SD-WAN is a success story in the tech industry. Thanks to the efforts of many different SD-WAN vendors, it’s been able to deliver on the performance and cost-reduction promises upon which it initially launched. The result is a hotly competitive market expected to hit $8.05 billion in 2021.
At the same time, moving to an SD-WAN solution is the epitome of “gut check time.” It’s a big deal — one that will reverberate throughout a company for years, good or ill, and should therefore not be taken lightly.
To help, CTC Technologies compiled the Top 5 SD-WAN Vendors to Watch in 2019. If your company is serious about SD-WAN, a look into any of the following five SD-WAN vendors is worth your time.
1. Cisco
The Cisco name is practically synonymous with hardware routers. That makes it all the more impressive that the company is doing as well as it is among SD-WAN vendors; it’s one of only four companies with market share 10% or more. The Viptela (2017) and Meraki (2012) purchases didn’t hurt. And landing a portion of the recurring cloud-related subscription service revenue that is growing for competitors is enough to drive any company to greater heights.
Cisco is also a mainstay within the Fortune 500 — about 95% of it — and therefore has the headwinds necessary to continue integrating the software strength of SD-WAN and its legacy hardware business. That also means it can deliver a unified experience for users.
Pros
- Provides highly customizable solutions to deliver notable optimization
- Allows enterprises to select physical or virtual routing platforms
- Offers flexible pricing and licensing options
Cons
- Requires a notable financial commitment for initial deployment
- May require infrastructure changes for SD-WAN adoption
2. Silver Peak
Silver Peak prides itself on delivering top performance irrespective of an enterprise’s network foundation. (One assumes within reason, of course. Providing SaaS solutions over two cans connected with string would be a bridge too far for anyone.) The company’s approach works; 3,000 companies have leveraged it worldwide in 80 countries.
Silver Peak also received the 2018 Global Competitive Strategy Innovation and Leadership Award from consultancy Frost & Sullivan. The award recognizes effective strategies that enhance market share, brand positioning, and customer satisfaction. It’s 15% market share demonstrates the value Silver Peak delivers to many clients.
Pros
- Offers both broadband and hybrid WAN solutions
- Supports adaptive forward error correction and real-time packet order correction; this ensures the highest-quality course for communication and traffic to travel throughout a network.
- Forms a virtual overlay on existing IT networks, eliminating the need for hardware replacement and makes the switch from, or integration with, MPLS extremely convenient.
Cons
- Requires an initial cost to switch to a Silver Peak hybrid or broadband WAN.
Brush up on some SD-WAN basics before selecting an SD-WAN vendor: read SD-WAN 101: Software Defined WAN For Beginners today.
3. VMware
Dell Technologies subsidiary VMware captured both SD-WAN market share and headlines with the 2017 announcement of its VeloCloud acquisition. It holds the market lead with 19%, yet, like Aryaka, falls behind this list’s top three finishers when it comes to online research trends. It remains a force to be reckoned with, though, as it continues to push ahead on its SD-WAN strengths like reliability, performance, and powerful applications.
While the early part of 2018 contained plenty of corporate drama for VMware — whether there was a reverse merger with Dell in the wings, for example — there likely isn’t enough 2019 drama available to shake enterprise faith in it.
Pros
- Provides sub-second dynamic traffic steering
- Supports TCP optimization and forward-error correction for real-time applications
Cons
- Considered more complicated to deploy than other options
4. Citrix
While it can be said that the market for SD-WAN vendors is still in the early growth stage, the companies on this list are likely to retain their relevance for several years. That’s especially true for Citrix, given how well it is ingrained into the enterprise. For example, nearly all Fortune 500 companies use Citrix products to some degree. They have good reason since Citrix offers real-time path selection, edge routing, stateful firewall, end-to-end quality of service (or QoS) measurement, and scalable WAN optimization.
That feature list, and successful promotion of the cloud as a foundation upon which companies can build a future, helped Citrix turn in strong figures during the 2018 fiscal year — a trend the company expects will continue.
Pros
- Supports BGP and OSPF routing, which simplifies network insertion
- Can be deployed in edge mode or overlay mode within the same network
- Provisions enough TCP sessions up front to scale with your business without adding appliances
Cons
- Considered more complex and challenging to deploy than other solutions
5. Aryaka
Aryaka is a global SD-WAN vendor whose solutions are deployed in more than 63 countries. Headquartered in San Mateo, CA, it holds approximately 18% of the market. That places it in (very) close proximity with VMWare for market leadership.
Though boasting a 98% client retention rate on its website, it finished last among the others mentioned here in a review of trending searches. Whether this indicates client itch to change vendors remains to be seen, but any SD-WAN decision made with Aryaka in the mix can’t go wrong based on other factors such as market strength and availability of vendor expertise as it relates to the Aryaka platform.
Pros
- Supports on-premises firewall integration
- Extends to multiple cloud providers
Cons
- Does not make pricing readily available
Let CTC Technologies Help You Select From These SD-WAN Vendors
Selecting an SD-WAN vendor means processing a great deal of information about features, scalability, costs, and more … and then factoring in your enterprise’s current infrastructure, forecast, and budget.
It’s worth the effort, though. Already, thousands of companies have realized the numerous benefits that spring from implementing SD-WAN. We’re here to help you join the march to the virtual future.
Check out our article Painless SD-WAN Migration is Possible to learn more.
Getting started to your SD-WAN solution isn’t just painless: it’s as easy as filling out our contact form. One of our trusted SD-WAN experts will reach out to you as soon as possible. Need an even faster response? Give us a call at 734.408.1993.