Telesystem Adds Second SD-WAN Provider to Portfolio

Telesystem and Bigleaf Networks executives say their SD-WAN partnership was a long time in the making.

Telesystem now offers Bigleaf in its portfolio. Bigleaf offers an SD-WAN solution as well as a home office version of the solution. Telesystem provides customized networking solutions for multilocation customers, as well as “hands-on support.”

Bigleaf has earned investors’ attention in recent years, but Telesystem executives say they had been eyeing a partnership since the SD-WAN vendor formed in 2012.

Telesystem’s Bruce Wirt

“We’ve been working toward this partnership going all the way back to Bigleaf’s founding”, said Bruce Wirt, Telesystem’s executive vice president and chief business development officer. “It’s great to see how much Bigleaf has grown in such a short period, and the ease of deployment for almost any configuration makes their product set very unique. This will fit very well into our portfolio.”

Telesystem already offers an SD-WAN platform built on Versa Networks’ product, but Bigleaf offers a very different product. In fact, Versa and Bigleaf executives demonstrated some of their fundamental differences at 2018 panel. They differ significantly on security, for example. Versa features a built-in next-gen firewall, while Bigleaf emphasizes its instant operability with existing firewalls.

John Hogan, Bigleaf’s vice president of business development, said Telesystem brings many offerings to the table that complement the SD-WAN solution.

Bigleaf Network’s John Hogan

“With their ability to bundle Bigleaf with network connectivity, security, voice and other Cloud-based services, Telesystem will have a unique position in the market to accommodate a customer’s full suite of cloud connectivity needs, and back this approach with their customer-centric, white glove philosophies,” said Hogan, who also praised Telesystem’s “extensive partner community.”

Partner Sales

Telsystem customers and channel partners can access the Bigleaf offerings today. Agents, which comprise the majority of Telesystem’s partners, can earn residual compensation and upfront SPIFFS for selling the Bigleaf portfolio.

Karlene Langford, Telesystem’s product development manager, said the Bigleaf offering will give customers more control over their network in a location-agnostic fashion.

Telesystem’s Karlene Langford

“The combination of Bigleaf’s streamlined installation and Telesystem’s hands-on support model makes this solution ideal for companies with lean IT staff, or remote workers who need to prioritize business tasks over less critical traffic in their homes such as streaming video or gaming”, Langford said.

Bigleaf and Telesytem both operate a significant channel footprint. They both drive a large portion of their channel business from the agent channel, and Bigleaf launched an MSP program two years ago.