ChannelVision Playbook 13

As a matter of fact, according to IDC and Dell’Oro Group, the SD-WAN market is predicted to grow between 35 percent and 40 percent each year during the next five years. Many in the IT so- lution provider market have taken notice and are seeing more and more customers asking, “Should I build this in-house, or should I outsource it to a managed service provider?” While there is no definitive answer for all sce- narios, we can shed some light on several key areas customers should be thinking about and considering as they evaluate the options. Size Does Matter Choosing between in-house (or DIY) and a managed SD-WAN service can come down to the size of the organization. Smaller companies in which the WAN is less critical or that have limited staff may find that taking the managed approach is a good option (perhaps they want to save cost, but setting super granular policies is less impor- tant). The smallest companies are much less likely to need a managed service provider (MSP), as they might just be able to connect directly to the internet. For organizations that only have a SD-WAN MSP or DIY G rowth of software-defined WANs (SD-WANs) continues at an impressive pace. Considering the cost savings from MPLS, the flexibility for application performance, ease of management and the security benefits for branch offices, it’s not hard to understand why. Key considerations for companies comparing DIY vs. outsourced SD-WAN By John Smith 22 THE CHANNEL MANAGER’S PLAYBOOK