Product spotlight: SD-WAN

Many partners know us best for connectivity. And for good reason – it’s a big part of what we do.

But for many customers, a strong connection is only the starting point. As they adopt more cloud applications, add new locations and rely on more connected systems, the demands placed on their network begin to change.

That’s why we’re shining a spotlight on SD-WAN – a flexible networking service that helps businesses get more from their connectivity and gives you another way to support customers as their requirements develop.

When connectivity isn’t the whole story

A customer’s network may have worked perfectly well when it was put in place. But businesses rarely stand still.

Perhaps they’ve moved more systems into the cloud, adopted Microsoft 365 or opened additional locations. Over time, that network can become harder to manage, with limited visibility, inconsistent application performance or growing complexity across different sites.

SD-WAN helps businesses respond to those challenges by bringing their connections together under software-driven control. It can direct traffic over the most suitable available route, apply consistent policies across different locations and give IT teams a clearer view of how the network is performing. It also makes it easier to scale the network and bring new locations online.

In practical terms, that means stronger application performance, greater resilience and a multi-site network that’s easier to manage and adapt as the business changes.

Support without adding complexity

SD-WAN can feel like a specialist area. But you don’t need to become an SD-WAN expert overnight to start talking about it with your customers.

From initial design and deployment through to ongoing management and optimisation, we work alongside you to shape and deliver the right solution. Our SD-WAN services are built on trusted Cisco technology, with a choice of Catalyst or Meraki depending on the customer’s requirements. We can also provide different levels of management and support, from initial design and deployment through to ongoing optimisation.

That means you can help customers address more complex networking requirements while drawing on our technical expertise, delivery experience and ongoing support.

We also know that different customers want different levels of control. Some have the in-house expertise to manage the service themselves. Others want Zen to stay involved, particularly as their network, priorities and business requirements change. We can provide the level of support that works for them.

Proven in the real world

Organisations across different industries are already using SD-WAN from Zen to modernise their networks and better support the way they operate.

Booths used SD-WAN to remove network bottlenecks, improve resilience and create a stronger foundation for the cloud applications and in-store technology its teams and customers increasingly rely on.

SSP adopted SD-WAN as part of a wider network modernisation programme across its large UK estate. The new setup made it easier to manage different types of application traffic, improve performance and support greater use of cloud-based services.

They’re different businesses with different requirements. But both needed a network that could keep pace with the way they now operate.

More opportunities for your customers

Many of your customers may already have reliable connectivity in place. The next question is whether their wider network is still supporting everything the business now asks of it.

Customers opening new locations, moving more applications into the cloud, experiencing performance issues or finding their network increasingly difficult to manage may all benefit from a conversation about SD-WAN.

For a closer look at how the service works and the options available, visit our SD-WAN page. You can also read the Booths and SSP customer stories to see how SD-WAN is already supporting two very different organisations.

And if any of this sounds familiar, speak to your account manager or contact us to explore whether SD-WAN could be a good fit for your customers.