Software-defined WAN continues to gain momentum as more enterprises look for MPLS alternatives to maximize efficiency and reduce connectivity costs. When thinking about total network costs, there are several moving parts. It’s important to have your facts straight to fully understand the potential cost savings that could result. The following are some ways that an SD WAN solution can boost ROI and reduce overall enterprise costs for your business:

1. Reduce the Cost of Connectivity

Enterprises spend a fortune on managed MPLS and are always looking for ways to optimize its use or find a way to replace it with internet-based connectivity. A software-defined WAN may be a good alternative, but it’s important to note that it doesn’t always produce these results for every enterprise. The key point to remember is that your network savings are directly related to how much MPLS can be replaced and the magnitude of savings is related to the choice of internet last mile. For example, an asymmetrical connection such as cable or xDSL is the best effort capacity and offers significant discounts compared to MPLS. When exploring various SD WAN cost-saving solutions, look for a partner that can provide an unbiased opinion on a strategy that is crafted with your specific needs in mind.

2. Cut the Cost of Growth

Growth across multi-location businesses can be costly, but it has been found that those who leverage a software-defined WAN find a reduction in both infrastructure and network costs. SD WAN allows for enterprises to connect locations regardless of the connection type used. Enterprises are cutting down bandwidth costs by bonding or load-balancing across multiple links while providing more control over selecting the application consuming each link. Additionally, businesses are reducing hardware costs by replacing the majority of  devices with a single application that combining security, routing, Ethernet, and routing into a single device. Not to mention, most of the management and maintenance can be handled remotely.    

3. Reduce the Cost of Branch Security

Traditional network architectures found that enterprises backhauled internet traffic from the branch to a regional data center. This method wasted MPLS capacity, and significantly impacted IT budgets as a result. Software-defined WAN solutions alternatively open up the branch to the internet avoiding backhauling and conserving MPLS use. Furthermore, SD WAN solutions offer cloud-based security options with a scalable approach. By leveraging a partner with both network and security expertise, you are able to limit MPLS spend and apply enterprise-grade security to all network traffic, reducing overall branch security costs. 

4. Make the Most of Network Resources

SD WAN solutions enable enterprises to effectively leverage all of their available human and network connections to their full capacity. Implementing an SD WAN solution involves various centralized management features which allows for configurations and patches to be pushed from a single central location. This entails that a remote network engineer can roll out an updated to every site in your network in a matter minutes, saving manpower, time, and dollars.

SD WAN continues to push the needle as it enables more enterprises to maximize the performance of their applications across their networks while getting more network for the cost. Understanding the complexities of SDWAN and evaluating these solutions with a partner that has experience in all facets of this technology will not only benefit your bottom line, but deliver significant improvements in ROI.

Are you ready to get the most out of your software-defined WAN? 

At MacroNet, we partner with the industry’s leading networking service providers and our team specializes in crafting a solution that meets the strategic needs of your business. MacroNet is your trusted SD WAN partner that can deliver a networking strategy for today and the future.  Contact our team today to discuss how we can simplify the process of evaluating SD WAN solutions for your network.