The Technology Headlines DEMAND FORCASTING & AI | Page 25

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THE TECHNOLOGY HEADLINES
However, if you look a bit closer, one could argue that
SD-WAN could very well become the telco’s best friend.
First, you start with reality. The rise of SD-WAN is
already happening among global enterprises that want
to leverage broadband Internet to augment or replace
their existing MPLS connectivity. If companies are already moving to an SD-WAN or
possibly a hybrid WAN where they augment MPLS
with broadband, which provider do you think has the
advantage? The one who can deliver a solution that
fits a need, or the one clinging to the old way of doing
things and resisting the evolution of the market?
Companies like memory products leader Kingston
Technology and global manufacturer Interroll have
already started to “broadband their WAN” with SD-
WAN technology, and are now benefitting from a lower
cost and more agile network for their operations in Asia
and across the globe. By adding SD-WAN to the mix, it can translate into
building a customized WAN service portfolio that
includes managed WAN optimization, virtual private
networking (VPN), compression/de-duplication, and
path conditioning services.
With most telcos continually looking to differentiate
their business and provide value to their customer
base, SD-WAN can be their new, differentiated solution,
delivering SD-WAN as a managed solution or as part of
a network functions virtualization (NFV) offering.
SD-WAN technology gives the telco a flexible software
platform for delivering enterprise customers with
a variety of virtualized network functions. By
leveraging SD-WAN technology, telcos can offer
these differentiated services to customers, maximize
operational efficiencies, and introduce new revenue-
generating services faster and easier than ever before.
It can also set them apart from service providers who
resist the SD-WAN trend or are trying to derail it.
AUGUST 2019
When leveraging the right, complete solution, an
SD-WAN solution can provide automated licensing to
help get new and innovative services to market quickly,
which in turn means a faster time to revenue. Other
benefits include per-instance tracking and metering of
end-user customer usage to allow for easy and accurate
billing.
The bottom line is that the rapid adoption of cloud
technologies and software-as-a-service (SaaS)
applications are leading enterprise customers to use
network resources in new ways. For telcos looking
to augment their existing business with new and
innovative managed services, or NFV offerings, SD-
WAN is a logical choice, not something to fear and/or
resist.
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