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underlying network architectures. On-premises deployments aren’t ideal for every company, though. Virtual deployments, for instance, can be better- suited for large enterprises that are tak- ing a software-centric approach. Ecessa, for instance, offers a VMware virtual in- stance that the company can deploy for customers in this situation. “Virtualization is the wave of the future, but it’s trending the same way as the cloud in that it’s only really happening in some of the larger, more progressive enterprises,” Siegler added. “It hasn’t spread into the middle market where there are millions of users still buying boxes for things like firewalls.” Some environments, like a coffee shop chain, may be bet- ter-served with a cloud-based solution that can be easily deployed and managed. Not all busi- nesses require deep levels of visibility and control over their traffic. Bigleaf co-founder and vice presi- dent of sales Jeff Burchett offered some advice for talking to customers about SD-WANs in terms of the end- use purposes and applications. “If there is one thing I can’t stress enough to partners, it’s to make SD-WAN a cloud conversation, not a telecom con- versation,” said Burchett. “If the SD-WAN value is framed around telecom, MPLS and cost, it’s dramatically limiting that val- ue for both the customer and the partner. Once the customer sees SD-WAN as criti- cal to the deployment and success of their cloud and SaaS solutions, the table is set for the partner. This is the point when the partner moves from being a trusted tele- com advisor, to a trusted cloud advisor.” The real value of the network, he ex- plained, is its ability to reliably transport and support key business applications. Without critical business applications such as UCaaS-based voice and video, in other words, the network is point- less. And UCaaS, for that matter, is now growing at an annualized growth rate of about 29 percent per year. “It’s been that way since I entered this industry and will not change,” Bur- chett said about the network. “What is changing is where those appli- cations live and what is required to support them. So, if you want to see where SD- WAN is headed, look where applications are headed … to the cloud. In our opinion, SD-WAN is not disrupting the MPLS or private WAN market because the cloud has already done so. Whether it was point-to- points, frame relay or MPLS, we’ve been designing hub and spoke networks for a long time because the value of the network was in connecting the remote locations back to some sort of main location, where the applications lived on servers.” In today’s environment, Burchett added, those applications are moving away from a main location and to mul- tiple cloud and SaaS providers. “This means the hub and spoke net- work has to evolve,” Burchett said. “The value of getting back to the ‘main location’ is lessening at the same rate the need to get to the cloud is growing. It’s time for customers to start thinking about how to purpose-build connectivity to the cloud, be- cause that’s where their applications live.” “The conversation has to revolve around the applications,” Siegler contin- ued. “Customers are not asking about SD-WAN to save money on their MPLS networks. Rather, they are asking about why they even need an MPLS network. They are talking about cloud and SaaS migration and the new challenges these migrations are presenting. They are also asking how they can ensure that they can run their applications and sup- port their end users without internet related-issues crippling their business.” Cybersecurity, for instance, is a ma- jor point of focus right now and a top concern for enterprises when consi- dering cloud migrations. “I see security being more important than ever,” said Siegler. “The topic has recently shifted away from questions like ‘Where is my firewall?’ to ‘What is my overall security solution?’ A lot of security providers, in other words, are now ex- panding what they offer. Instead of just offering something like a firewall, they are now offering services like intrusion detection, issue response and proactive consulting on a more holistic level.” Siegler maintains that it’s critical to have access to partners that are best- in-class, for specific security functions. People who say they can put everything in one box typically don’t give the best of any one feature, he said. You need peo- ple who are experts in security and SD- WAN, just like you need people who are experts in core switching and PBX for a VoIP deployment. It’s all about building confidence in specific areas. “Agents need to be looking into where their customers are most ex- posed, how they are at risk and how their current architecture is supporting their security needs,” Siegler explained. As Burchett added, though, it’s important to be careful not to be too pushy when approaching customers about security. “Customers are looking for SD-WAN solutions that complement their secu- rity strategy. If your proposed SD-WAN solution involves dramatically altering or replacing their firewall and security services, you are going to have a tougher sale than if your SD-WAN is transparent to their chosen security solution.” o 1 Future of the Enterprise WAN: Too Complex to Ignore? The Future of SD-WAN. Today. Q14 How familiar would you say you are with SD-WAN as a technology? 28 % Unfamiliar 56 % Somewhat familiar 16 % Very familiar Q16 Q15 Q17 Do you have or are you planning to deploy SD-WAN? To what degree has SD-WAN impacted or do you anticipate will impact your investment in the following technologies? When considering an SD-WAN, which of the following factors would you consider to be the biggest barriers to inves men ? 14 % SD-WAN in 12 months 13 % Have SD-WAN 21 % No plans 30 % Considering SD-WAN 22 % I don’t know 49% Maturity of existing SD-WAN offerings 47% Cost of new equipment/services 41% Internet performance characteristics (latency, packet loss etc.) 29% Security gaps created in the network 21% Additional complexity 2% Other Internet services MPLS services Network security appliances Routers WAN optimization appliances Decreased No impact Increased 75 % 11 % 54 % 35 % 13 % 59 % 28 % 5 % 58 % 37 % 26 % 47 % 27 % 6 % 59 % 28 % Source: Cato Networks Sur vey virtual reality May - June, 2018 | Channel Vision 25