Produced by In partnership with

SD-WAN
STRATEGIES
SURVEY REPORT

Sponsors
“WHILE PRICING
WILL CERTAINLY BE A
PART OF THE MIX IN
GAINING CUSTOMERS,
OPERATORS BELIEVE
THAT AUTOMATION WILL
BE ONE OF THE KEYS
TO DIFFERENTIATION.
ANOTHER KEY WILL
COME THROUGH
VIRTUALIZATION,
THOUGH CHALLENGES
REMAIN.”

2 SD-WAN STRATEGIES SURVEY REPORT

Contents
INTRODUCTION.................................... 04
Network operators have big plans and high
expectations for SD-WANs, but many vital decisions
remain to be made. This global survey, jointly
conducted by Light Reading/Heavy Reading and
MEF, offers an in-depth perspective on this critical
technology.
ON THE ROAD TO PROFITS................. 06
It's still early days for managed SD-WAN services,
but operators know the stakes are high. Honing
their business models and differentiating in the right
places will be key to their success – or failure.
GETTING SD-WAN RIGHT FOR
THE ENTERPRISE................................... 10
Operators need to respond quickly to increasing
enterprise demand for SD-WANs, but they also need
to act smartly to get their services right – offering
the features that their customers require, but also
meeting revenue and profitability goals.
SD-WAN STRATEGIES SURVEY REPORT
SD-WAN SERVICE ASSURANCE:
SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT..................... 14
Service assurance is critical for the creation of
effective SD-WAN services. But the future of service
assurance will be reshaped by the adoption of
application-aware service assurance, enhanced with
integrated automation capabilities.
TOWARD VISIBILITY AND
ACCOUNTABILITY................................ 20
SD-WAN performance management and application
intelligence presents a crucial challenge. Operators
have a good idea which features and functions will be
most important to their customers, but they have not
yet taken the steps to implement them.
SD-WAN: YOU WANT SECURITY
WITH THAT?.......................................... 24
Security is an essential factor in the overall SD-
WAN value equation. Here we consider what steps
operators are taking to address security, which
service delivery models they will support, and
timelines for the implementation of key features.
3
Introduction
Light Reading/Heavy Reading and MEF
are excited to share the results of our first
joint global SD-WAN services survey, which
is also Light Reading's largest and most
comprehensive operator survey on SD-WAN
ever. Thanks to our five sponsors, we can deliver
the full results to the industry to help network
operators make the best decisions for their own
SD-WAN strategies moving forward.
T
he study focuses specifically on
managed software-defined wide-
area network (SD-WAN) services
offered by network operators to enterprise
customers. Working closely with our
sponsors, we carved the survey into five
main sections:
• Operator business strategies for SD-WAN
• Enterprise requirements for SD-WAN
managed services
• Application-oriented service assurance
in SD-WAN services
• SD-WAN performance management
and application intelligence
• Security strategies for SD-WANs
We conducted the survey in September
2018 and solicited responses by email
invitations to Light Reading's database
of network operators worldwide. After
removing incomplete surveys and
verifying respondents as working for
network operators, we ended up with the
111 qualified respondents that make up
the final survey group. All the survey data
detailed in this report comes from these
111 network operator employees. All
4 SD-WAN STRATEGIES SURVEY REPORT
these operators have either launched or
plan to launch managed SD-WANs.
Our survey group represents a broad mix
of geographies. The largest percentage,
at 46%, are based in North America
(primarily the U.S.). The second-largest
percentage comes from the EMEA region,
at 27%, and represented primarily by
Europe. Asia/Pacific operators constitute
17% of respondents, and the remaining
10% come from Central/South America,
which also includes Mexico.
A broad mix of company sizes is also
represented in the survey group. Roughly
one third of respondents (31%) come
from Tier 1 operators generating $5 billion
or more in annual revenue. Another third
of respondents (33%) work for operators
that generate $200 million to $1 billion in
revenue. Finally, 36% of respondents were
from operators earning less than $200
million annually.
Just over half of respondents work for
converged communications service
providers that have both fixed and
mobile businesses. Mobile-only service
providers represent 24% of the group.
A much smaller percentage – just 13%
– work for fixed-only providers. Cable
and satellite providers make up 8% of
respondents, while remainder identified
themselves as "other."
For the respondents individually, technical
roles dominate. The largest percentage
(30%) are in engineering or R&D roles,
followed by network operations (22%) and
network planning/design (21%). Sales
and marketing employees and corporate
management each account for 9% of
respondents, while 3% are in IT.
The individual sections in this report
will detail the current state and likely
future trajectory of SD-WANs, based
on operators' understanding and
expectations. At a high level, contrary to
what the news and hype would indicate,
it's still early days for network operators in
managed SD-WAN services. Most of our
survey group has not launched SD-WANs
commercially, but they have big plans and
high expectations for the future.
While pricing will certainly be a part of
the mix in gaining customers, operators
believe that automation will be one of
the keys to differentiation. Another key
will come through virtualization, though
challenges remain. Other issues that
loom large for operators are meeting
customer demands and expectations
on security and service assurance. The
road ahead will not be easy, but for
operators that get it right, the results will
be worthwhile. Our goal in this survey
is to provide valuable insights to help
operators navigate that road. n
Profile of Survey Respondents

Where is your company located?

Report Authors

Author: Sterling Perrin

U.S..................................................................................................................................................................... 43.2% Principal Analyst
Canada................................................................................................................................................................2.7%
Central / South America (including Mexico & the Caribbean)..................................................................9.9% Heavy Reading
Europe............................................................................................................................................................... 25.2%
Middle East / Africa..........................................................................................................................................1.8%
Asia/Pacific (including Australia)................................................................................................................ 17.1% Sterling has more than 15 years'
experience in telecommunications
as an industry analyst and journalist.
His coverage areas at Heavy Reading
are optical networking and SDN. He
What type of communications What is your company’s also authors Heavy Reading's Packet-
service provider (CSP) do you annual revenue? Enabled Optical Networking Market
work for? Tracker and Next-Gen Core Packet-
Optical Market Tracker.

Author: Jim Hodges

Principal Analyst
Heavy Reading

Jim leads Heavy Reading's research on

Fixed network CSP........................... 13.5% Less than $50 million...................... 18.0%
Mobile network CSP........................ 24.3% $50 million to $200 million............. 18.0%
Converged network CSP $200 million to $500 million............ 8.1%
(fixed and mobile)............................. 50.5% $500 million to $1 billion................. 13.5%
Cable or satellite CSP........................ 8.1% $1 billion to $5 billion....................... 11.7%
Other CSP............................................ 3.6% $5 billion to $10 billion...................... 9.9%
More than $10 billion....................... 20.7%
the impact of the NFV-enabled virtualized
cloud on the control plane and application
layers, both in the fixed and mobile core
and at the enterprise edge. Jim also
focuses on the security impacts that cloud
and emerging cloud-based technologies
such as 5G introduce from a cyber-threat
detection perspective, as well as the
business opportunities associated with
delivery of security capabilities via a
managed services model.

SD-WAN STRATEGIES SURVEY REPORT 5

 SD-WAN
BUSINESS CASES
Author: Sterling Perrin, Principal Analyst, Heavy Reading

SD-WANs have been high in the hype cycle for some time, but managed SD-WANs are an
early-stage market with little road behind and many miles of road ahead. Most operators
have yet to launch managed SD-WANs, and those that have made initial launches are
still trying to understand the market dynamics and their customers' real needs. Making
the right technology decisions is important, but if operators don't also make the right
business decisions, they are on a road to failure. This section of the survey focuses on
operator business strategies for managed SD-WAN services and explores questions
around how to turn technology into revenue.

KEY TAKEAWAYS
By Year 3 of deployment, 58% of respondents see a significant boost in SD-WAN
and expect the new service to account for 10-30% of total enterprise revenue.
Furthermore, by Year 5 of deployment, nearly a third of operators surveyed believe
SD-WAN will account for at least half of their total enterprise services revenue.

Operators see VNFs as a major differentiator for their SD-WAN services, but they
want the freedom to select best-of-breed VNFs among multiple suppliers. Nearly
half of the survey group said they prefer separate VNFs for common functions
including routing, firewalls and WAN optimization.

35% of operators surveyed expect a moderate negative impact on their existing

MPLS business as SD-WAN increases. Nearly a quarter expect a neutral impact,
as they believe their SD-WAN and MPLS applications will remain largely separate.
Interestingly, 18% foresee that SD-WAN will deliver some benefits, helping them to
preserve or win MPLS business moving forward.

6 SD-WAN STRATEGIES SURVEY REPORT

On the Road to Profits
It's still early days for managed SD-WAN services, but operators know the
stakes are high. They have big plans – and high expectations – over the next
five years. Honing their business models and differentiating in the right places
will be key to their success – or failure.

T
he constant flow of SD-WAN
press releases would indicate
that SD-WAN has been rolled out
nearly everywhere, but our survey results
show that this is not the case. Just 18%
of operators surveyed reported that they
have already implemented SD-WAN
commercially. Another 25% reported
that they are currently building their
SD-WAN, so deployment rates should
rise significantly by year's end. Within the
next year, 23% more operators surveyed
expect commercial launches. All told,
within the next 24 months, more than
80% of operators will have commercial
SD-WANs in place, based on our results.
need to be in place before the services
can launch. Nearly half (45%) said they
have selected an initial SD-WAN vendor
but are also looking to add at least one
more supplier. Another 23% of operators
reported that they already have multiple
SD-WAN vendors. Multiple SD-WAN
vendors is the clear trend, with just 4%
indicating that they are satisfied with
a single vendor. Many operators are
still deciding on vendor selection: 28%
reported that they have not made any SD-
WAN vendor decisions yet.
In a crowded market, differentiation will
be critical to success and profitability.
We asked operators which features they
will use to differentiate from competitors.
Lower cost is critical but not the most
significant differentiator, according to
our respondents. Topping the list was
integration of functions (selected by 66%),
followed closely by quicker deployment
(65%) and lower costs (59%). After this,
feature priorities dropped off sharply.
Results indicate that, while most early
SD-WAN deployments are standalone,
network functions virtualization (NFV)
combined with universal customer
premises equipment (CPE) will be key to
operators' success strategies. >

Naturally, expectations for SD-WAN

revenue contributions are modest in
the near term, but survey respondents
Which of the following statements best matches your company's
expect SD-WAN to be a major contributor
current position regarding SD-WAN?
to overall enterprise revenues within
the next three years. Most respondents We have already implemented a commercial SD-WAN solution 18.0%
(59%) expect SD-WAN to constitute less
than 10% of their companies' enterprise
revenue in the first year of deployment. We are now building a commercial SD-WAN solution 25.2%
However, by Year 3 of deployment, 58%
of respondents see a significant increase
and expect SD-WAN to account for 10-
We plan to implement a commercial SD-WAN solution within the next 12 months 22.5%
30% of total enterprise revenue. And by
Year 5 of deployment, nearly one third of
operators surveyed believe SD-WAN will
account for at least half of their enterprise We plan to implement a commercial SD-WAN solution in 12 to 24 months 16.2%

services revenue.

Regarding SD-WAN vendor selection, We plan to implement a commercial SD-WAN solution but have not yet defined the timeline 18.0%
operators are further along – not
surprising, since vendor selections

SD-WAN STRATEGIES SURVEY REPORT 7

 Which features will your company use to differentiate its SD-WAN offerings from competitors? (choose all that apply)

Lower cost 58.6% Quicker deployment Tunnel-free/bandwidth Integrated functions Fast failovers 36.9% Other 6.3%
64% savings 35.1% 65.8%

Operators report that pricing models from
their SD-WAN vendors are widely varied
at this early stage, and no clear model
emerged in our survey. The major models
in play are:
• One-time costs for hardware (non-
recurring) and recurring license fees for
software usage, feature licenses and
support per device, selected by 25% of
respondents
x86-based. Another 29% said they
preferred to buy their SD-WAN hardware
independent from SD-WAN vendors, with
the flexibility to use any software vendor
of their choice. Still, flexibility did not
completely dominate the results: Nearly
one third (30%) prefer either COTS/x86
hardware tied to a single vendor or a
customized hardware appliance locked
to a SD-WAN vendor.
Operators see virtualized network
functions (VNFs) as a major differentiator
for their SD-WAN services, but they want
the freedom to select best-of-breed VNFs
among multiple suppliers. Nearly half of
the survey group said they prefer separate
VNFs for common functions, including
routing, firewalls and WAN optimization.
One quarter of respondents prefer to
integrate these common functions into

• One-time costs for hardware and

recurring license fees for network-wide
What impact do you expect SD-WAN to have on your company's
software usage, selected by 19%
MPLS business?
• One-time costs for hardware and Significant negative impact – SD-WAN will largely cannibalize our MPLS business 3.6%
recurring license fees for software
usage and support per device, selected
by 18% Moderate negative impact – SD-WAN will cannibalize a limited amount of our existing MPLS business 34.6%

• One-time costs for both hardware and

Neutral impact – MPLS and SD-WAN applications are largely separate 24.6%
software, with recurring support costs
per device, selected by 17%
Moderate positive impact – we see some upside in winning/preserving MPLS business based on
Operators prefer to buy their SD-WAN SD-WAN 18.2%
appliances from a trusted SD-WAN
vendor but also want the flexibility to
Significant positive impact – SD-WAN will revolutionize our MPLS business and generate
switch over to a different software significant MPLS growth 11.8%
vendor in the future, without changing
hardware. In our survey, 41% of
respondents said they preferred this Not applicable – we do not offer MPLS 7.3%
model, with hardware appliances being
commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) or

8 SD-WAN STRATEGIES SURVEY REPORT

"OPERATORS SEE VIRTUALIZED NETWORK
FUNCTIONS (VNFS) AS A MAJOR
DIFFERENTIATOR FOR THEIR SD-WAN SERVICES."

a single VNF, and another quarter will let
customers choose integrated functions or
separate VNFs for their SD-WANs.
Impacts on MPLS services remains a hot
topic in SD-WAN, since the answer won't
really be known until SD-WANs scale
beyond their initial, limited deployments. In
several surveys, we've polled operators on
their expectations for MPLS cannibalization,
and the results from this latest poll show
expectations remain consistent. 35% of
operators surveyed expect a moderate
negative impact on their existing MPLS
business as SD-WAN increases. Nearly
one quarter expect a neutral impact, as
they believe their SD-WAN and MPLS
applications will remain largely separate.
Interestingly, 18% foresee some benefits,
as SD-WAN will help them to preserve or
win MPLS business moving forward. And
significantly, just 7% of operators surveyed
said they do not offer MPLS services.
Multi-cloud is another hot topic in
What percentage of your
enterprise services. We asked operators
SD-WAN customers will
what percentage of their SD-WAN
require connectivity to
customers will require connectivity to
multiple clouds?
multiple clouds. Results indicate a wide
range of connectivity options. Just over
half of respondents expect that fewer
than 40% of their customers will connect
to multiple clouds, but 41% of the survey
group expects that more than 40% of their
customers will connect to multiple clouds.
Finally, we asked operators to identify the
network attributes for which they currently
offer service-level agreements (SLAs)
to their customers. Topping the list of
attributes was reliability or uptime (selected
by 66% of respondents) followed by end-
to-end quality-of-service (QoS) monitoring Less than 20%....................................19.1%
20% to 40%.........................................32.7%
(55%) and security (54%). At the lower end 40% to 60%.........................................24.6%
of the group were performance (46%), 60% to 80%............................................10%
More than 80%.....................................5.5%
scalability (39%) and VoIP performance/ Don't know / Not sure.........................8.2%
mean opinion scores (36%). n

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SD-WAN STRATEGIES SURVEY REPORT 9

 SD-WAN MANAGED
SERVICES
Author: Sterling Perrin, Principal Analyst, Heavy Reading

Strong enterprise demand for SD-WAN is driving a promising new managed SD-WAN
services opportunity for network operators. While fear of MPLS cannibalization looms large
for many, the risks of inaction – losing business and customers to their competitors – are
unacceptable. The key to success for operators will be to go beyond simply mimicking
enterprise DIY SD-WANs to package compelling SD-WAN services that are differentiated
from both enterprise DIY and other operators' managed SD-WAN services. To build the
right service, operators need to understand what their enterprise customers want and don't
want when they turn to operators for SD-WAN. This section of the survey explores what
operators are learning from their enterprise customers about SD-WAN requirements and
how operators are responding to meet those needs with differentiated services.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:
One third of operators in our survey reported that 40% or more of their
enterprise RFPs are calling for SD-WAN managed services today. Another
27% of operators said that 20-40% of RFPs are calling for SD-WAN.

Enterprise customers are looking for managed SD-WANs to address two

key challenges. Two thirds of operators surveyed said that their customers
are asking for SD-WANs to increase WAN agility/adaptability to meet their
dynamic business environments. Nearly as many (64%) said that enterprises
are asking for SD-WANs to automate processes around moves, adds and
changes in the WAN.

Technology and financial services industries are leading the charge when it
comes to enterprise interest in managed SD-WANs. In our survey, 55% of
operators rated technology industry interest as "high," followed closely by
the financial services sector, in which customer interest was rated "high" by
exactly half of respondents.

10 SD-WAN STRATEGIES SURVEY REPORT

Getting SD-WAN Right for the Enterprise
Operators need to respond quickly to increasing enterprise demand for
SD-WANs, but they also need to act smartly to get their services right
– offering the features that their customers require, but also meeting
revenue and profitability goals that define a successful enterprise service.
While pricing will certainly be a part of the mix, operators know that
automation holds the real key for customers', and their own, success.

N
etwork operators report that
enterprise requests for proposal
(RFPs) are increasingly calling
for SD-WAN managed services.
One third of operators in our survey
reported that 40% or more of their
enterprise RFPs are calling for SD-WAN
managed services today. Another 27%
of operators said that 20-40% of RFPs
are calling for SD-WAN. Still, for some,
it's still early days: In our survey, 27%
reported that less than 20% of RFPs ask
for managed SD-WAN.
Enterprise customers are looking for
managed SD-WANs to address two key
challenges: Two thirds of operators surveyed
said their customers are asking for SD-WANs
to increase WAN agility/adaptability to meet
their dynamic business environments, while
nearly as many (64%) said that enterprises
are asking for SD-WANs to automate
processes around moves, adds and
changes in the WAN. Reducing complexity/
the number of network appliances at
their branches (cited by 49% of operators)
and reducing the costs of WAN services
(46%) are important secondary customer
requirements for managed SD-WANs.
.Roughly one third of operators reported that
40% or more of their enterprise customers
expect SD-WAN managed services to
provide seamless interworking to existing
managed VPN services, including Layer
3 IP VPNs and Layer 2 Ethernet VPNs.
A significantly greater number (56% of
operators surveyed) expect less than 40% of
their customers to require such interworking
to existing managed VPN services. >

Which of the following network challenges are enterprise customers asking your company to address with
SD-WAN managed services? (choose all that apply)
Reduce complexity/number of network appliances at their branches 48.7%

Automate processes around moves, adds and changes on the WAN 64%

Increase WAN agility/adaptability to meet their dynamic business environment 64.9%

Improve auditing and compliance efforts to meet government or industry regulations information security policies (e.g., SOX, HIPAA, PCI) 18.9%

Improve end-to-end security framework at all branches 38.7%

Reduce cost of WAN services 46.0%

Other 0.9%

SD-WAN STRATEGIES SURVEY REPORT 11

The results indicate that, although important on operator responses, included improving
What are the three most
for some, seamless interworking to existing visibility and control of applications across
important business benefits of
VPNs is not a primary factor in purchasing the WAN and improving application
SD-WAN managed services to
managed SD-WANs. performance (i.e., application-level QoS).
your enterprise customers?
Interestingly, increasing information security
When it comes to managed SD-WANs, not ranked last on the list provided.
all vertical markets are equal. Technology
Support new business
and financial services industries are Operator expectations are evenly divided on SCORE:
applications and 125
leading by a large margin when it comes how big a factor bunding WAN connectivity technologies
to enterprise interest in managed SD- services will be in managed SD-WANs. In
WANs. In our survey, 55% of operators our survey, 46% of operators expect that
rated technology industry interest as "high," less than 40% of enterprise customers will
Connect branches
followed closely by financial services, in want them to bundle both SD-WAN and SCORE:
to private cloud 110
which customer interest was rated "high" by underlying IP connectivity (such as IP/ environments
exactly half of operator respondents. A host MPLS, Internet, mobile broadband, etc.).
of other verticals – including government, A nearly identical number (44%) expect
retail, healthcare/pharmaceuticals and more than 40% of their customers to want
Connect branches to
transportation – fill out a large second tier, bundled overlay SD-WAN and underlay SCORE:
public cloud (AWS, Azure, 106
with each rated as "high" in customer interest connectivity. Still, most operators expect Google Cloud, etc.)
by roughly one third of respondents. some level of customer interest in overlay
and underlay bundling. Just over two thirds
Three benefits rose to the top when we of operators expect that at least 20% of
Improve visibility and
asked operators to identify the most their customers will ask for bundling. SCORE:
control of applications 73
important business benefits of managed across the WAN
SD-WANs for their customers. Topping When operators were asked to rate the
the list were supporting new business importance of various technical features of
applications and technologies; connecting SD-WAN managed services, two features
Improve application
branches to private cloud environments; and rose to the top: Centralized policy driven SCORE:
performance 68
connecting branches to public clouds, such management across all locations was cited (application-level QoS)
as AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud. as "critical" by 47% of respondents; while
Secondary benefits to customers, based increased branch availability/business
Provide access to cloud-
based SaaS suites SCORE:
(Office365, Salesforce, 63
Concur, etc.) to all branches
What percentage of enterprise customers expect SD-WAN managed
services to provide seamless interworking to existing managed VPN
Expand WAN environment
services (IP-VPN, CE-VPN, etc.)? to cover locations not SCORE:
currently available with 58
existing VPN services

Increase information SCORE:

security 26

Score is a weighted calculation. Items ranked first are valued

higher than the following ranks; the score is the sum of all
weighted rank counts.
Less than 20% 20% to 40% 40% to 60% 60% to 80% More than 80% Don't know /
21.6% 34.2% 18% 9% 5.4% Not sure 11.7%

12 SD-WAN STRATEGIES SURVEY REPORT

 continuity via automated failover was cited
Which of the following
as "critical" by 38%. No other technical
factors are most important
features came close in term of criticality,
to your enterprise
but many features were listed as at least
customers regarding SD-
"important" by at least two thirds of the
WAN managed services?
group. Included among these important
(choose all that apply)
features were customer web portals,
application-level visibility of traffic, and
ability to perform a secured offload of
Internet-based traffic at the branch.
To get a sense of the size of enterprises
targeted for SD-WAN managed services,
we asked operators to identify the average
number of SD-WAN sites for enterprise
customers. At 32%, a plurality of operators
picked the 20-50 site range – a relatively
small number of sites. Another 18% of
operators selected less than 20 sites,
meaning that half of operators surveyed
Cost of service
(excluding underlay bandwidth).....70.0% expect their average enterprise customer to
Availability of value-added services have less than 50 SD-WAN sites. Operators
(NFV / service chaining)..................59.1%
Visibility and control.........................77.3% also have some expectations in the mid-
Response time for changes............49.1% range, with 17% expecting their average
Multiple uplink support....................33.6%
Other......................................................0.9% customer to have 50-100 SD-WAN locations
and 12% expecting 100-200 locations. Just
10% of operators expect their average SD-
WAN customer to have more than 200 sites.
Next-generation firewalls top the list of
SD-branch features desired by operators.
In-branch security/next-gen firewalls was
selected as "very important" by exactly
half of operators surveyed, followed
closely by LAN routing, which was
identified as "very important" by 45%. WiFi
with captive portal placed third among
desired SD-branch features, selected as
"very important" by 41% of the group.
Visibility and control trump costs when
it comes to the most important factors
influencing SD-WAN managed service
decisions, according to operators. Just over
three quarters of operators cited visibility
and control as the most important factor
for enterprise customers regarding SD-WAN
managed services, while 70% cited cost of
services (excluding underlay bandwidth) as
most important.
This result is consistent with other findings
in our survey that repeatedly point to
increased WAN agility and increased
automation as more important than price
when it comes to managed SD-WAN
services. Still, operators are aware that
price is an important factor in enterprises'
evaluations. Ranking third, after visibility/
control and cost of service, was availability
of value-added services (such as VNFs
and service chaining). n

Enterprise digital transformation is putting a strain on the
traditional networking islands enterprises rely on to deliver the
connectivity between their business applications and business
application users, forcing an enterprise-wide rethink about
application delivery.
The use of SDN technologies to bridge the gap between
the application, regardless of its location (traditional data
center, private or public cloud) and the business users of the
application at remote branches has seen SD-WAN emerge
as the go-to technology for enterprises to refresh their IT
environments for today’s application-centric world.
As such, there is heightened market attention on SD-WAN to
deliver seamless networking as enterprises move towards
digital transformation. This includes connectivity not only
to the branch, but also to their private data centers, SaaS
providers and multi-cloud – all within a unified security and
governance model.
What’s evident is that enterprises want to procure their SD-
WAN as a managed service (SD-WANaaS), with respondents
reporting that over 40% of RFPs are asking for a managed SD-
WAN service, and a high percentage requesting the bundling
of SD-WAN with connectivity. Enterprise procurement has
transitioned to as-a-service models, so it’s natural that the
same models are being requested for WAN refreshes.
SD-WAN fits this model, and a number of leading service
providers are taking a market-leading position with their SD-
WANaaS propositions. This foundation enables enterprises to
grow their business as demand increases for enterprises to
leverage their managed SD-WAN service to deploy and manage
value-added services including next-generation firewall, IoT,
and WiFi.
Find out more on Nuage Networks' SD-WAN solutions at
http://www.nuagenetworks.net/enterprise/software-defined-wan/

SD-WAN STRATEGIES SURVEY REPORT 13

 SD-WAN SERVICE
ASSURANCE
Author: Jim Hodges, Principal Analyst, Heavy Reading

One of the key benefits of implementing SD-WAN is that it enables operators to deliver
more innovative services by applying advanced software-programmable techniques.
This same approach is also important in a service assurance (SA) context. Accordingly,
SA is a vital SD-WAN implementation consideration. This section of the survey
documents the relationship between SD-WAN and SA and assesses the service and
transformational impacts of an emerging SA approach referred to as application-
oriented service assurance, which implements advanced techniques that support
monitoring network performance, failure protection and provisioning success on a per-
application basis.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:
83% of operators surveyed believe that SD-WAN represents either a critical or an
important consideration in their ongoing digital transformation.

Operators believe that applying some traditional and new SA capabilities to their
SD-WAN implementations will be critical in successfully executing their SD-WAN
strategies. The top three capabilities were security (46%), processes to minimize
service disruption and outages (41%) and QoS monitoring (39%).

But SD-WAN SA will continue to evolve. The most notable change in the
survey is the shift to application-oriented SA enhanced with automated
processes.

14 SD-WAN STRATEGIES SURVEY REPORT

SD-WAN Service Assurance:
Similar But Different
Operators perceive a
strong value proposition
associated with
implementing SD-WAN.
These values include
enabling their digital
transformation, as well
as enhancing security,
QoS monitoring and
service disruption and
outages in a service
assurance context. But
operators also realize
that the future of SA
will be further reshaped
by the adoption of
application-aware
SA, enhanced with
integrated automation
capabilities.
"LOOKING AHEAD TO THE SD-WAN
WORLD WE ARE NOW ENTERING,
IT IS COMFORTING TO NOTE THAT
THESE SAME ATTRIBUTES ARE
STILL VALID."
SD-WAN STRATEGIES SURVEY REPORT
S
D-WAN has achieved strong market
momentum, but it will not enable the
delivery of programmable high-value
services unless it also provides the flexibility
to drive successful transformational
outcomes. This relationship was validated
when operators were asked to what extent
SD-WAN implementation was linked to their
company's overall digital transformation
strategy. 21% of respondents felt that
SD-WAN was a critical part of the digital
transformation journey, while 62% felt it was
an important part of the equation. This left
just 13% that saw only marginal impacts
and 4% that perceived no value at all.
This strong level of transformational support
for SD-WAN makes sense, since operators
are now in the process of migrating services
to the cloud. When asked to benchmark
how much of their traffic was cloud- or
SaaS-based, 40% indicated that cloud
traffic already fell in the 25-50% range, while
another 40% pegged the traffic at less
than 25%. The two remaining groups were
considerably more advanced, with 17%
indicating that 50-75% had already been
migrated to the cloud and 3% indicating that
75-100% of traffic had been migrated.
Given this shift, operators must
reconsider how they measure and
enforce SA in the cloud. To understand
the impacts of cloud as a starting
point, we first asked operators which
SA capabilities they had already
implemented. When looking at a standard
list of all the capabilities that constitute
a balanced SA strategy, the top three
implemented capabilities are service
provisioning (34%), processes to minimize
service disruption and outages (33%) and
security-related capabilities (32%).
Looking ahead to the SD-WAN world
we are now entering, it is comforting to
note that these same attributes are still
valid. This was confirmed when we asked
operators to assess which of these SA
attributes would enable them to achieve
business differentiation for their SD-WAN
offerings. Based on critical responses, the
top three were security (46%), processes
to minimize service disruption and
outages (41%) and QoS monitoring (39%).
Even more encouraging is confirmation
that these attributes are also considered
critical factors in the successful execution
of their SD-WAN strategies, with security
scoring at 44%, processes to minimize
service disruption and outages at 42%,
and QoS monitoring at 39%.
The value of these SA attributes was
reinforced when operators were asked
which SA attributes would assist them
in minimizing subscriber churn. Based
on critical responses, the leading values
were again security (47%), processes to
minimize service disruption and outages
(46%) and QoS monitoring (38%). >
15
 What is the implementation status of the following service assurance capabilities in your company?
Already implemented Expect to implement in the Expect to implement in 12 Plan to implement, but not No plans to implement
next 12 months to 24 months sure when

Application-oriented SA

20.8% 30.2% 26.4% 17% 5.7%

QoS monitoring

27.4% 37.7% 19.8% 13.2% 1.9%

Customer experience management (subscriber-level – based on all applications utilized)

21.5% 32.7% 27.1% 15% 3.7%

SLA monitoring

28.6% 28.6% 23.8% 16.2% 3.7%

Service provisioning

33.7% 24% 21.2% 15.4% 2.8%

Fully managed service

22.6% 23.6% 28.3% 19.8% 5.7%

Multi-cloud connectivity

25.7% 23.8% 24.8% 17.1% 8.6%

Security

31.7% 31.7% 19.2% 12.5% 4.8%

Minimal network disruption/outages

33% 24.5% 23.6% 13.2% 5.7%

Reduced TCO

24.8% 34.3% 19% 16.2% 5.7%

Fast site deployment

23.8% 30.5% 22.9% 17.1% 5.7%

16 SD-WAN STRATEGIES SURVEY REPORT

 Please rate the importance of the following service assurance capabilities for achieving successful execution of
your company's SD-WAN strategy.
Critical Important Marginal Not important at all

Application-oriented SA

30.8% 46.2% 20.2% 2.9%

QoS monitoring

38.9%
39.8% 16.7% 4.6%

Customer experience management (subscriber-level – based on all applications utilized)

33% 44.3% 18.9% 3.8%

SLA monitoring

32.4% 49.5% 13.3% 4.8%

Service provisioning

35.9% 40.8% 20.4% 2.9%

Fully managed service

36.5% 40.4% 18.3% 4.8%

Multi-cloud connectivity

29.1% 41.7% 23.3% 5.8%

Security

42.7% 37.9% 15.5% 3.9%

Minimal network disruption/outages

42.6% 32.7% 20.8% 4%

Reduced TCO

33% 45.6% 14.6% 6.8%

Fast site deployment

32.7% 50.5% 11.9% 5%

SD-WAN STRATEGIES SURVEY REPORT 17

 What is the biggest technical challenge in implementing each of the following SA capabilities?
Limited programmability Inability to scale Not designed to run in the Vendor interworking issues OSS/BSS impacts
cloud

Application-oriented SA

23.8% 24.8% 21% 16.2% 14.3%

QoS monitoring

21.4% 27.2% 22.3% 19.4% 9.7%

Customer experience management (subscriber-level – based on all applications utilized)

15.2% 33.3% 16.2% 21.2% 14.1%

SLA monitoring

17.6% 21.6% 23.5% 19.6% 17.6%

Service provisioning

19.2% 20.2% 17.3% 19.2% 24%

Fully managed service

15.8% 20.8% 17.8% 30.7% 14.9%

Multi-cloud connectivity

9% 23% 23% 32% 13%

Security

19% 23% 19% 25% 14%

Minimal network disruption/outages

11% 28% 22% 23% 16%

Reduced TCO

3% 29% 26% 25% 17%

Fast site deployment

9.9% 22.8% 21.8% 25.7% 19.8%

18 SD-WAN STRATEGIES SURVEY REPORT

Accordingly, a key takeaway from this "LOOKING FORWARD, IT'S ALSO
survey is that SD-WAN deployments CLEAR THAT SD-WAN SA WILL
today are driven by several well-defined,
traditionally important SA attributes.
CONTINUE TO EVOLVE AS THE CLOUD
Therefore, while SD-WAN does have unique REDEFINES APPLICATION DELIVERY
technical requirements, the business AND INTEGRATES POWERFUL
fundamentals are similar, greatly simplifying CAPABILITIES SUCH AS AUTOMATION."
the overall implementation process.

However, as with any new technology,

there will be implementation challenges.
When we asked the operators to consider
security challenges, the greatest concern
was vendor interworking (26%). For service
disruption and outage processes and QoS
monitoring, the highest-ranked concern for
both was ability to scale (28% for both).
Looking forward, it's also clear that SD-
WAN SA will continue to evolve as the
cloud redefines application delivery and
integrates powerful capabilities such as
automation. Stated another way, while
SD-WAN shares several SA capabilities
and drivers with existing solutions, the
programmable nature of SD-WAN will
also drive SA to adopt new, different
approaches. This was confirmed when
we asked operators to provide their views
of the value proposition of implementing
application-oriented SA capabilities.
Overall, there is a very strong perceived
value proposition, with 48% indicating
that application-oriented SA was critical
to unlocking the value of their SD-WAN
implementation. Moreover, 44% also believed
that they could leverage this approach to
differentiate their SD-WAN implementation
but were not sure how to execute. This left
only a very small group of 8% that didn't
perceive any inherent value.
One of the reasons there is such a high
level of demand for application-oriented
SA is that it lends itself to performance
improvements through the integration of
new capabilities such as automation. This
was confirmed when we asked operators to
rank which SA capabilities would garner the
most significant performance improvement
from automated SA tools. Three areas
stood out: QoS monitoring at 56%, and
then application-oriented SA and customer
experience management, both at 51%.
Automation-enabled, application-oriented
SA attained high scores in large part
because operators believe that it enhances
the processes of several critical functions.
Among these is the ability to improve new
service introduction (55%), followed by the
familiar security (48%) and customer care
enhancement (43%). n

Aryaka’s SD-WAN as a Service is the only solution for
global enterprises that enhances the performance of all
mission-critical on-premises and cloud/SaaS applications
for end users anywhere in the world. This combines a
software-defined Layer 2 network, with WAN optimization,
multi-cloud connectivity, and visibility in a single solution
delivered as a service.
Unlike MPLS, which takes months to deploy, Aryaka’s SD-WAN
can be deployed in hours and comes with an end-to-end SLA of
99.99% uptime.
Some of the key benefits to Aryaka’s SD-WAN as a
Service include:
• Improved and accelerated performance for all mission-
and business-critical applications: on-premises, cloud,
and SaaS
• Multi-Cloud connectivity to and between all enterprise
private, public, and hybrid clouds: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud,
Oracle, O365, Salesforce, and more
• Enhanced real-time communications for collaboration
services, providing a better experience for collaboration
services from anywhere in the world
• Multi-layered security to protect the expanding attack
surface at the edge, core and cloud for your enterprise
• MPLS alternative to augment or replace legacy connections
for better flexibility, performance, security, and cost savings
• Fully managed service that eliminates network management
hassles with a single solution and significant cost savings
Trusted by hundreds of enterprises worldwide, Aryaka is
transforming how global businesses connect sites and users
with mission-critical applications to support modern business
execution demands. Aryaka is consistently ranked number one
among pure-play SD-WAN providers in terms of market share
and revenues, and was recently named “Company of the Year
(Private)” as part of Light Reading’s 2018 Leading Lights Awards.
For more information, visit www.aryaka.com

SD-WAN STRATEGIES SURVEY REPORT 19

 SD-WAN PERFORMANCE
MANAGEMENT
AND APPLICATION
INTELLIGENCE
Author: Sterling Perrin, Principal Analyst, Heavy Reading

To date, network operators' focus in managed SD-WAN services has been on launching
initial services to get a foothold and gain "mindshare" in what will ultimately become a
major new enterprise revenue stream. Early services are often simple, appliance-based
implementations, but the endgame is more complex. Ultimately, operators will need to
support multiple SD-WAN vendors while also integrating SD-WANs into their greater NFV
strategies (as VNFs). In this more complex environment, operators will need to be able
to meet key performance requirements for applications as well as provide visibility and
reporting data to demanding end customers. This section of the survey looks at SD-WAN
performance management and application intelligence, with a focus on which features
operators need most and how operators hope to implement features in their SD-WANs.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Service assurance is critical to operators offering SD-WAN services. 41% of
operators surveyed believe that SLA monitoring per site is needed for their
SD-WAN services, while 36% believe SLA monitoring per SD-WAN service is
needed, and 13% want SLA monitoring per application.

Just 17% of respondents reported that they solely rely on VNF-based

SD-WANs today, but 55% said they prefer VNF-based SD-WAN but also offer
appliance-based. 24% said that, while offering appliance-based SD-WAN
today, they are currently developing VNF solutions.

Operators understand that measuring QoE per application is necessary for

their customers, but most don't have this ability in their SD-WAN services
yet: Only 21% of operators surveyed currently have QoE per application.
Still, the capability should be coming soon, as half the group said they are
working on adding it to their SD-WAN services.

20 SD-WAN STRATEGIES SURVEY REPORT

Toward Visibility and Accountability
Getting initial SD-WAN services up and running is a first step, but – in a competitive
market – key performance management and application intelligence capabilities will
be needed to retain customers and increase their market share. Operators have a good
idea of which service assurance features and functions will be most important to their
customers, but for the most part, they have not yet taken the steps to implement them.
S
ervice assurance is critical to
Does your company require
operators offering SD-WAN
a service assurance solution
services. In our survey, the
to provide customers with
overwhelming response was that
SD-WAN SLA monitoring?
operators need SA to provide their
customers with SD-WAN SLA monitoring.
Just 10% of respondents did not see this
as important. Within the "yes" group, 41%
believe that SLA monitoring per site is
needed, 36% believe SLA monitoring per
SD-WAN service is needed, and 13% want
SLA monitoring per application.
More than half of operators also plan to
provide customers with SA that offers
customers reporting over traditional
connectivity services, and with a single
No.........................................................10.2% management view between traditional and
Yes, with SLAs being SD-WAN. In our survey, 56% of operators
monitored per site.............................40.7%
Yes, with SLAs being said that they plan to offer this "single pane
monitored per SD-WAN service......36.1% of glass" reporting ability between service
Yes, with SLAs being
types. Just 16% of operators said that this
monitored per application..................13%
reporting ability is not important. But many
operators (29% of respondents) said that their
organizations are still deciding on this issue.
Most operators plan to have at least two
SD-WAN suppliers over the next two
years, and many enterprise customers
will insist on some degree of choice
among suppliers. But how do operators
plan to provide SLA and performance
visibility for the different services? At 36%,
SD-WAN STRATEGIES SURVEY REPORT
a plurality of operators said they plan
to use the native SD-WAN monitoring
features from each of their SD-WAN
vendors. Another large group (28%)
plan to develop or enhance their current
monitoring solutions to meet multi-vendor
performance visibility requirements.
Few respondents plan to buy a single
commercial management system (just
10%), and fewer still intend to develop a
new single-pane-of-glass system in-house
(just 8%). Finally, for 18% of operators
surveyed, multi-vendor performance
visibility is a non-issue because they plan
to stick with a single SD-WAN supplier.
Using a single automated SA solution
across multiple SD-WAN vendors is a
means to reduce opex as SD-WAN services
scale, and as new SD-WAN vendors are
brought in. A single, automated service
solution is at least "important" to 81%
of operators surveyed, while a single SA
solution is "critical" for 28%.
Correlating SD-WAN overlay with the
supporting underlay infrastructure can
yield important data for understanding
– and assuring – an end-to-end SD-WAN
service. In our survey, 84% of respondents
reported that such correlation is at least
"important," with 27% reporting that
overlay/underlay correlation is "critical." >
21
 How important is it to reduce
opex by using a single
automated service assurance
solution to monitor multiple
SD-WAN vendors?
Critical..................................................28.4%
Important............................................53.2%
Marginal..............................................16.5%
Not important.......................................1.8%
Operators report an overwhelming
preference for VNFs for their SD-WAN
architectures, but survey results also
indicate that, for most, full NFV-based SD-
WAN is not yet ready for prime time. Just
17% of respondents reported that they
solely rely on VNF-based SD-WANs today,
but 55% said they prefer VNF-based
SD-WAN but also offer appliance-based.
Another 24% said that, while offering
appliance-based SD-WAN today, they are
currently developing VNF solutions. Just
4% reported no interest in VNFs.
Enterprise customers want SD-WAN
services to measure quality of experience
(QoE) for application performance, according
to operators surveyed. 82% of respondents
believed that QoE measurements are at least
"important" to end customers, while 27%
believe that QoE measurements are "critical."
While operators understand that
measuring QoE per application is
22
Is your company now
able to report on QoE per
application as part of its
SD-WAN services reporting?
Yes........................................................20.6%
Not yet, but we are working on it...50.5%
No, but we will have to be able to do
this........................................................25.2%
No, and we won't need to do this.....3.7%
important for their customers, most
don't have this ability in their SD-WAN
services yet: Only 21% of operators
surveyed currently have QoE per
application. Still, the capability should
be coming soon, as half of the group
said they are working on adding to their
SD-WAN services. Another 25% reported
that they don't have QoE per application
but agreed that they need this feature.
Just 4% of survey respondents reported
no need for QoE per application.
When it comes to reporting application
performance to end customers, not
all metrics are created equal. In our
survey, four application performance
metrics rose to the top of the list. QoE
was selected as most important by
69% of respondents, followed closely by
latency and throughput, selected by 66%
and 65%, respectively. Response time,
selected as very important by 60% of the
group, rounded out the top four. n
SD-WAN STRATEGIES SURVEY REPORT
 Which metrics are most important for your company to be able to report to its customers regarding
application performance for SD-WAN services? (choose all that apply)

Throughput 64.8%

Response time 60.2%

Quality of experience 68.5%

Latency 65.7%

Jitter 44.4%

Bandwidth and path utilization (between sites across several WANs) 43.5%

Performance and availability per app/link/path/WAN/user/etc. 39.8%

Monetary costs of application performance (e.g., using fixed vs. per volume or per connection time WANs) 27.8%

Infovista, the leader in modern network performance, provides complete visibility and unprecedented control to deliver brilliant
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Know your network with Infovista.
www.infovista.com

SD-WAN STRATEGIES SURVEY REPORT 23

 SD-WAN SECURITY
Author: Jim Hodges, Principal Analyst, Heavy Reading

Like any software-based application, SD-WAN services must be secure. This section
of the survey analyzes the steps operators are taking to address security, examines
which service delivery models they will support, and details their timelines for the
implementation of key features.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Operators believe that only 6% of their customers don't expect SD-WAN
to support integrated security services. In contrast, 94% believe that their
customers do expect there will be some measure of security support.

Operators are meeting these requirements by supporting two distinct models: a

fully managed security service model and an SaaS model. Of these, the managed
security model has a little more traction with customers (48%) than the SaaS
model (38%).

Already a third (33%) of operators believe that the adoption of automated policy
tools and processes will significantly enhance the performance of SD-WAN
security services, while a plurality (41%) also see positive impacts.

24 SD-WAN STRATEGIES SURVEY REPORT

SD-WAN: You Want Security With That?
Security is a crucial factor in the overall SD-WAN value equation, in large part
because operators are finding that their customers now expect it. In response,
they are moving ahead and have already implemented a suite of security
features, with more to follow in the next 12 months.

S
D-WAN first started to gain of customers (more than 70%) and the 18% adopt managed SD-WAN security for three
momentum because it represented that indicated a majority of customers (50- key reasons. Based on critical responses,
a flexible and low-cost WAN option. 70%) preferred outsourcing responsibility these include enhanced security
However, not long into the gestation for implementing and managing security performance and lower administrative
period, it became abundantly clear that SD- enforcement. Together, this translates cost (both 39%), as well as access to
WAN must also integrate some measure into a 48% level of support. However, there centralized network security policies.
of security features. This push has only is also quantifiable support for the SaaS
intensified, and today SD-WAN with option, in which the customer purchases Extending the discussion of these
integrated security is considered a high cloud software but assumes responsibility critical business drivers to the SaaS
priority by many operators and customers. for security enforcement. Using the same model showed that the drivers are
categories of vast majority and majority, somewhat similar, in that they focus
This point was strongly reinforced when 31% fell into the first category and 7% fell on cost optimization and enhancing
we asked operators if they thought their into the second, for a total of 38%. security performance. Consequently,
enterprise customers expected security 42% of operators indicated that lower
feature integration. Nearly half of operators Given the formidable level of support administrative cost was the most
(49%) indicated that their customers for the managed security service model, critical consideration, followed closely
expected some level of security feature both the business and technical drivers by preventing network disruption
support, while 45% felt that most but not were investigated. On the business side, (40%) and driving down total cost of
all customers expected it. Perhaps most operators are seeing their customers ownership (32%). >
tellingly, only 6% of operators felt that their
customers expected specific SD-WAN
security features in addition to the generic
network security provisions they had
Do your company's customers expect SD-WAN to support integrated
already deployed.
security features?
In response to this market demand, many
operators have implemented a managed
SD-WAN security model that simplifies
security for their customers. Not surprisingly,
SD-WAN managed security services have
been adopted by many enterprises utilizing
either an outsourced or software-as-a-
service (SaaS) model. The adoption trend for
both options points to a generally stronger
demand for the managed service model.
Yes, all our customers expect Most but not all customers Only a few customers expect
some level of security feature expect some level of security some level of security feature
This trend is validated by the 30% of support 49.1% feature support 45.4% support 5.6%
operators that indicated the vast majority

SD-WAN STRATEGIES SURVEY REPORT 25

The responses to these last two questions
indicate that regardless of which option
is selected, both approaches represent
a strong value proposition, because they
deliver superior security performance at
an optimal price point. Given this fact, we
also wanted to better understand which
capabilities achieved the greatest level of
demand in each deployment scenario.
Starting with the managed services model,
a few capabilities stood out. The capabilities
that scored highest in the very high level of
demand category were web filtering (40%),
intrusion detection and prevention (39%),
IPsec-enabled VPNs (36%) and next-gen
firewall as a service (35%). These priorities
mirror the general security services to which
enterprise customers attach a high value.
Leveraging this same approach for
SD-WAN SaaS-based security revealed
considerable alignment in what
capabilities that will attract very high
levels of demand. In this case, the top
three ranked capabilities were intrusion
detection and prevention (35%), web
filtering (33%) and programmable
enforcement policy support (32%). >

Which statement best How much customer demand has your company seen for the
describes enterprise following SD-WAN managed security service capabilities?
customers' preferred
Very high Somewhat high Somewhat low Very low
approach to securing SD-
WAN deployments?
Programmable enforcement policy support

31.4% 46.1% 21.6% 1%

Application-level policy enforcement

27.7% 50.5% 20.8% 1%

Web filtering

39.8% 42.7% 17.5% 0%

IPsec-enabled VPNs

36% 49% 14% 1%

Intrusion detection and prevention

The vast majority of customers
(more than 70%) prefer we
implement and manage security 38.6% 44.6% 16.8% 0%
enforcement using a managed
security services model...................29.6% Flow-based inspection

The vast majority of customers

25.7% 48.5% 24.8% 1%
(more than 70%) prefer to
implement and manage security
enforcement on their own using Proxy-based inspection
a SaaS model.....................................30.6%
18% 53% 26% 3%
The majority of customers
(50% to 70%) prefer we implement
DNS proxy
and manage security enforcement
using a managed security
services model...................................17.6% 20.2% 54.5% 20.2% 5.1%

The majority of customers Next-gen firewall as a service

(50% to 70%) prefer to implement
and manage security enforcement
35.4% 44.4% 20.2% 0%
on their own using a SaaS model....7.4%

There's little consensus – the UTM-Layer 7

approach varies from customer
to customer........................................14.8% 24.2% 44.4% 27.3% 4%

26 SD-WAN STRATEGIES SURVEY REPORT

SD-WAN STRATEGIES SURVEY REPORT 27
The inclusion of this final capability in
the top three seems to indicate that
Please rate the potential value of automation on the following
policy-based enforcement continues to
SD-WAN security service functions.
gain market acceptance as an important Extremely valuable Moderately valuable Marginally valuable Not valuable
security feature.
Time-to-remediate

Armed with an understanding of the 44.8% 44.8% 10.5% 0%

high-demand security capabilities, the
next logical step was to determine Visibility/policy context
to what extent these capabilities had
32.7% 52.3% 14.0% 0.9%
been implemented, and which will
soon be delivered. We did this for both Centralized management
deployment options.
41.7% 46.6% 11.7% 0%
Starting with already implemented
Uniform control
services, the top three were IPsec-
enabled VPNs (35%), web filtering 37.5 47.1% 15.4% 0%
(31%) and intrusion detection and
prevention (29%). The implementation Access control

priorities of these three capabilities

46.6% 43.7% 9.7% 0%
mirror the demand operators are
seeing from their customers, which Data loss prevention
confirms that the services available
match those the customers require. 46.5 40.6% 11.9% 1%

Looking 12 months into the future, it's

clear that operators are also taking
steps to introduce more advanced
managed security services to respond
to changes in threat vectors.
The three that stand out here are
implementing flow-based detection (41%),
application-level policy enforcement and
web filtering (both at 40%).
This methodology was also applied to
the SD-WAN SaaS-based model, with
similar results. For example, the top
three already implemented capabilities
are web filtering (28%), IPsec-enabled
VPNs (27%) and programmable
enforcement policy support (25%).
Looking 12 months out, the top three
priorities were intrusion detection and
prevention (38%), flow-based inspection
(36%) and application-level policy
enforcement (35%).
While the alignment of current and
near-future security capabilities with
Integration
33.7 50.5%
Eliminate gaps
28.% 50.0%
requirements is overall positive from
a demand harmonization perspective,
it's also critical that operators remain
vigilant, because the threat landscape is
extremely fluid. Consequently, operators
will also need to consider how emerging
technologies such as automation will
impact their ability to maintain a strong
security posture.
One third of operator respondents
believe that the adoption of automated
policy tools and processes will
significantly enhance the performance
of SD-WAN security services, while a
plurality (41%) believe they can leverage
15.8% 0%
19.0% 3%
automation to at least somewhat
enhance performance. Thankfully, only a
minority of operators (17%) believe that
automation will have only a marginal
performance impact.
While it will take time to fully realize
the value of optimization in a security
context, operators are already
contemplating the applicable use cases
that will deliver maximum benefit. The
top three opportunities in a crowded
space, based on extremely valuable
responses, include access control and
data loss prevention (both 47%), followed
by time to remediate (45%). n

28 SD-WAN STRATEGIES SURVEY REPORT

 "IN RESPONSE Versa Networks is the innovator of
TO THIS MARKET Secure Cloud IP architecture, a next-
generation software platform that
DEMAND, MANY delivers integrated cloud, networking
OPERATORS HAVE and security services. Versa’s
visionary solution, with an unrivaled
IMPLEMENTED A depth of features and capabilities,
MANAGED SD-WAN enables enterprises to transition
SECURITY MODEL off of legacy WANs to achieve
superior business agility, branch
THAT SIMPLIFIES modernization and lower TCO.
SECURITY FOR
The Versa SD-Security solution
THEIR CUSTOMERS. provides a broad set of VNF
NOT SURPRISINGLY, software-based security functions,
SD-WAN MANAGED including UTM and next-generation
firewalls, malware protection,
SECURITY SERVICES URL and content filtering, IPS and
HAVE BEEN anti-virus, DDoS and VPN/next-
ADOPTED BY MANY generation VPN, and the ability to
segment network traffic with robust
ENTERPRISES multi-tenancy functionality. Versa
UTILIZING EITHER SD-Security solutions maximize
cost efficiency by using commodity
AN OUTSOURCED appliances vs. proprietary hardware
OR SOFTWARE-AS- and simplify operations through
A-SERVICE (SAAS) zero-touch provisioning and
MODEL."
SD-WAN STRATEGIES SURVEY REPORT
automatic service chaining of
different security and network
functions.
Versa simplifies the deployment
and operation of multiple security
services at the branch office.
Because different services in the
Versa SD-Security solution are
designed to work together through
built-in service chaining, integrating
multiple security functions into a
layered branch security architecture
is far less complex.
Ongoing operations are simplified
through the Versa Director
management platform, which
provides a single console and set
of policies across all Versa security
functions. Capacity increases are
dynamically provisioned through
Versa Director, as are new security
functions.
For more information,
visit www.versa-networks.com
29
In partnership with