Alternative financial services (AFS) companies face unique IT challenges. This industry serves millions of people with payday loans, check cashing, currency exchanges, and other vital services for their customers. Some AFS corporations have hundreds of branches complemented by online and mobile banking options. And yet, spread wide across countries or even continents, many firms must contend with multiple telecom providers that rely on aging infrastructure.
Managing complex multi-site WAN connections can easily become a nightmare for IT staff. Slow, outdated networks can lead to frustration for IT staff and unsatisfactory service for customers. To solve these concerns, companies must have high-quality network connections in place. For alternative financial services companies, implementing VMware SD-WAN™ (software-defined wide area network) and Cisco Meraki Network as a Service (NaaS), achieves fast, reliable connectivity to serve their clientele.
This blog post will highlight how alternative financial services companies have overcome the drawbacks of a traditional WAN (wide area network) by embracing an SD-WAN solution through a NaaS provider.
Read more: Answering a crucial question: What is SD-WAN?
With an unreliable system of WAN connections cobbled together across hundreds or thousands of miles, IT managers and network administrators often find themselves troubleshooting more often than optimizing. IT teams at AFS companies, managing multiple carriers and often unable to accurately pinpoint issues, may find it challenging to hold service providers responsible.
IT managers at AFS companies find themselves reinvesting in costly, dated technology simply to maintain their networks, while doing nothing to improve the overall quality of their infrastructure. A Cisco Meraki NaaS and VMware SD-WAN solution for financial services companies enables them to offload the burden of maintaining a disparate, end-of-life network infrastructure and focus on serving customers and improving the bottom line.
Also read: How SD-WAN security enhances critical business applications
Working with a certified Cisco Meraki NaaS and VMware SD-WAN provider gives alternative financial services companies options when mapping the best strategies for system upgrades. When implementing an SD-WAN solution across many locations, AFS companies should choose a highly experienced partner to prevent service interruptions or blackouts at retail branches.
By working with a certified SD-WAN managed services provider, AFS companies upgrading to a cloud-based model can enjoy many benefits. Customers and employees gain better access to the Cloud and enjoy improved performance. IT managers can make informed decisions by having greater visibility of the entire network. And perhaps most importantly, properly implemented SD-WAN delivers reliable and secure connectivity to all branches and remote staff.
A NaaS solution powered by Cisco Meraki allows network-wide improvements without increased operational costs. By tapping a NaaS provider like CBTS for support, companies pay a fixed monthly fee that encompasses all phases of solution implementation from hardware and licensing to configuration, implementation, and co-management. Cisco Meraki’s single-pane-of-glass dashboard gives complete visibility into the network. With greater insight into the company’s network, it can improve incident response efficiency and effectiveness, simplify deployment of new technologies, and strengthen security.
Learn more: How Cisco Meraki + CBTS NaaS team up to deliver cost-efficient modernization for your network
There are many things to consider when choosing an SD-WAN and NaaS provider. Making the right choice is vital to the lasting success of your network solution.
When strategizing SD-WAN implementation, consider whether a co-managed solutions partner is right for you. Under this service model, you can rely on the experts at CBTS to handle the day-to-day upkeep of your network. This approach frees up IT staff to focus on innovation rather than putting out fires.
Want to see how this process can work for you? Read this case study to learn more about how financial services company Money Mart implemented a Cisco Meraki NaaS and VMware SD-WAN solution to boost network performance and upgrade the user experience for their customers and employees.