Is Software-Defined Networking Right for Your Small Business?

For small and medium-sized businesses, resiliency and productivity arekey in all things, networking included. And for those looking for a morecost-effective and efficient way to deploy and manage legacy networks,software-defined wide area networking, or SD-WAN,can help.

The Benefits of SD-WAN for Small Businesses

Still an emerging technology, SD-WAN sees large adoption rates: About two-thirds of IT professionals recently reported they already have some of their WAN software-defined, while half have active SD-WAN projects. The enthusiasm for the tech comes down to its ability to help businesses find the fastest way to direct a connection for any application on the network. This capability promises to make network management more agile while cutting costs.

When you don't have a lot of people who can support your ITinfrastructure, you are happy that you implemented SD-WAN so that you don'thave to worry about the network, because the network can take care of itself,says Puneet Duggal, Networking Solutions Architect at CDW Canada.

Not to mention that businesses can boost thecustomer experience by tapping into SD-WANeffectively. The tech allows for better visibility into networks, wherecustomers are using it and where spikes are occurring. And as customer behaviourschange, SD-WAN allows businesses to improve tracking and adjust connectivityappropriately.

Moreover, with SD-WAN, companies can deliver personalized offers tocustomers once they connect to the network.

SD-WAN Lets Businesses Double Down on Connectivity

Having SD-WAN is a great place to start when it comes to building a morerobust network infrastructure, creating a pathway for SMBs to plan for possibleinternet outages. Alongside SD-WAN, adding a backup ISP or cellularconnection to a business's network can be a great way to ensure your entirebusiness doesn't shut down without a connection.

SD-WAN also offers several other benefits.

We have a school district board that has implemented SD-WAN with leanIT that provides them the visibility, cost savings, automation and security allin a single pane of glass, says Ali Syed, Networking Solutions Architect atCDW Canada.

How SMBs Can Get Started with SD-WAN

If your interest is piqued, the next step is to lay the groundwork for asuccessful deployment.

Properlyassessing network and infrastructure can go a longway in preventing hiccups in SD-WAN deployments.

A good place to start is to request a site survey from a third party inorder to better understand any challenges that might arise.

From there, IT teams should look to test network connections to ensurethey're robust enough for an effective SD-WAN deployment, keeping an eye outfor latency issues.

Last, for small and medium-sized businesses, a successful SD-WANadoption often depends on having a good vendor partner. Most SMBs are stretchedthin when it comes to IT if they even have an IT department so thirdparties can help to effectively manage and troubleshoot deployments.

While it may seem as if SD-WAN is just for the big guys, small and medium-sizedbusinesses can truly make the most of this technology and see networking and cost benefits toboot. All they have to do is take the plunge.

To learn more about CDW's solutions for smallbusinesses, visit our SmallBusiness page.