Discover better network performance with the CBTS SD-WAN Proof of Concept program

December 17, 2019
Grey Borneman

As we’ve traveled across North America, advising business leaders on the advantages of SD-WAN at our CIO Summits, one question always arises. Although attendees see the benefits of SD-WAN for improved traffic management and Quality of Service (QoS) for their cloud applications and VoIP platforms, we often hear, “How can you guarantee the SD-WAN solution will work in our existing environment?”

Great question.

First, you will want to work with an experienced SD-WAN provider with the engineering support and industry relationships needed to deliver a custom solution specific to your business goals. If your organization, for example, is enduring QoS issues with cloud apps like Salesforce and Microsoft Office 365, along with problems with an existing UCaaS, the provider will assess your current environment and design the SD-WAN solution to alleviate those particular pain points.

Secondly, the SD-WAN provider can set up a proof-of-concept (PoC) for an extended trial period to perform customizations on a limited scale and measure improvements in the flows of traffic, phone calls, and cloud applications. The provider will help you determine and assign policies for directing WAN traffic and align the priorities for SaaS applications, security, and performance with your company’s desired business outcomes.

Remember, just because a provider drops off a client premises device and compatible SD-WAN software doesn’t mean you have a viable PoC. That’s why CBTS has defined strict requirements for our 90-day proof-of-concept, a co-managed cloud SD-WAN solution for up to four client locations. For our VMware SD-WAN by VeloCloud PoC, requirements include:

  1. The client and CBTS will co-define the goals, inputs, objectives, scope and success criteria within the PcC schedule.
  2. The client will work with CBTS to configure and test the required infrastructure and SD-WAN software and then will replicate the operational environment.
  3. The client will work with CBTS to prioritize functionalities across all use cases.
  4. CBTS will conduct a closing meeting with the client to deliver the PoC results.

The goals for a successful SD-WAN proof-of-concept are far more extensive than just experiencing the ease of zero-touch deployment or learning how to manage application policies through a centralized dashboard like the VeloCloud Orchestrator. The value is in giving our clients time to discover how SD-WAN can eliminate their top branch networking issues. Then they can learn to optimize cloud application performance, improve security, increase network visibility, and lower bandwidth costs and capital investment in infrastructure.

And by working directly with CBTS engineers, clients can be confident the customized solution maximizes existing MPLS, Hybrid WAN, or UCaaS infrastructure, or will perform better as a standalone SD-WAN deployment. Moreover, with the PoC in place, CBTS can show clients how the simplicity and cost-effectiveness of SD-WAN make it an ideal candidate for cloud-based, fully managed services. By offloading a majority of networking monitoring and management to CBTS experts, clients can focus on initiatives designed to drive future growth. Finally, the SD-WAN PoC program allows CBTS to demonstrate how the network can be a source of innovation, business transformation, and agility – addressing both current needs and future business goals.

Learn the right questions to ask a potential SD-WAN provider, clarify the key attributes of an exceptional SD-WAN vendor, and request a free 90-day proof of concept today.

Subscribe to our blog