers as soon as the site is complete.
It also enables using local pop-ups as temporary solutions until the permanent venue is ready. It is an ideal solution for enterprises looking to serve time-critical services to their new customer base and reach them as and where they are.
Mergers and acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions are primary drivers for business expansion. However, they pose a critical challenge in integrating different infrastructures from all discrete organisations coming together.
SD-WAN provides the most straightforward solution to this problem. As a carrier-independent overlay, it merges different networks, including LTE, MPLS, airtel internet leased line, and others, with minimal configuration efforts. SD-WAN combines IT solutions while preserving data value, privacy, and security regardless of the legacy infrastructure.
Integrating innovative IT solutions
Welcoming innovation is also a crucial aspect of scalability. With high network and application performance and simple monitoring tools, SD-WAN enables quick and cost-effective scaling of the IT portfolio.
It also facilitates employee training across multiple locations and various devices. It is a backbone for businesses to optimise innovative solutions and embrace new applications with minimal risk.
Onboarding new services and products
Companies also scale up by rolling out new products and services. They must have an onboarding strategy to help employees and potential customers understand the value of the offerings. SD-WAN makes it easy to set up effective and responsive onboarding resources without compromising security.
Businesses can leverage SD-WAN to monitor the performance of new offerings and make necessary amendments to improve sales.
Embracing volatile business environments
The right infrastructure enabling fast implementation of strategic directives and swift speed to market is the key to quick upscaling. Using SD-WAN frees the business from any location-specific IT investment.
It removes overheads related to expensive routing and hardware costs. SD-WAN solution unlocks the organisation’s full potential by evolving with business strategic plans.
Consistent scalability with SD-WAN in three steps
SD-WAN is an ideal network solution for evolving businesses. It is an agile and more cost-effective connectivity solution that delivers multiple benefits when scaling up.
- Easy bandwidth addition.
- Easy network services for new applications.
- A quick expansion of existing applications.
- Adjusting capacity during low-demand times.
- Secured expansion to new locations, both local and global.
While upgrading traditional WANs requires additional equipment, people, and expenses, SD-WAN expands network capacity in real time with minimal effort and resources. Businesses can scale up in three simple steps.
- Check for operations already on SD-WAN-capable infrastructure.
- Establish ROI by converting to SD-WAN.
- Enable SD-WAN with existing infrastructure and reap profits.
Conclusion
Airtel is one of the leading SD-wan service providers that has helped several organisations with its secure, scalable network solution. With curiosity and innovation, experts at Airtel Business provide an agile and trusted network to fuel business scalability. Find out more about Airtel’s SD-WAN network solution that forms the foundation for exceptional service delivery and customer experience for scaling businesses.