Discover The Many Benefits Of Partnering Up With an IT Managed Service Provider

 Today, many companies work with IT-managed service providers. 60 percent of companies use managed IT services, and this number is expected to continue to grow. And that is due to the many benefits of the services offered by these professionals. Here is a list of the benefits you should consider.

Control IT costs

Paying internal IT staff is an expensive task. With managed IT service providers, you get fixed IT costs at variable costs, allowing you to budget efficiently. Companies only pay for what they use and can use it when they need it. Outsourcing IT tasks only saves companies money.

Reduces labor costs

Not only does it cost money to have internal IT staff, it also costs money to hire and train them. And temporary workers don't always meet expectations. Outsourcing enables companies to focus on the human resources that are most needed in other areas.

Certified, trained, qualified and experienced

How can you be sure that the IT employee is truly qualified for the position? With an IT managed service provider, you get a certified, trained, qualified and experienced specialist. If you want to train an IT employee, keep in mind that certifications like Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) are very expensive.

Qualified does not mean experience

Regardless of how much you train an IT professional, this training is isolated and the employee may not have the proper experience. A managed IT service provider sends an experienced IT expert. When you see a doctor, you want an experienced one, right? The same applies to IT.

Increase efficiency and competitiveness.

When companies try to do all the IT themselves, it is inefficient and costly in the long run. Much more time was spent on implementation, research and development. And all these costs only go to customers. Save operating costs and keep your product and service costs more affordable for customers and more competitive for your competition.

Deploy the latest technology quickly

Technology is changing as fast as lightning today. Few companies have the resources and the ability to use the latest technology and quickly implement it. Working on a project internally with the latest technology can take months to train IT staff. IT professionals at a managed provider have the skills and knowledge to quickly implement the latest technology. That saves time and money.

Focus on business

It is important for companies to take care of business every day and not be distracted by complex IT decisions or problems. Trying to fix a security breach or hardware crash means that managers no longer have to focus on their core business. Valuable time and money are also lost here.

Lower business risk

Regardless of what business it is, there is always some risk. State regulations, technologies, market conditions, and competition are changing rapidly. IT vendor outsourcing reduces and controls risk through industry-specific insight, including compliance and security issues. Correcting these types of problems can cost a lot of money, not only for fines but also for downtime. IT-managed vendors can use their expertise to help avoid risk.

The same competitive conditions

Many small businesses simply do not have the funds to match the internal IT services of large companies. IT outsourcing helps smaller companies improve the competitive environment with Mr. Big. The economies of scale and affordable cost structure of IT-managed service providers offer smaller companies that need competitive advantages.

Security and compliance

Businesses can get the security they need with bank transfers, electronic checks, credit cards, and gift certificates. Fraud is common today, and companies can lose a lot of money and reputation through fraud. IT-managed service providers are very familiar with PCI compliance standards. Businesses can minimize risk by managing confidential information along with credit card information and customer information. They also make sure that your firewall is up to date and that a DMZ has been installed. "The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, the Family Education Protection and Rights Act, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act have strict regulations for retail, health and healthcare and the financial industry. "

24/7/365 support

Today many companies work 24 hours. And their networks too. Help is always available from managed service providers, regardless of whether it is day, weekend, or holiday. Companies can always provide support. All in all, there are simply too many advantages to partnering with a managed IT service provider for companies to ignore today. New technologies offer companies great opportunities, but also present daily challenges. Professional companies managed by IT services can help your business overcome these challenges.

Discover The Many Benefits Of Partnering Up With an IT Managed Service Provider

 Today, many companies work with IT-managed service providers. 60 percent of companies use managed IT services, and this number is expected to continue to grow. And that is due to the many benefits of the services offered by these professionals. Here is a list of the benefits you should consider.

Control IT costs

Paying internal IT staff is an expensive task. With managed IT service providers, you get fixed IT costs at variable costs, allowing you to budget efficiently. Companies only pay for what they use and can use it when they need it. Outsourcing IT tasks only saves companies money.

Reduces labor costs

Not only does it cost money to have internal IT staff, it also costs money to hire and train them. And temporary workers don't always meet expectations. Outsourcing enables companies to focus on the human resources that are most needed in other areas.

Certified, trained, qualified and experienced

How can you be sure that the IT employee is truly qualified for the position? With an IT managed service provider, you get a certified, trained, qualified and experienced specialist. If you want to train an IT employee, keep in mind that certifications like Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) are very expensive.

Qualified does not mean experience

Regardless of how much you train an IT professional, this training is isolated and the employee may not have the proper experience. A managed IT service provider sends an experienced IT expert. When you see a doctor, you want an experienced one, right? The same applies to IT.

Increase efficiency and competitiveness.

When companies try to do all the IT themselves, it is inefficient and costly in the long run. Much more time was spent on implementation, research and development. And all these costs only go to customers. Save operating costs and keep your product and service costs more affordable for customers and more competitive for your competition.

Deploy the latest technology quickly

Technology is changing as fast as lightning today. Few companies have the resources and the ability to use the latest technology and quickly implement it. Working on a project internally with the latest technology can take months to train IT staff. IT professionals at a managed provider have the skills and knowledge to quickly implement the latest technology. That saves time and money.

Focus on business

It is important for companies to take care of business every day and not be distracted by complex IT decisions or problems. Trying to fix a security breach or hardware crash means that managers no longer have to focus on their core business. Valuable time and money are also lost here.

Lower business risk

Regardless of what business it is, there is always some risk. State regulations, technologies, market conditions, and competition are changing rapidly. IT vendor outsourcing reduces and controls risk through industry-specific insight, including compliance and security issues. Correcting these types of problems can cost a lot of money, not only for fines but also for downtime. IT-managed vendors can use their expertise to help avoid risk.

The same competitive conditions

Many small businesses simply do not have the funds to match the internal IT services of large companies. IT outsourcing helps smaller companies improve the competitive environment with Mr. Big. The economies of scale and affordable cost structure of IT-managed service providers offer smaller companies that need competitive advantages.

Security and compliance

Businesses can get the security they need with bank transfers, electronic checks, credit cards, and gift certificates. Fraud is common today, and companies can lose a lot of money and reputation through fraud. IT-managed service providers are very familiar with PCI compliance standards. Businesses can minimize risk by managing confidential information along with credit card information and customer information. They also make sure that your firewall is up to date and that a DMZ has been installed. "The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, the Family Education Protection and Rights Act, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act have strict regulations for retail, health and healthcare and the financial industry. "

24/7/365 support

Today many companies work 24 hours. And their networks too. Help is always available from managed service providers, regardless of whether it is day, weekend, or holiday. Companies can always provide support. All in all, there are simply too many advantages to partnering with a managed IT service provider for companies to ignore today. New technologies offer companies great opportunities, but also present daily challenges. Professional companies managed by IT services can help your business overcome these challenges.

Network Engineer vs Network administrator

 Network engineers and network administrators are common positions in the IT field, and both can be very influential. Although the jobs may look similar in their descriptions and roles, and have a real overlap of responsibilities, there are clear differences. In general, the network engineer is responsible for the design and development of a computer network, while a network administrator is responsible for ensuring and maintaining the network once it is developed.

In this article, we explore the roles, responsibilities, and perspectives of network engineer vs  network administrators.

Terminology

The terms "network engineer" and "network architecture" can be used interchangeably. A network administrator, on the other hand, is generally distinguished from engineers and architecture.

As in any field, a title is less important than the details of the job description. The bigger the company, the more specific a job can be. The smaller a company is, the more tasks a single job can have.

Network engineer

Functions and responsibilities

The first part of a network engineer role is to understand, at a macro level, the structure and requirements of the entire network of the organization. With this knowledge, the network engineer must design and maintain any network that supports the company's life cycle and growth opportunities. A network engineer may need to analyze what works and what needs to be improved, while working on a predefined budget.

The common roles and responsibilities of a network engineer are:

• Design and implementation of physical and wireless networks, including those for computer communications and telecommunications.

• Maintain network performance.

• Management of electronic equipment that activate all parts of the network.

• Network troubleshooting

• Research and integration of new technologies in the network life cycle.

• Interface with network administrators to manage or help with problems.

Partners and reports

A network engineer often reports directly to a CTO or CIO. Depending on the corporate hierarchy, a network engineer can supervise network administrators. Alternatively, a network engineer may not supervise any employee, but rather associate with certain roles depending on the projects.

Job requirements

An ideal network engineer will often need, at a minimum, a bachelor's or master's degree in a computer-related field, such as computing, computer engineering, or programming. Some employees prefer an MBA in information systems. Hands-on experience, especially in computer systems or network administration, is always helpful to a candidate.

Applicants applying for a network engineer position should highlight not only their knowledge but also their skills. Analytical skills and attention to detail are two essential skills, as network engineers must examine complex network systems and analyze what works and what doesn't, then suggest and implement solutions.

Leadership and organization skills are also helpful, as network engineers are often responsible for collaborating with multiple employees.

Perspective

For network engineers, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) forecasts national growth of nine percent above average through 2024. However, the department cautions that as more companies adopt computing in the cloud more fully, the general need for network engineering and architecture could in the long term.

Network Administrator

Functions and responsibilities

The role of network administrator is often described as taking over where the responsibilities of the network engineer end. Although the engineer focuses on implementing the network throughout the life cycle, the network's daily operations and maintenance (O&M) are often the responsibility of the network administrator. However, the administrator's role is often proactive, helping to prevent security problems before they occur, rather than reacting afterwards.

The scope and depth of responsibilities of a network administrator may depend on the size of the organization. In large organizations, one or more network administrators can share the following roles and responsibilities:

• Monitoring and maintenance of IT infrastructure, with special emphasis on:

• Servers on site

• Software and network interactions

• Network integrity and resilience

• Network testing to detect weaknesses or potential compromise sites

• Stay on top of necessary updates

• Implementation of security programs with hardware and software.

In small organizations, a network administrator may also be responsible for:

• Purchase of new equipment.

• Deploy new software

• Management of email and Internet filters.

• Disk image maintenance for new installations.

• Make sure the licenses are up to date

• Tackling bad data management practices

Partners and reports

Network administrators often inform network engineers because their roles are closely linked. Over time, a network administrator may be prepared for the role of network engineer.

Network administrators also interact with many IT members and the business at large, depending on the issues.

Job requirements

While a BS in an IT field is useful, it may not be necessary for a network administrator role. Many organizations prefer specific training and certifications to relevant practical experience. Common training and certifications for network administrators may include Juniper, Cisco, Brocade Certified Network Engineer, Microsoft, and Red Hat.

It is important to note that the network administrator must generally understand the network that the engineer designs. Since the network engineer and network administrator must work together, clear understanding and communication between stations is essential.

Perspective

The BLS forecasts eight percent growth in this area through 2024. This growth is comparable to the average growth for all occupations. BLS is basing this increased demand for network administrators on the growing need that businesses will need for newer and faster technologies and, of course, for their mobile networks. Healthcare industries are likely to need more network administrators as national legislation requires healthcare to continue to implement technology in the industry.

What Outsourcing Engagement Model is Right for you?

 Outsourcing should be a strategic partnership, not simply handing over tasks to third parties. To do this correctly, wise preparation is required.

When implemented correctly, strategic partnerships are a happy collaboration in which expectations for delivery and results are clear from the start. By involving external minds, you can innovate and take your product to a level that goes beyond what your internal team may have accomplished. New ideas can come from anywhere.

A proper planning phase is important. It's not just about thinking about the future, it's also about being on the same page with your outsourcing provider every day and benefiting from their expertise, rather than just looking at outsourcing as an easy way to outsource real estate work. . You must choose the appropriate Managed Services Engagement Model that is transparent to both parties and provides sound governance for all aspects of the relationship.

To accomplish this, it is helpful to understand the various outsourcing contracting models and best apply them to your situation: software development in the case described here.

A commitment model is a framework that defines collaboration between a client and an outsourcing provider. It determines a level of control and responsibility and provides a basis for further development of relationships. There is no "best" universal model that meets the requirements of every business.

How do you choose a commitment model that is right for your business? Here is a brief overview of the most popular models, divided into tactical and strategic engagements.

Tactical engagement models:

* Staffing is the simplest model This approach enables companies to expand existing internal employees with outsourced employees. The typical customer business driver for such a model is cost reduction. It may work well in the short term, but requires a high level of customer engagement to monitor extended staff. This means that project management and technical leadership remain on the client side, while development or routine testing can be complemented, for example, with offshore or nearshore resources provided by an outsourcing provider.

It is not necessary to argue that the degree of innovation of suppliers subcontracted with this model will be quite low in most cases. The smaller the area of ​​responsibility, the fewer drivers there are for innovations.

With the staff augmentation model, the range of responsibility is often quite limited. It may include technical implementation tasks as well as prototyping, but the product vision and decision-making freedom of extended team members are so limited that it is no easier to think outside the box.

It is important to set reasonable expectations and build a relationship between a customer and an outsourcing provider where the party is responsible for the steps in the product development cycle. This helps to avoid solving unpleasant problems in the future.

* Project-based is a time-based participation model that is effective for projects where requirements are unlikely to change during the development process. It reduces costs and time to market by using an external provider with the necessary technical and specialized knowledge. However, if requirements change frequently or the planned order size spans more than one transaction project, it is best to consider strategic inclusion models such as the Offshore / Nearshore Development Center (ODC / NDC) or Product 2.0 (PDS 2.0) [3].

* Tactical Consulting is a generic term for a range of value-added services. The customer's business driver here is access to expertise not available internally, such as user experience design, architecture and technology consulting, security assessment, etc. It is usually provided by an outsourcing provider as a fixed-price, time-limited activity, although due to the insecure nature of R&D work, the T&M basis can also be considered.

Strategic engagement models

The following three models belong to the strategic group because they are based on long-term and more innovative relationships between a client and an outsourcing provider organization.

* The Offshore / Nearshore Development Center is a flexible engagement model that significantly increases clients' product development capabilities. If the product requirements are controlled by a customer, the employees of the Offshore Development Center / Nearshore (ODC / NDC) are managed by an outsourcing provider. This model can support a variety of projects and activities, such as new product development, modernization and maintenance of older products, testing services, and other long-term activities. However, customers looking for disruptive innovations and increased vendor responsibility should consider the PDS 2.0 model, which is next on our list.

* Product Development Services 2.0 is the most innovative strategic engagement model that maximizes the results of an outsourcing relationship. The term PDS 2.0 comes from Forrester's comparison of traditional PDSs, which were carried out through project-based or ODC models, with a new innovative approach, in which the outsourced provider has a wide range of responsibilities to the design and create a product together with a customer. Once the product has been launched, the supplier, motivated by a results-oriented contract, continues with the optimization and sustainability of the product. In this way, the entire product life cycle can be outsourced to a strategic partner.

* Strategic consulting is values-based advice that aims to improve the efficiency of the process and the product quality of a client's organization. It generally encompasses all aspects of the people / processes / technology triangle that have a major impact on a client's transformation and strategic decision making.

The key to success is choosing an appropriate engagement model. By ensuring that your tactical and strategic plans are shared with your partner, you can create a solid foundation for further innovation. There's no need to stop at one level or another: evolve over time through participation models to gain more value from long-lasting and fruitful partnerships.

Tips from IT Helpdesk Manager

 In this article we are going to learn about How to run a help desk from IT Helpdesk Manager

Good management of your IT helpdesk involves creating a high level of cohesion between your internal processes and the expectations of your external customers. Keeping everyone happy and managing their helpdesk well is a difficult task. To do this, you need the right tools, as well as well-documented and communicated processes, that give your staff and customers the right levels of expectations.

We asked several successful IT help desk managers for their best tips on how to manage their support activity wisely: keeping customers satisfied and their technicians accountable.

What the IT Manager Said:

You should have a clear understanding of all the metrics on your IT help desk, such as response time, first call resolution, and recovery time after service interruptions, and how to improve them to help with the bottom line. .

These expectations come largely from the past experiences of your company's IT support service and the requirements of your users. In other words, a user can expect it to take X hours to resolve a support ticket. Customer service conflicts or problems usually arise when a user has a problem that cannot be resolved within the specified time.

If you want to run your IT helpdesk more efficiently, you need to ensure that you strike a balance between providing the best customer service and the fastest response time for your customers, within your internal operational constraints, such as budgets and internal efficiency.

What can you do to find a balance between satisfied customers and efficient IT support service? Let's take a look at the top seven help desk admin tips provided by the IT support administrators themselves.

Document Your Service Level Agreement (SLA)

A service level agreement (SLA) allows you to predefine your IT technical support services internally and externally. This plain language agreement between you and your client will allow you to measure the success of your services based on the expectations you have already defined.

Once you have created your SLA, you should use it to track your performance against your overall business goals.

But tracking your SLA is difficult. First, you're forced to manage a large amount of raw data, and service level agreements need to be seamlessly integrated into your IT departments, so frequent modification can be difficult unless it is.

Unless you take advantage of a PSA system like SherpaDesk Computer Assist Software. With Sherpadesk's SLA tool, you can accurately report metrics, such as how long it took a customer to respond to you or how long it would take to resolve a particular problem. This tool helps keep the IT support team on the right track by monitoring whether their response and correction times meet agreed parameters.

When you start using SLAs to track the metrics that help you run your IT helpdesk, you need to be sure to look beyond the arbitrary metrics and measure the things that will help you achieve your goals. of your business

Document Your Process

New IT help desk managers and technicians may face new problems day after day. To combat this, it is recommended that its integration be fast. This will allow them to help their clients as quickly as possible. One way to do this would be to ask experienced technicians and IT help desk managers to document their processes.

Documenting your processes and explaining how to solve specific problems will speed up your production line and ensure customer problems are resolved faster.

These resolution documents should also be available to anyone who needs to access them. In this way, future help desk managers and technicians who encounter a problem for the first time can use the original solution to solve the problem, instead of wasting unnecessary time finding a solution on their own. the same

When you Can’t Manage the Time, Manage Self-Service Solutions

You might even think of going beyond simply documenting solutions for your IT support staff and considering documenting them for your customers through a knowledge bank.

It may not be possible to offer technical assistance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, due to personnel or budget problems. However, that shouldn't stop you as a business owner or IT support manager from being able to provide excellent support when your team is offline.

Consider using the self-service tool included with an IT support solution like SherpaDesk, which has proven to be very effective in cases where your IT support team is busy or out of the office. Having a knowledge base solution that guides users on how to solve their problems enables them to take ownership of their own IT problems and solve them themselves.

So how can this self-service tool help you improve your IT help desk management skills? This can certainly reduce costs. Self-service support costs $ 0.10 or less per contact, while average live service costs (email, phone, or live chat) can cost more than $ 13, meaning your staff can spend more time solving more complex problems or pay more attention to VIP clients.

User End-to-End Transparency

For any problem, complex or not, the user and IT support technicians must be able to easily identify the status of the problem.

This will allow IT help desk technicians to solve outstanding problems by being able to jump where previous technologies have stayed. This saves time and reduces frustration for your end users.

Examine your outings

We mentioned earlier that in order for your IT helpdesk to be managed effectively, you must examine all of your operating results. This includes, above all, costs.

Determine how much it costs you to provide an efficient IT support service, in particular the costs of solving each call or ticket.

When you have a good indication of this cost, you can see what problems can be solved quickly and cheaply. For example, if the majority of IT tickets going through your help desk come from customers who need a simple and purposeful task, you might consider using self-service support documentation, such as SherpaDesk, so that your customers can help themselves. .

See also how your IT support team is divided. Do most of your team work on easier, low-maintenance tasks, leaving only a few senior IT support technicians to handle the most difficult tasks? Focusing on more difficult topics, while generating easier tickets for self-service tools, will do wonders for their efficiency, not to mention their results.

Choose Your Provider Wisely

As the saying goes, it's not the technology you use, but the way you use it. With that said, you need to make sure you offer comprehensive support as an IT support provider.

Ultimately, the IT support software you use is there to help you improve your business and keep your customers satisfied. So be sure to choose an IT support software solution that is well suited to what you hope to achieve as a business and that also includes all the features and integrations you need.

Final Takeaways

If you want to improve the way you manage your IT helpdesk, choosing the right PSA IT helpdesk software is essential. Let's say that when implementing a new helpdesk solution, "get a little closer and often" is best. The worst thing you can do is step in and try to change all your processes at the same time. Doing it in smaller, more manageable steps means you will spend less time focusing on mistakes and more time focusing on your overall business goal: to provide the best service to your customers in an efficient and cost-effective manner as possible.

It should also be noted that if you want effective IT help desk management, you must assess how well customers think their problems have been resolved.

This means that the first person to contact a customer must also be the follow-up contact, even if the solution was provided by another staff member.

Managing your IT help desk doesn't have to be a difficult task, and you don't have to break the bank. Choosing the right IT Helpdesk software and creating all your core processes from scratch will enable your team to become experts in the systems and processes necessary to get your job done right. This will help them feel empowered and ready for the success of world-class IT support. This means satisfied customers, and more customers means a happy end result for your business.

Winning IT support and support services for your business

 Our IT support services are certified IT professionals based in the United States. We offer a high-quality IT help desk and remote network monitoring services, every hour of the day. Much more than traditional technical support, Dataprise Technical Support Services provide our customers with professional and immediate assistance without costly assistance.

Help desk software is the heart of a well-run help center and is a vital consideration for business owners. In fact, it is one of the main priorities of a company, be it a small or medium company (SME) or a large organization. Fortunately, there is no shortage of options to choose from, as there is a wide range of assistive software. Some solutions are better suited to SMEs, while others are better suited to larger organizations; Others, however, are better suited for internal IT operations than for organizations that handle customer requests. Also, not all technical support software is created the same way. The IT Help Desk is generally considered more tactical, with the primary goal of helping to quickly resolve immediate end-user needs and technical problems and incidents. The helpdesk is reactive in nature, but it must be efficient and fast. The IT help desk may be separate or part of a larger help desk operation to improve customer service for the entire organization.

Technology can happen anywhere, anytime, and access to IT support is crucial. When one of your IT users has a question or needs help with a software program or device, they will have immediate access to technical support, day or night. All covered IT support services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including weekends and holidays, to help users in your organization meet their IT support needs. When users call our helpdesk, they can be sure that their needs are quickly understood and addressed.

The IT service center is generally a larger, more strategic, and cross-organizational function. A service center examines the broader needs and context of the business rather than focusing only on meeting user needs, as a helpdesk does. The support desk is the central point of contact for technology support at Illinois Tech. The support desk staff provides technical troubleshooting and administrative support to all students, faculty, and staff. To more easily meet your needs, the helpdesk uses a peer-to-peer model that allows student learners to support student problems.

Seven Steps in Deploying SD-WAN Architecture

 Network architecture is now seen as the hub of digital transformation. Implementing the SD-WAN architecture can lead to cost savings, performance benefits, and easy administration.

Most companies are experiencing massive changes in the technology and processes they use.

This is because most companies have traditionally used manual and analog processes. Technologies such as cloud and edge computing, mobility, artificial intelligence and devices that are capable of the Internet of Things have disrupted these long-standing processes.

The digital transformation captures the massive changes that companies are experiencing in the digitization and automation of processes. Digital transformation integrates technology to solve traditional business problems with automation, digitized processes, and artificial intelligence. Digital transformation can optimize the way companies work, while creating competitive advantage and business differentiation.

According to Gartner Research, one of the first steps towards this automation is virtualization of IT infrastructure, especially with network virtualization, about the role of network virtualization in digital transformation. For most corporate IT departments, the WAN (Wide Area Network) edge is the easiest place to start virtualizing a network. Software-defined WANs provide relatively quick cost savings and performance benefits. Virtualization eliminates hardware, enables more flexible management, and more.

When your business is ready to use software defined wide area network (SD-WAN) technology, the next logical question is "How?"

No two SD-WAN Deployment Services are designed, created, and managed identically. Several factors change deployment decisions, including the composition of a remote site, end-user requirements, and budget constraints. SD-WAN implementation involves seven steps to help you ask the right questions. These steps are the following:

• Calculate the maximum number of remote locations

• The correct deployment size is based on the number of users and the expected use of WAN

• Analyze applications / services / workloads.

• Determine what WAN connectivity options are available

• Choose an implementation model

• Plan to capture the WAN data stream after deployment

• Continuous improvement based on analysis

Let's take a closer look at each of these steps.

1. Calculate the maximum number of remote locations: The number of SD-WAN deployment options that can be deployed increases relative to the number of remote locations in a company. Smaller SD-WAN use cases generally keep the overall architecture simple by using ready-to-use configurations. For simplicity, these types of implementations generally use a star topology that brings all traffic back to one place. Most companies choose design complexity because they lack the budget, manpower, or need for a more robust design.

Large deployments offer more flexibility when it comes to how complicated they can be. Much of this depends on the importance of remote locations in terms of business continuity. The more critical remote locations become for business performance, the more sophisticated the SD-WAN implementation will be.

2. Align the size of the deployment based on the number of users and the expected use of WAN: The number of end users and the location of your applications and data play an important role in determining the design and size of an SD-WAN. For example, if a remote site has hundreds or thousands of users, but applications and data are managed locally, WAN optimization and intelligence may not be as important as a 10-user site that uses business-critical applications that they are further a WAN From a performance point of view, the number of employees is important. However, be sure to measure the needs per user and the business importance of a WAN.

3. Analyze applications / services / workloads: Then assess the number, type, and importance of all the expected applications, services, and workloads that will go through the WAN. Investigate to identify each application, how this application interacts with resources distributed over the WAN, and what network requirements exist. For real-time streaming protocols such as voice, video, and high-performance database access, these application data streams must be identified, flagged, and prioritized over a WAN.

The secret to the success of a successful SD-WAN deployment comes from this analysis of the application. Only through this analysis can IT departments determine if applications are using SD-WAN resources or if they require faster speeds. Only if you know these application requirements can you configure your SD-WAN correctly. Without going through a thorough review and prioritizing applications by importance and requirements, the intelligence of an SD-WAN implementation lacks the information to make appropriate routing decisions.

4. Determine what WAN connectivity options are available: After calculating the latency and performance requirements based on the information collected in the previous three steps, examine what WAN connection options are available at each location. Don't forget: SD-WAN technologies must have two or more WAN connections for SD-WAN AI to have a choice of routes to use. If all of your offices are in modern urban areas, there may be a large number of private WAN and / or broadband providers. In this situation, the choice of WAN connectivity types comes down to answering the following questions:

• What performance, what latency, and what reliability are required today?

• What options best allow for the expected type of scale and / or reduction?

• What options are best suited to your budget?

However, if your remote locations are in rural areas, you should also consider the limitations of WAN's restricted options. In this situation, no stone should be flipped. Fortunately, the underlying information in SD-WANs can continue to use low bandwidth connections and higher latency while taking full advantage of it. As a result, options that are often initially ignored (for example, LTE and satellite broadband) may be viable connectivity options in some places.

5. Choose an implementation model: All the previous steps in this process deal with the framework in which SD-WAN is running. When this is complete, the fifth step is to examine the SD-WAN deployment options and find out which model best fits. There are three basic implementation models to choose from.

First, in-house IT staff could negotiate prices and enter into WAN connection contracts directly with the provider. Once complete, the company's IT department can select, fully implement and manage an SD-WAN. Alternatively, many IT decision makers have chosen a SD-WAN managed service provider (MSP) to handle all aspects of the WAN, including relationships with WAN line providers, SD-WAN provisioning, and all continuous maintenance.

Finally, it is becoming increasingly popular to provide a hybrid solution that divides tasks between internal IT staff and an MSP. In this scenario, an MSP manages the underlying WAN infrastructure by monitoring the performance of WAN connections and by opening preventive trouble tickets with WAN line providers on behalf of the customer. The entire WAN guidelines creation, management, and security situation is left to internal IT staff, who better understand user needs. As Gartner noted, many IT departments are now responsible for managing service delivery, not managing traditional IT infrastructure.

6. Schedule capture of the WAN data stream after deployment: It is important to note that even after the SD-WAN architecture has been implemented, the technology requires ongoing maintenance to function efficiently. While artificial intelligence eliminates numerous manual processes within an SD-WAN platform, relevant information about changes in user requirements, growth, or business requirements has yet to be provided. This information must be collected and selected so that the intelligence embedded in the SD-WAN architecture can understand the changes and make the necessary adjustments to the data flow policy.

7. Continuous improvement based on analysis: When an IT department implements an SD-WAN architecture, it generally behaves according to the information that was originally provided. It is up to a network administrator to determine when to enter new policy information (based on business requirements) that changes the behavior of an SD-WAN. The collected data should be analyzed and then imported back to the SD-WAN platform at regular intervals.

Changes in connectivity type should also be re-evaluated on a specific timeline. New WAN connection options may be available to enhance the experience of WAN end users. Additionally, the number of users, the types of applications, and the critical importance of applications / data are likely to change over time, increasing or decreasing performance, speed, and fluctuations at each location. It is important that continuous improvement is planned and planned properly to ensure that the intelligence of an SD-WAN is effective.

Deploying an SD-WAN

When implementing an SD-WAN Deployment, don't forget how the technology is used in your particular environment. Although each described step does not have to be carried out in succession, the steps can be divided into pre-planning, architecture and ongoing administration phases.

When planning ahead, consider the connectivity types of individual branches. Also calculate the number of end users and their specific application requirements. The architecture phase includes considering geographic location, user requirements, and the deployment model to optimally achieve your goals.

After all, you need data acquisition and analysis in the continuous management phase to continually optimize your SD-WAN architecture. Then, based on the results of the analysis, review the network guidelines to adapt them to the business requirements. If these steps can be followed in the phases described, you are on the right track for an enterprise SD-WAN that will work for years to come.