Product Vendors These are the companies that develop the software, products and solutions that deliver the technology of SD-WAN. These entities fall into two basic camps: those which are “pure-play” SD-WAN vendors and entered the market directly from start-up mode; and those which have their roots in some other related technology, typically networking or security. Though neither group carries a distinct advantage against the other, it’s important to keep in mind that the latter category comes to SD-WAN as an extension of their previous strategy. Buyers will therefore want to evaluate these offerings based on their specific functionality, and further remember that SD-WAN products and solutions are rarely fully interoperable between one vendor and another. Vendors of the technology often rely upon MSPs and Carriers to manage and offer their products, though some also have their own professional services arms. Buying a vendor’s native technology solution may often require deployment and management of the SD-WAN network. MSPs This category may, in many respects, function in a model very similar to the carrier, except that MSPs are not likely to have their own network beyond, perhaps bundling third-party on-ramps to the network of a much larger service provider. MSPs use vendor products mentioned above, sometimes with a portfolio of vendors to choose from, to deliver a turn-key SD-WAN solution and are not themselves the technology developer of SD-WAN. MSPs will argue that they are the best choice for SD-WAN implementations because some offer the ability to aggregate billing and support of circuits from various carriers and serve as a single throat to choke, or back to pat, with no finger pointing. However, to some extent this is something a carrier can offer as well. MSPs can often optimize a given solution to your needs and be able to function in a mode very similar to consultants (see below). Carriers Carriers typically offer SD-WAN as an add-on service to their data circuits and related offerings, and act as an MSP. Most carrier providers have taken the step of selling SD-WAN without requiring any of their circuits as part of the solution, however about one-in-five require at least some portion of the SD-WAN network to run over their own data network. This is a smart approach to combat one of the standalone SD-WAN solution providers key differentiators – the independence of network providers. Carriers will argue that owning the network provides them a better end-to-end experience of the implementation. The SD-WAN solutions are based on the vendor technologies mentioned above. This may come as a one-size-fits-all type of proposition; in which case you won’t be able to make vendor selections or choose among other options for the underlying technology. But what you give up in terms of choices may be counterbalanced through greatly enhanced simplicity, plus the ability to negotiate lower rates by signing up for a more expansive service package. On the other hand, the more your communications needs are met by any one single source, the more you become susceptible to outages, carrier-targeted security breaches, and other issues. Consultant/Agent/Reseller/Trusted Advisor This segment of the industry typically does not have an internally developed product or technology. They instead are designed to function as independent entities that can help you sort through the available options based on the specifics needs, budgets, and legacy infrastructure of your company. Their role is to do the necessary legwork, understanding the differentiators among the various offerings as well as those of the vendors that provide them. Aside from helping with the pre-sales phase of the engagement, they can also play a key role in deployment, optimization, support, training, and other facets of technology. Copyright © 2019 AVANT Communications, Inc. 16