Whether due to startup costs, lack of scalability, or because it hasn´t been specifically designed for small businesses, up to now, it hasn´t been clear how SMEs could benefit from SD-WAN technology.

However, given their dynamism and security, software defined wide area networks (SD-WAN) have much to offer those companies. The absolute need for internal information experts to manage networks and safely transfer data between offices (over private networks) is not exclusive to large enterprises. On the contrary, traditional WAN networks are not only far more complex but the resolution of problem areas frequently seems to escape the understanding of said experts. This tends to lead to issues simply being left up to the service provider to solve.

So why don´t small and medium sized companies take advantage of centralized network management, which simplifies inefficiencies and ultimately improves operations?

It´s only now we are beginning to see the possibilities of applying SD-WAN to SMEs, at affordable rates, without the almost inevitable delay that small businesses tend to experience with new technology.

Implementing SD-WAN in existing SME network infrastructures should be straightforward. It should be designed to deliver immediate network management and scalability (enabling the technology to adapt and grow together with the company it is installed in).

In short, the four major advantages of SD-WAN technology for SMEs are:

• Companies frequently encounter network congestion difficulties. SD-WAN resolves these with multiple WAN connections for continuous traffic, allowing network performance to remain unaffected by dense traffic peaks.
• SD-WAN is perfect for businesses struggling in remote locations with poor coverage or who are seriously affected by inadequate performance. Furthermore, by implementing SD-WAN, they avoid expensive service operator costs.
• SD-WAN puts high-priority application traffic first, thus solving problems linked to the lack of reliability of services most affected by latency (such as videoconferencing).
• For companies dedicated to handling information, growth can be impacted by technological limitations and compliance with official standards. SD-WAN technology however, facilitates both expansion and standards compatibility.

Essentially, applying SD-WAN technology to SMEs gives them the crucial tools to move into this digital age and compete in the present markets.