As a business owner, you know how important it is to provide a secure communications platform to your staff, especially if you have numerous locations, multiple applications, and a dispersed workforce. Traditional PBX may no longer be viable in supporting your dynamic and diverse application environment. So what is the ideal communications, and how do you ensure that your staff can efficiently and reliably connect with one another and their systems? This blog will help you to choose between DIY and Managed SD-WAN.
For many organizations, an SD-WAN architecture is the best option. This leads to the question of whether you should keep SD-WAN in-house or outsource managed SD-WAN to a service provider.
But before we delve into which one is the ideal option; we need to understand what SD-WAN management is all about.
What is SD-WAN?
SD-WAN is an abbreviation for “Software-defined Wide Area Network.” A wide area network [WAN] is a data network, normally used for connecting computers that extends to a wide geographical area. It is usually used by large organizations to assist in the exchange of data. However, even small organizations are now utilizing WANS in order to increase their communications capabilities.
Initially, wide area networks were created to carry just voice alone, connecting PBXs in remote offices together. This means the dispersed phone system used to work as if it was in one location. But today, wide area networks can also carry data as well as image transmission to allow functionality like video conferencing.
So, in general, SD-WAN enables organizations to leverage all software applications across numerous locations with high performance, providing improved user experience and lowering maintenance costs on a highly secure platform.
DIY or Managed SD-WAN
When it comes to deploying SD-WAN, companies have two options: to do it themselves or to outsource it to SD-WAN service providers. Each of these options has its own benefits. Let’s delve into them.
DIY Approach
Pros
- The do it yourself approach gives enterprises full reign of their network
- It is ideal for larger organizations that have employees with technological know-how to deploy and configure these networks in the best way possible.
- It will save the organization the money they could have used to pay the outsourcing company
- Letting your IT staff deploy SD-WAN is perfect because they have worked with the company for a very long time so they understand its connectivity and security needs.
Managed SD-WAN
Pros
- It is perfect for small companies that may not have adequate IT staff who can deploy SD-WAN effectively
- Your business gets its security needs handled by experts
- It can save a company some money because they won’t have to hire full-time staff to deploy SD-WAN
- Organizations can connect with public cloud services such as Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services
Who needs a DIY vs. Managed SD-WAN?
A company that has a large in-house team of IT professionals can opt for a DIY approach. That’s because their IT team can install, manage, and monitor the network on their own once they have selected and purchased an SD-WAN product.
On the other hand, a company with a small IT department that already has plenty of responsibilities needs to go for the managed SD-WAN. The IT staff may not have the time or experience to install, manage, and monitor the SD-WAN network, hence needing an extra helping hand. This makes outsourcing SD-WAD a perfect option.
