3 Steps to a Successful Secure SD-WAN Proof of Concept
You shouldn’t invest in a technology solution if you aren’t sure it will meet your goals—be it cost-savings, performance, scalability, or enhanced security. We get it.
At the same time, you need to implement solutions that will take your business to the next level. Secure SD-WAN, for example, is a game-changer for traditional enterprise networks. As more employees rely on cloud applications for day-to-day work, the way they use the corporate network has become more dynamic, and it requires greater scalability. Secure SD-WAN enables faster connectivity, cost savings, and enhanced performance for SaaS applications, as well as other business-critical cloud-based applications. Next year, more than half of global enterprises are expected to implement an SD-WAN solution.
However, making the move to SD-WAN can be perplexing and overwhelming. It can be expensive, time consuming, and, in some cases, even risky. Choosing the wrong product or partner can interrupt your business or fail to provide the solution you need.
There’s a better way to explore and invest in these critical solutions. At Optec, we’re thrilled to offer a Secure SD-WAN proof of concept (POC) to help you better understand the technology, opportunities, and capabilities of secure SD-WAN prior to implementing it across your organisation. Here, we share three steps to make the most of your proof to concept to fully experience what SD-WAN can do for your business.
What is a proof of concept?
With a proof of concept, you gain hands-on experience to fully test a solution ahead of implementing it. With Optec’s Secure SD-WAN POC, you can test the solution, validate Fortinet’s industry-leading technology, and come to grips with a potential SD-WAN solution for your unique business.
Think of the POC as a trial. You’ll get to fully explore and experience SD-WAN to see if it will truly solve your challenges, such as poor network performance for SaaS applications or lack of visibility. During your POC, we work with you in an agile and iterative way to help you set up configurations, test functionality, understand features, and assess the resilience of the solution—at absolutely no cost!
Another benefit of a proof of concept is that it can help you build a strong business case to present to key leadership and stakeholders to invest in SD-WAN. You’ll feel confident that the solution is perfectly matched to your needs, without any risk or loss to your business.
1-2-3 POC: Three Steps to a Successful Proof of Concept
We want you to make the most of your Secure SD-WAN proof of concept. Here’s a few tips:
1. Preparation
The goal of the POC is all about you. Will the solution meet your goals and solve your existing or future challenges? To best prepare for the proof of concept (and before you even receive the SD-WAN hardware), take time to define your unique aims and goals for the project. This will help to manage expectations and create a clear scope for the POC. As you document your goals, be sure to define your success metrics or KPIs so that you can accurately measure success. These could be technical KPIs (like latency reduction or capacity increase) or business KPIs (like cost reduction and user satisfaction)—or both! The more you prepare, the more confident you’ll be in making a sound determination from the proof of concept.
2. Deployment
Now that you know what you want to achieve and measure, your proof of concept can truly begin! When you work with an expert partner, like Optec, we’ll send you a pre-configured solution with everything you need. It will include the SD-WAN Managed Hub (a dedicated VDOM on one of our highly available Fortinet FortiGate clusters) and the SD-WAN Spoke (FortiGate firewalls configured by Optec). Once the hardware arrives, you can simply connect and start exploring the solution.
Through the loan of the special proof of concept kits, you can also test the power and visibility provided by a “full stack” Fortinet Secure SD-WAN solution. This includes managed switches and managed wireless devices, which bring complete network visibility and control to your network edge.
Another goal of the proof of concept is to keep the process as straightforward as possible! Our Secure SD-WAN POC runs for four weeks, giving you ample time to get to grips with the solution. The POC also includes dedicated weekly meetings with Optec to provide insights into key features and answer any questions that arise.
3. Reporting
After about a month, and once your proof of concept is complete, it's time to measure and see if the solution achieved your goals. It’s important to us to make sure the solution is running on its full potential and delivering the business outcomes you expect. We sure hope so! If you choose to continue with SD-WAN, ultimately, your POC can help identify lessons learned and migration actions to reduce the risk and speed up your global rollout project.
Are you curious to explore SD-WAN? It can simplify your network, reduce costs, improve performance, boost security, and ensure the success of all your digital transformation initiatives. With Optec’s Secure SD-WAN proof of concept, we make it easy to explore the solution before you invest in it. As Fortinet Secure SD-WAN specialists, we’re here to help you make the most of your proof of concept, together. Please get in touch with us today to learn more.
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