SD-WAN & SASE Call for Improvements in IT Service Management

SD Wan White Paper Report Cover
Today’s digital era has triggered a mass modernization of corporate IT infrastructures. But in upgrading networks and security systems with technologies like SD-WAN and SASE, IT teams face a paradigm shift in managing a cacophony of new tools and service providers behind them.

SD-WAN and SASE: Essential for Secure Innovation and Remote Work

Company leaders are feeling the pressure: Now is the time to modernize IT or risk losing the company’s competitive edge. Accelerated demands in digital transformation and remote work have forced companies to upgrade their legacy networks and security systems so they can adequately support online services, cloud innovation, and artificial intelligence.

Two technologies are key in making these foundational upgrades: Software-Defined Network as a Service (SD-WAN) and Secure Access Service Edge (SASE). The SASE market will exceed $13B by 2026, a figure unscathed by economic pressures, according to Dell’Oro Group.

These interrelated tools make it faster, easier, and more affordable for businesses to securely connect offices and remote users to the applications and information they need to get work done. Moreover, SASE solutions package SD-WAN with four key security capabilities for comprehensive protection across the network, the public internet, and cloud applications.

While SD-WAN and SASE are praised for revolutionizing IT infrastructures, deployments trigger a wake of changes compounding complexity without the right management strategies in place.

SD-WAN and SASE graphic

Two technologies are key in making these foundational upgrades: Software-Defined Network as a Service (SD-WAN) and Secure Access Service Edge (SASE). The SASE market will exceed $13B by 2026, a figure unscathed by economic pressures, according to Dell’Oro Group.

These interrelated tools make it faster, easier, and more affordable for businesses to securely connect offices and remote users to the applications and information they need to get work done. Moreover, SASE solutions package SD-WAN with four key security capabilities for comprehensive protection across the network, the public internet, and cloud applications.

While SD-WAN and SASE are praised for revolutionizing IT infrastructures, deployments trigger a wake of changes compounding complexity without the right management strategies in place.

SD-WAN and SASE graphic

Modernization Requires Smarter Management while Keeping an Eye on Costs

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Knowing how to respond to the demands of SD-WAN and SASE can be the difference between a successful modernization project and a digital transformation disaster.

SD-WAN Requirements: In-depth Intelligence about Apps, Workloads, and Assets

One of the key advantages of SD-WAN is its ability to allocate network resources to the applications most important to the business. By prioritizing bandwidth, SD-WAN ensures the most critical tools are always up and running, because they “get fed first.” This feature is known as application-based routing, and establishing traffic steering policies is a primary step in designing how any SD-WAN solution will function.

But here lies the critical prerequisite: You can’t establish traffic steering policies if you don’t first have a prioritized list of all your applications ranked from highly critical to discretionary. This is key for SD-WAN readiness, because it serves as the blueprint for solution design.

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Satisfying SD-WAN Requirements with Prioritized Assets and Centralized Management

To compile a list of prioritized applications, users, and corporate locations, you need deep visibility into the network. Technologies make that easy. Software used for network workload analysis, expense management, and Shadow IT discovery can help build network maps and a centralized catalog of applications, services, and connected devices and users. This intelligence is essential in giving precedence to each asset, as it helps companies understand what tools are used most, least, and whether they are sanctioned or unsanctioned by the IT department.

Using that data science, now you can get to the art of solution design – creating a SD-WAN connectivity strategy that balances the requirements of cloud app performance with the best priced connectivity type, albeit highly reliable (yet more costly) MPLS links or less reliable (yet more cost-effective) broadband and 5G wireless connections.

Beyond solution design, solution implementations can create other unexpected demands.

SD-WAN person using phone while riding in car
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Satisfying SD-WAN Requirements with Prioritized Assets and Centralized Management

To compile a list of prioritized applications, users, and corporate locations, you need deep visibility into the network. Technologies make that easy. Software used for network workload analysis, expense management, and Shadow IT discovery can help build network maps and a centralized catalog of applications, services, and connected devices and users. This intelligence is essential in giving precedence to each asset, as it helps companies understand what tools are used most, least, and whether they are sanctioned or unsanctioned by the IT department.

Using that data science, now you can get to the art of solution design – creating a SD-WAN connectivity strategy that balances the requirements of cloud app performance with the best priced connectivity type, albeit highly reliable (yet more costly) MPLS links or less reliable (yet more cost-effective) broadband and 5G wireless connections.

Beyond solution design, solution implementations can create other unexpected demands.

SD-WAN person using phone while riding in car

ISPs:

Arguably the most desirable benefit of SD-WAN is the cost savings of trading costly MPLS connections for affordable connectivity types. Dedicated internet, public internet services, or 5G fixed wireless aren’t just for temporary connections and backups anymore, and IT leaders are quick to tell you they are relying more on the public internet today than ever before.

But there’s a catch!

Trading MPLS for broadband comes with the challenge of managing more providers. In order to capitalize on broadband savings across a wide geographical area, companies must add more regional internet service providers (ISPs). This move can mean switching from a one-carrier solution to tens if not hundreds of ISPs — all of which must be managed. From placing and tracking service orders to handling multiple contracts (not to mention multiple network service portal) it all generates complexity.

ISPs:

Arguably the most desirable benefit of SD-WAN is the cost savings of trading costly MPLS connections for affordable connectivity types. Dedicated internet, public internet services, or 5G fixed wireless aren’t just for temporary connections and backups anymore, and IT leaders are quick to tell you they are relying more on the public internet today than ever before.

But there’s a catch!

Trading MPLS for broadband comes with the challenge of managing more providers. In order to capitalize on broadband savings across a wide geographical area, companies must add more regional internet service providers (ISPs). This move can mean switching from a one-carrier solution to tens if not hundreds of ISPs — all of which must be managed. From placing and tracking service orders to handling multiple contracts (not to mention multiple network service portal) it all generates complexity.

SD-WAN and SASE graphic
Security & SASE: Because SD-WAN deployments typically leverage public internet services, every project should spur an important conversation around security, which leads us to SASE. Converged SASE solutions simplify security by consolidating SD-WAN with four critical network security tools. And while these emerging solutions apply security controls to the network, it isn’t enough. Multi-layered security for the entire IT environment that SD-WAN can encompass requires more tools that come with – yes indeed – more providers. Consider endpoint security and comprehensive Zero Trust tools enabling identity-based security. A constellation of additional capabilities and cloud applications are necessary and must be backed by threat detection and response services to effectively reduce the risk of cybersecurity attacks associated with today’s remote-first, mobile-first, and cloud-first strategies.
SD-WAN and SASE graphic
IaaS: Because ancillary SD-WAN services commonly include direct interconnections to cloud service providers (aka direct cloud connections), deployments are a primary opportunity to start shifting apps and resources out of the datacenter and into the cloud. Doing so helps increase IT agility and scalability, but again, cloud Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) saddles IT teams with yet more distributed providers. And worse, as cloud proliferation continues, this trend is only increasing.

Research firm Nemertes reports that nearly 46% of wide area network traffic is now devoted to reaching resources in the cloud, which reaffirms the importance of effective cloud service and expense management.

What’s at Risk? Costs Out of Control

IT modernization generates a sprawling landscape of tools and services and when not well managed, costs get out of control – including both hard and soft costs.

  • Cloud resources should be reconciled against actual usage, as many overestimate their IaaS and SaaS needs, which explains why cloud overspending can be as high as 70% according to Gartner
  • Inventories need to be maintained for network services, SaaS apps, and mobile device management
  • Network service quality should be managed — troubleshooting can be time consuming
  • Invoices need to be collected, validated, and paid on time to avoid service disruptions
  • Credits should be collected when providers fail to meet service level agreements
  • Contracts and renewals need attention at the end of every lifecycle

Without effectively managing the services surrounding SD-WAN and SASE, it’s nearly impossible to understand the cost of, or guarantee the performance of–much less the security of–the business’s technology investment. Without the right strategy, you cannot realize the value of your IT modernization effort.

SD-WAN & SASE: Effectively Managing All that They Entail

Successful modernization strategies give equal weight to building the IT infrastructure as they do to building the support systems and operations teams necessary to champion SD-WAN and SASE after implementation. Best practices and key areas of focus include:
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Centralized management approaches:

  • Visibility into all assets and services and the ability to synthesize insights across provider lists, usage data, and costs – all in one dashboard
  • Integrations with global providers and internal IT ticketing systems for ease of management – think orders, changes in services, security policies
  • Advanced analytics and machine learning capabilities evaluating complex data across many data streams in one central system
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Data collection and cleanliness:

Accurate inventories of all IT assets and services (telecom, cloud, mobile devices) including detailed account information, service contracts, accounting and expense data, security requirements, and associated departments and users indexed by their title or role in the business

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SD-WAN & SASE Cost Optimization:

The ability to leverage service usage data to validate SD-WAN telecom and security application costs so companies can identify underutilized resources, shed waste, consolidate redundant providers, and stop overpaying for IT services

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Handling administration:

Working alongside network and security operations teams, dedicated asset management teams act as the caretaker of the tools and services the business needs

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Strategic security improvements:

SD-WAN and SASE deployments typically start with network security initiatives, then branch out to cloud and endpoint security

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Converged tools create converged teams:

When network, security, and financial data come together in a modernization initiative, leadership should also bring together like operational teams empowering them to manage the network, security, cloud, and endpoint devices as one interconnected ecosystem

SD Wan Photo two people looking at computer
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Centralized management approaches:

  • Visibility into all assets and services and the ability to synthesize insights across provider lists, usage data, and costs – all in one dashboard
  • Integrations with global providers and internal IT ticketing systems for ease of management – think orders, changes in services, security policies
  • Advanced analytics and machine learning capabilities evaluating complex data across many data streams in one central system
Frame-1080-3

Data collection and cleanliness:

Accurate inventories of all IT assets and services (telecom, cloud, mobile devices) including detailed account information, service contracts, accounting and expense data, security requirements, and associated departments and users indexed by their title or role in the business

Frame-1080-3

SD-WAN & SASE Cost Optimization:

The ability to leverage service usage data to validate SD-WAN telecom and security application costs so companies can identify underutilized resources, shed waste, consolidate redundant providers, and stop overpaying for IT services

Frame-1080-3

Handling administration:

Working alongside network and security operations teams, dedicated asset management teams act as the caretaker of the tools and services the business needs

Frame-1080-3

Strategic security improvements:

SD-WAN and SASE deployments typically start with network security initiatives, then branch out to cloud and endpoint security

Frame-1080-3

Converged tools create converged teams:

When network, security, and financial data come together in a modernization initiative, leadership should also bring together like operational teams empowering them to manage the network, security, cloud, and endpoint devices as one interconnected ecosystem

SD Wan Photo two people looking at computer
Of utmost importance is the continued awareness of interconnections (and dependencies) in the IT ecosystem, and it’s not just SASE connecting the network with security. For example, SD-WAN’s telecom services and corporate mobile devices go hand in hand and should therefore be managed that way. When employees create IT tickets complaining about the network, the response team delivering the best service will have at their fingertips:
  • the list of all corporate users,
  • their assigned devices, as well as,
  • the services associated with that device, and
  • the coordinating network service reliability report.

As the network and security come together and are joined by the cloud and mobile devices, it becomes more important to take a centralized approach to service management, addressing IT assets, expenses, and providers in one place. This is the only way to combat the complexity of SD-WAN and SASE.

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Worried about Management? Technologies and Services can Help

Advanced technology solutions including both software and services can help alleviate the manual work of management. When teams aren’t prepared to take a do-it-yourself approach, outsourcing can take the workload off internal IT teams. IT expense and asset management services address network and telecom services, cloud infrastructure and SaaS applications, mobile devices, and more. They deliver benefits across several broad arenas:

  • Management: Automating the administration of IT services, mobile device lifecycles, and invoices
  • Cost Savings: Evaluating IT spending to cut costs and identify inefficiencies as well as unused resources
  • Consulting: Assisting with service contract negotiation and IT investment strategies that transform the business – rather than just help run the business

IT and procurement leaders find the combined technical, operational, and strategic value of IT expense management solutions helpful.

Conclusion: Effective Management Avoids Unwanted Complexity

Modernizing an IT infrastructure requires a constellation of tools and services, and the degree to which a company can effectively manage its providers and expenses, determines whether it can operationalize SD-WAN and SASE without adding unnecessary complexity.

Why Tangoe One with SD-WAN & SASE?

Tangoe helps companies of all sizes establish one platform where they can gain visibility and control across their telecom, cloud, and mobile services. With insights into the corporate ecosystem of providers, service usage data, and associated expenses, clients simplify the management of their IT environment while optimizing the cost of their technology investments.

  • One single portal to place and track direct orders with over 400 providers.
  • One repository to house every network connection contract from 5G edge solutions to dedicated private lines.
  • One place to maintain your inventory of assets and providers, monitor service usage, and identify cost savings across your telecom, mobile and cloud services

This consolidated portal allows you to identify savings, maximize connectivity, and simplify the management of the end-to-end solution. As a result, you will save time and money.

Plus, Tangoe offers a 20% saving guarantee, and clients typically see triple-digit ROI in the first year.