Some businesses are seriously rethinking the role that traditional wide area network (WAN) technology plays for their voice and data networking infrastructure in the quest to reduce downtime and latency challenges. Hybrid/cloud architectures and the higher cost of adding locations also is a factor in those decisions. Andre Kindness, principal analyst at Forrester Research, said in research report last year that traditional networking is taking a backseat as new technologies advance. “More flexible models now prevail that democratize usage, allow mobility of people and devices, and empower everyone, not just networking pros, to exercise the right level of control of network resource consumption,” Kindness says.
With those kinds of issues in mind, Windstream announced on Thursday its software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) solution using VeloCloud for its business customers. Windstream’s says its SD-WAN solution offers businesses, including middle market customers, a more tailored, flexible, and controllable WAN experience.
“By including SD-WAN as another solution in our portfolio of managed WAN services, Windstream offers mid- to large-sized enterprise customers the same technology advantages that large enterprises enjoy, which include custom-designed networks and services, as well as a highly responsive support team,” Joe Harding, enterprise chief marketing officer at Windstream says.
The solution reportedly uses SDN to dynamically route traffic over a combination of private and public access types to reach multiple locations. Customers maintain control over their network from a centralized location rather than requiring them to manage various routers, firewalls, and switches. It also is said to simplify management and monitoring by presenting comprehensive information to the customer in a unified management console.
“Businesses in every industry, including ours, are looking for competitive advantages such as increased agility and cost efficiencies that come from software-defined networks,” Glen Holroyd, director of IT at Kona Grill, comments. “We chose Windstream’s SD-WAN solution because it integrates a hybrid network, leading technology from VeloCloud, and a full suite of voice and data solutions.”
Features of Windstream’s SD-WAN solution reportedly include simplified network management, increased efficiency and resiliency, scalability, and data safety.
