Network as a Service: why SD WAN is great news for the mid-market

The beauty of mid-market businesses is their agile nature and ability to make decisions quickly. But this isn’t possible without the infrastructure to share and store data securely – often across multiple locations.

For many, a cloud-based solution is the most suitable option - it can keep up with the pace of the mid-market as well as support Software as a Service (SaaS) functionality.

As more companies look to transition to cloud, we investigate the challenges specific to the mid-market when it comes to digital capability and how to overcome them.

The challenges facing the mid-market of today

The overarching demand is a user-friendly, intuitive experience - something we’ve all come to expect from technology. Therefore, a viable solution in 2020 must be simple and easy to use.

To meet this expectation, we have identified four challenges it must overcome:

1. Overly complex configuration: Businesses today expect to be able to adjust their network without long, lengthy processes. Traditional wide area network (WAN) timescales simply are not compatible with mid-market requirements.
2. Large capital investment: Arguably, the biggest attraction to SaaS is the ability to cover costs operationally, without the need for deep pockets upfront. The network should be the same.
3. Vulnerable security: It should be no surprise that security is a top priority for businesses. Most now look to work with a trusted partner who engrains best practices in their technology design from the very beginning.
4. Cloud compatibility: Cloud has become a vital part of the mid-market eco-system - solutions are redundant if they are not compatible.

These insights informed our decision on how best to open up SD-WAN (software defined wide area networks) to the mid-market. There is a clear need for a digital, plug and play style of technology that is compatible with the agile use of cloud.
 

Meeting digital demand

SD-WAN offers a service that can mould itself to the sector-specific problems that arise in fast-moving, agile markets.

Even for businesses with multiple branches and moving parts, the technology allows you to retain flexibility by sharing and storing data securely through one cloud centre.

This also creates the ability to scale up and down as required using software licenses, managed on a monthly subscription basis through operational costs.

This new generation of SD-WAN has a user-friendly portal, a clear, comprehensive security roadmap and is compatible with other cloud and communication solutions.

This creates less of a need to carry out extensive research into compatible technologies that the business might grow into. Instead, with a flexible network solutions are integrated over time to meet demand.

These are just a few of the advantages that the SD-WAN allows, but there are plenty of other benefits to explore.

Find out how the SD-WAN enhances the mid-market experience here.