By: John Shepler

Going digital can be great for business until you hit roadblocks trying to make it work. One of these unexpected hurdles is the need for way more internet bandwidth than you anticipated. You can struggle to make it work without going bankrupt, or you can use managed SD-WAN to make your connectivity invisible.

Why Is Connectivity Such a Big Deal Now?

When your business was primarily physical, a standard broadband connection for internet access was probably enough. It worked for point of sale, online ordering, and even a simple website.

Then came the digital shift. First, internet phone systems replaced traditional landlines. Online ordering, automated inventory, cloud-based customer and financial management, marketing, and more followed. As software piled up, some processes moved to cloud servers, while others stayed in your local data center.

That old broadband connection is no longer enough. Even increasing the speed doesn’t always fix the issues. Calls are sometimes choppy, and work slows down intermittently. This inconsistency is frustrating because you never know when things will work smoothly or crawl to a halt. You need a better solution.

The Pricey Solution: Building Your Own WAN Network

You can avoid many internet inconsistencies, particularly on shared connections, by creating a private network. This means moving everything you can off the public internet. All connections to branches, warehouses, factories, and cloud services can be made with dedicated private lines. However, each line is expensive, and you need many.

MPLS networks with performance guarantees can reduce costs for geographically dispersed operations. MPLS is a private Wide Area Network with enhanced security compared to the public internet. It’s for business subscribers only, and access is contingent on the network’s capacity. MPLS is generally cheaper than private lines for multiple locations, but still costly.

Managed SD-WAN: A More Cost-Effective Approach

SD-WAN stands for Software Defined Wide Area Networking. The “software defined” part is where the savings come from, and the “managed” aspect takes the burden of running it off your shoulders. Managed SD-WAN, when implemented correctly, makes connectivity seamless and worry-free.

Here’s how SD-WAN works: it uses the most cost-effective connections available while maintaining quality. Shared connections like cable broadband and wireless are the cheapest but prone to congestion and performance fluctuations. Dedicated private lines are the most expensive but might be wasted on low-priority, less demanding tasks.

SD-WAN requires at least two connections, which can be a combination of cable broadband, fiber optic WAN, fixed wireless, satellite broadband, cellular, MPLS, or even older technologies like T1, PRI, or DS3.

SD-WAN constantly analyzes the performance of each connection, tracking bandwidth, latency, jitter, and packet loss. It assigns traffic based on your required quality of service. For instance, video calls need stable connections and get higher priority, while backups can use lower quality links.

Improved Performance, Lower Costs, Reduced Hassles

With Managed SD-WAN, your provider handles everything, so you don’t have to deal with daily connectivity issues. You simply add locations or policies as needed, and the provider configures the system. It’s seamless for you and significantly cheaper than managing a complex network yourself.

If you’re tired of connectivity problems and want a simpler, more reliable solution, get a quote from one or more SD-WAN providers. They can help you save money and boost performance simultaneously.