ChannelVision Playbook 13

technologies. Technologies have to be proven to work, and they have to be something that will be stable over the next five to 10 years at minimum. So we’re actually starting to see that adoption. More government and higher education agencies are moving towards SD-WAN.” What can’t be forgotten is how SD- WAN is being perceived by government purchasers. After all, while SD-WAN may be a household name to agents who are immersed in the technology on a daily basis, it’s important to remember that it’s still a relatively new concept. “There’s certainly still some educa- tion that’s required when selling, and that’s not even just within government agencies,” Whittington explained. “We see that in enterprises as well. For ex- ample, we do a lot of complex network designs, and that’s typically when we see a learning curve, as far as how everything gets integrated. You can’t just plug in the box and go.” The most important takeaway for channel partners is that there is still plenty of time to implement SD-WAN before the big election season ramps up. It largely depends on whether an agency is in a position to make the leap, and whether they feel SD-WAN will align with their budget. “If they’re ready to go, and they know SD-WAN is a solution that will work for them, the logistics of the de- ployment are really the lowest concern because we can build out rapidly,” Whit- tington said. Sometimes, an agency – much like an enterprise – will need some guid- ance to make sure SD-WAN is the right solution. “We are always happy to walk through and figure out what is the underlying reason for them looking for this solution, and whether that is the right thing to do. Oftentimes, there are integrations and complexi- ties on their networks that we need to take into consideration. When that happens, a deployment can take lon- ger,” said Whittington. “But actually, doing the implementation is relatively quick.” With this in mind, channel partners should be thinking about both short term and long-term gains in the govern- ment SD-WAN market. “I think local governments are a great place to start,” Whittington said. “This is mostly because they are more numerous, and more flexible with their ability to adopt new technologies. The federal government is a little bit slower. Whereas we’ve worked with city agencies and departments that are able to move on technologies quicker because they don’t have to go through as large as an approval pro- cess. So for channel partners looking for quicker opportunities, the local and state level as a great arena to play in. I think the federal government will not be long off [with SD-WAN].” o Take control of your future by establishing a UCaaS customer base that YOU invoice. Becoming a Reseller is easy and now is the perfect time to make the transition. Increase the Valuation of Your Company in 2020 & Beyond Partnering with 2600Hz Lets You: Control Your Margins Increase Revenue Own the Customer Experience Easily Expand Your Market Capitalize on Your Expertise Learn more at info.2600hz.com/partner sales@2600Hz.com / 415-886-7900 21 THE CHANNEL MANAGER’S PLAYBOOK