The CF List: 2022's 20 Top SD-WAN Providers You Should Know
A leading SD-WAN provider has to show greater value across a number of different domains.
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TBI’s Joe Fizor and Dell’Oro’s Mauricio Sanchez cited Fortinet as a noteworthy SD-WAN provider. Fortinet has expanded its global Secure SD-WAN presence with new service provider partnerships.
“[Fortinet is] well known in the firewall space [and] proving to be a top contender in the SD-WAN space, too,” Fizor said.
Sanchez cited Palo Alto Networks as an example of a leading security vendor primarily in the firewall space that has or is now addressing SD-WAN. Palo Alto Networks pivoted to SD-WAN with its acquisition of CloudGenix. Fizor said the acquisition is an example of “if they can’t beat ’em, buy ’em.”
Fizor said Cisco is a noteworthy provider. Viptela was one of the original, main SD-WAN options before Cisco acquired it. It works well in very large deployments. And Cisco Meraki SD-WAN is widely seen as an entry level SD-WAN solution.
“Cisco has done a lot of security plus SD-WAN platform molding that seems both complex and comprehensive,” Omdia’s Brian Washburn said.
Fizor said Aryaka Networks was formerly the king of global SD-WAN solutions, with content delivery network (CDN) and other additional features built in.
“[It] was seen as too expensive for many, though they have now restructured to be competitive domestically and globally,” he said. “They have also updated their pricing to compete with the other SD-WAN vendors, too.”
SoftBank recently selected Aryaka’s technology for its international SD-WAN service, SD-CORE. The company will provide a network that will enable SoftBank to offer its customers data communications.
Aryaka is adding “SASE cred” with its acquisition of SecuCloud, Washburn said.
Fizor, Sanchez and Washburn said Cato Networks is one to watch. Fizor said Cato Networks is giving more established players a run for their money.
“It was the first to evangelize SASE; it includes a robust cloud network security solution and end-user VPN solution,” Fizor said. “They’re not a young player as they have been playing in the global space alongside Aryaka. But Cato was the first to run after the newer SASE architecture/definition. Cato brings a solution that will support domestic and global customers [and] will also support remote users through VPN.”
“Cato Networks is making a splash like Aryaka did when it was new,” Washburn said. “It’s got a forward-looking platform and is hungry for business, which is a powerful combination.”
Fizor said VMware is a market leader, primarily focused on supporting customers consuming SaaS solutions. Sanchez also cited VMware as a top contender.
“Over the latest few updates, they have become a powerhouse, proving to be a great solution for premises-based applications as well as SaaS,” Fizor said.
“VMware is interesting in how it’s leveraging SD-WAN with its virtualization business,” Washburn said.
Fizor said Versa Networks is highly secure and focused on premises-based applications. And Sanchez said Versa Networks is among a small number of vendors “who I see as having truly unified the SD-WAN with the security side, versus using multiple products or components.”
“For full-year 2021, I had Versa in the No. 1 spot in what is still a small, but fast-growing market,” Sanchez said.
Fizor said Bigleaf Networks is well-liked by SMB and midmarket customers. It includes inbound and outbound failover of circuits, and is “just easy to use.” It’s focused on SaaS solutions.
In February, BCN expanded its SD-WAN portfolio to include Bigleaf. BCN’s nationwide network of sales partners can now offer a Bigleaf solution.
Juniper Networks is noteworthy because of its acquisition of 128 Technology and earlier acquisition of Mist Systems. 128 Technology is an SD-WAN provider known for its Session Smart networking platform.
“128 Technology is a newer solution in the SD-WAN space, Fizor said.
Washburn said it will be interesting to see what Juniper Networks does with Mist Systems and 128 Technology.
Fizor said if you need PCI compliance, an ongoing process that helps prevent security breaches and payment card data theft in the present and future, Mako Networks is a “great option.” The company continued trending upward in 2021, experiencing its fifth straight year of greater than 40% year-over-year sales revenue growth and increasing UK/EU year-over-year revenue by more than 50%.
Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (HPE) is a noteworthy provider in part because of its acquisition of Silver Peak, which is known for WAN optimization, Fizor said. Last fall, Gartner recognized HPE (Aruba and Silver Peak) as a Leader in its 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for WAN Edge Infrastructure. This was the fourth year in a row that HPE was positioned in the Leaders Quadrant by Gartner.
Adaptiv Networks is a notable SD-WAN provider. In December, Adaptiv was recognized as a Champion in the 2021 SD-WAN Emotional Footprint Awards from SoftwareReviews, a division of IT research and advisory firm Info-Tech Research Group. The SD-WAN awards ranked vendors based on their emotional footprint scoring, which measures high-level user sentiment. It received the highest vendor Net Emotional Footprint of +97 and was noted for being “extremely effective and providing an amazing service experience.”
Sanchez said he’s keeping an eye on what large cloud service providers such as Microsoft Azure are doing. Azure Virtual WAN is a cloud-based SD-WAN that provides a suite of Azure first-party connectivity, routing and security services. It also is designed to enable interconnection with premises-based SD-WAN, and SASE technologies and services.
Last fall, Verizon Business announced the expansion of its global SD-WAN offering with the addition of Verizon Software Defined Secure Branch with Fortinet Secure SD-WAN. The solution is designed to provide businesses, including enterprise and business market customers, with a converged networking and security solution to secure and connect hybrid and remote workforces.
Hughes Networks Systems implemented and manages thousands of SD-WAN deployments for more than 100 customers across North America and internationally, with an average network size of more than 350 sites per customer. It serves retail, health care, banking, petroleum, restaurant and government customers with its portfolio of HughesON Managed Services.
AT&T triumphed again in Vertical Systems Group’s latest SD-WAN leaderboard. AT&T finished first in Year-End 2021 U.S. Carrier Managed SD-WAN Services. Vertical Systems Group (VSG) has shared U.S. carrier SD-WAN rankings since 2018 and AT&T has won each year.
Open Systems is a noteworthy provider. Its SD-WAN is purpose-built to simplify network and security operations to help IT teams increase business agility, optimize resources, and improve customer experiences and employee productivity.
“The most effective solution can minimize downtime, providing an ease of management and deployment, all while staying agnostic to premises- or cloud-based applications,” Sanchez said.
Masergy which was acquired by Comcast Business in 2021, is one to watch. Masergy and Fortinet will deliver their joint SD-WAN solution to partners through Ingram Micro. As a result, VARs and MSPs can deliver an SD-WAN offering that ties together the Fortinet Secure SD-WAN platform, Masergy security management services and Ingram distribution.
Lumen Technologies‘ SD-WAN solutions help reduce complexity and risks of network transformation by securing and coordinating workloads across the full range of connectivity types on a single, automated platform with centralized visibility and control.
Zayo Group is one to watch. In January, it acquired QOS Networks, a provider of SD-WAN and edge managed services. This move positions Zayo as a top provider of secure edge networking services, helping enterprise customers deploy, manage and monitor their SD-WAN and edge network environments.
“QoS Networks being snapped up by Zayo is an interesting turn of events on the provider side,” Washburn said.
Zayo Group is one to watch. In January, it acquired QOS Networks, a provider of SD-WAN and edge managed services. This move positions Zayo as a top provider of secure edge networking services, helping enterprise customers deploy, manage and monitor their SD-WAN and edge network environments.
“QoS Networks being snapped up by Zayo is an interesting turn of events on the provider side,” Washburn said.
Top SD-WAN providers need to offer more than just MPLS replacement to stay relevant in today’s highly competitive market.
Managed services are playing a bigger role in the market and numerous acquisitions have reshaped the industry in recent years. In addition, the hybrid work model facilitated by the COVID-19 pandemic has changed what customers demand from SD-WAN providers.
This is our second annual “CF List” focused on top SD-WAN providers, and the fifth if you count our previous CP Lists. Analysts and experts share their views on what it takes to succeed with the technology. It includes an updated list and fresh views on changes in the competitive landscape.
Omdia projects SD-WAN revenue to hit $5.5 billion in 2025. The analyst firm increased its forecast by $100 million since its last published its market prediction last June.
Biggest Shifts for SD-WAN Providers
Brian Washburn is Omdia‘s research director of service provider enterprise and wholesale. (Informa Tech is the parent company of both Omdia and Channel Futures.)
Omdia’s Brian Washburn
“The biggest shift is that enterprises are seeing security as part of the network again,” he said. “This is due to the demise of the security perimeter, which was fueled by work from home (WFH) and increased use of cloud services. So remote access support plus stepped-up security requirements plus increased use of cloud as part of the enterprise IT fabric, each of these trends feeds into the others.”
Enterprises now have numerous priorities for their SD-WAN solutions, Washburn said. Those are: more security, better performance, more reliability, more flexibility, better control and lower cost.
Evolving Definition of Top SD-WAN Providers
Mauricio Sanchez is Dell’Oro‘s research director for network security, secure access service edge (SASE) and SD-WAN.
Dell’Oro Group’s Mauricio Sanchez
“I think the definition of a cutting-edge SD-WAN provider continues to evolve and expand,” he said. “No longer can an SD-WAN provider rest on their laurels and just focus on how they can replace MPLS with commodity internet links at branch offices. While this is still a valid use case, the leading SD-WAN provider now needs to be able to show greater value across a number of different domains.”
Those four domains include security, cloud proficiency and capability, visibility and control, and 5G and its implications, Sanchez said.
“The explosion in remote work during the pandemic brought security front and center,” he said. “As we move into an era of hybrid work, the need to provide strong security when offsite, as a remote worker, and onsite, when in the office or branch, is key. Leading providers need to show how they fit into security-infused frameworks like SASE or what role they play in emerging security markets like secure service edge (SSE).”
Cloud Proficiency and Capability Important
In terms of cloud proficiency and capability, that’s how well the network supports the enterprise’s shift to the cloud, Sanchez said. It’s about cloud-based network services or how the SD-WAN solution supports the connectivity needs of workloads that have gone multicloud or third-party SaaS applications.
“As the internet becomes the corporate network, enterprises are clamoring for solutions that can help them gain the end-to-end visibility and control that they enjoyed on the networks they own and controlled,” he said. “[In addition], 5G is here and we’re in the early stages of its impact. Whether it’s the likely explosion in connected devices (think IoT and OT) or the new cadre of 5G-enabled network services (like private networks), there’s a lot of looming challenges and opportunities.”
Challenges with WFH Deployments
Joe Fizor is director of solutions engineering at TBI. He said SD-WAN platforms have been needing to address VPN/remote users and how they tie into the solution. That’s due to the increase in remote workers.
TBI’s Joe Fizor
“Many suppliers/vendors have chosen to pursue the SASE/SSE route to accomplish this and stay relevant to the newer definitions from organizations like Gartner,” he said. “Though we have also seen SD-WAN providers position WFH deployments, too. This becomes tricky when you … have to battle with other users on a personal network. For example, kids streaming/gaming, other knowledge workers in the home needing internet access, etc.”
We’ve compiled a list, in no particular order, of 20 top SD-WAN providers. It’s based on feedback from analysts, experts and recent news reports. The providers are making the most of the ongoing competitive landscape and charting success.
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