Getting new skills needed to support emergent technology

Delivering the new services in demand requires that MSPs are equipped with the appropriate knowledge of software. Thus, MSPs are now working with software engineers with programming skills and enlists them to work in a network operations centre. MSPs are now finding the need to dispatch router specialists become less and less to each remote location, it’s an era ending.

There are already a number of start-ups vending the SD-WAN platforms. However, there I fierce competition from the original providers of routers and WAN optimization appliances who already have a lot of the infrastructure and command a good share of the market. There are expected to be mergers and acquisitions as both sides to the business have something strong to offer and in so doing can reach out to a larger share of the market. MSPs can no longer ignore how big SD-WAN has become and the opportunities that it is offering.

Why Businesses consider SD-WAN most effective

Businesses in 2017 are in the middle of some of the biggest technology revolutions. These are disruptive technologies relating to Cloud, Mobility and SaaS. These advancements will change the face of enterprise IT, alongside how organizations employ data and applications. This change is more evident than ever as more and more businesses have adopted new models such as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS). This a departure from hosting some of the most sensitive infrastructure critical for their mission on their business premises. These applications have had a big impact on the productivity and execution of business activities. This has made it clear to the IT managers and MSPs that their long-standing networks are no longer suited for the revamped face of their market. Many of them, including Mike Crisci, have thus stepped up their game and have turned to Software-Defined Wide Area Networks or SD-WANs.

Staying Afloat on the Network Transformation Wave

IDC released a report which estimated that the SD-WAN revenues will exceed $6 billion in the year 2020. This estimation was based on a steady growth rate pegged at 90 % to cover the the 2015-2020 forecast period. This rapid growth stems from an industry’s strong need for SD-WAN and the numerous opportunities that it is opening up for businesses – both the existing and new ones. This prediction was made on the basis of the growth the cloud, demand for streamlined branch office networks and the need for businesses to reduce MPLS costs.

This view on the exponential growth of the SD-WAN is also supported by another survey on the Trends in Data Centre Networking which was done by the research firm ESG. The research highlighted that there was need for a comprehensive solution that would also be deemed cost effective, ensure security, and be able to address a high availability. These were cited as main reasons that were influencing the CIOs and IT managers into considering the adoption of SD-WAN network solutions.

In the Asia Pacific region, the quality and speed of the internet have improved dramatically. The potential for SD-WAN in the area is thus very high, first due to the populous nature of the place and the fact that IT leaders are working on reducing their dependence on MPLS. On the other hand, CIOs in the region are focused on higher speeds, reducing costs, security and good application performance. These form part of their priorities as they seek to improve the efficiency of their global networks.