Software-defined wide-area networking (SD-WAN) is making itself known as the next evolution in enterprise WAN technology. By using software to manage and control network resources and services, it allows organizations regardless of size or vertical to have a single control point for all of its WAN traffic, resulting in an improved user experience and better utilization of network resources.
Let’s take a look at three examples of organizations that are leveraging these benefits by investing in SD-WAN.
Government: Illinois state invests in projects with updated SD-WAN
Government organizations need secure and reliable technology solutions to serve their local communities. To help improve its technological infrastructure, the Illinois state government recently announced plans to open a new, $80.5 million central computing facility.
The goal of this investment is to allow the Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology to update its technology to improve resiliency and security. With added layers of cybersecurity, this facility can better serve local agencies and their public communities.
A significant component of this investment is that the Department of Innovation and Technology is upgrading its state-run education network to SD-WAN. By updating to SD-WAN, the department can benefit from using a centralized control function that directs traffic across the WAN – which aligns with the technological goals of the state government.
Retail: Grays makes the switch to SD-WAN
SD-WAN offers several benefits to the retail industry, which was a catalyst for Grays, an online retail and auction company, deciding to switch to SD-WAN. The company’s reason for the change was to leave its legacy Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) behind and embrace a modern, agile SD-WAN solution.
This switching was a significant part of Gray’s plan to update their entire IT infrastructure because it allowed them to centrally connect everything using SD-WAN. Ayaz Ahmed, head of technology at Grays, shared with the press that this update makes their systems run faster, improves scalability, and stays connected at all times.
Consultancy: Brunel prioritizes an SD-WAN rollout
Global recruitment and custom workforce services company, Brunel, recently announced plans to roll out SD-WAN to turbocharge their network. The company chose SD-WAN because it believes this will help them accelerate their time to market for new global offices. Brunel also understands that using SD-WAN’s software-defined networking architecture will help them improve their bandwidth, cost efficiency, and agile performance at a global scale.