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IT Company Inc. combines IT solutions experience with carrier services expertise to deliver you the optimal collaboration and network solutions to reach your business goals.  When partnering us, you receive:

·       Experienced knowledgeable pros

·       Detailed systems requirements analysis

·       Unbiased vendor selection

·       A single point of contact

·       Multiple carrier options

Switching to SD-WAN? Here’s what you need to know.

In a world where global enterprise is dependent on shared data and optimized workflows, many companies are moving away from inflexible legacy WAN networks and towards an internet-centric model, resulting in the rapid adoption of SD-WAN.

SD-WAN can significantly reduce costs, improve connectivity and have a big impact on end user productivity – but first you need to set it up. Many different components can affect the transition to SD-WAN and overall network performance, from conducting a thorough site survey to preparing adequate bandwidth.

Where should I start with SD-WAN?

Before you implement SD-WAN, it's important to know what the critical business requirements for your business are. This can include any legacy applications that rely on a hub site or datacenter, and any SaaS or cloud-based application. Your business requirements are important to build a network design that makes the most sense for your user environment, in transitioning from a legacy WAN network to SD-WAN.

What’s the best access technology to use?

SD-WAN technology is wonderful in that it builds secure VPN tunnels over any access technology. This can be existing MPLS, broadband, DIA, or even 4G cellular. SD-WAN technology can leverage multiple access links to better improve site reliability and user experience.

How do you prepare a site for SD-WAN deployment?

Site readiness is critical for successful deployment. Like any Internet based service, a site needs to be able to receive both Internet access lines and the SD-WAN router to leverage the SD-WAN network. This can include physical requirements such adequate power, a place to rack and stack equipment, patch cords, etc., all the way to ensuring network IP addresses and VLAN information needed for configuration is accurate.

How long will it take to deploy SD-WAN?

Every SD-WAN deployment varies on the customer’s need. Design sessions, and turnup schedules dictate the length of time it takes for a project to complete from start to finish. Once a these elements are agreed upon, and order and provisioning is underway, then test and turnup for new greenfield deployments can take 2 hours or less (assuming underlay access and SD-WAN router are already onsite), whereas sites with complex migration or existing topologies may take up to 4-6 hours for completion.

How do you judge the amount of bandwidth needed from carriers?

How much bandwidth that is needed, is typically a function on the existing size of the circuits used by a customer, and how much forecast in user growth is expected. The benefit is that commodity internet access is for the most part much cheaper than MPLS, so on a cost-by-cost comparison, most customers will benefit with much larger Internet circuits, that can carry their SD-WAN traffic, as well as enjoy more direct access to SaaS and cloud providers through local Internet breakout.

How should I approach SD-WAN security?

Security is always important in SD-WAN design. Although SD-WAN tunneled traffic is encrypted and secured, any time you allow users to access the Internet directly from a site, then a security solution is required. This can include an on-premise or a cloud-based firewall solution secure your users and their traffic to the Internet.

Are there any errors common to SD-WAN? How can they be avoided?

SD-WAN relies on the underlay. Meaning for it offer excellent service it still needs reliable Internet access, regardless of the access type. A common mistake many customers make, is assume that simple broadband circuits is enough for their needs, and in many use cases it is. However, if business requirements dictate high quality connectivity especially in voice or video applications, then a good underlay is needed.

Although SD-WAN has numerous mitigation techniques to improve the user experience, it all begins with reliable Internet access.

How can I best optimize SD-WAN connectivity?

Once underlay circuits are determined, then it falls on traffic steering policies, QoS, application routing, and SaaS optimization techniques to further optimize SD-WAN connectivity. These are all parts of typical SD-WAN deployments to ensure the highest quality of service.

Outside of these techniques, Expereo offers its XCA Hub for on-net Internet access. XCA stands for Expereo Cloud Acceleration and is a platform built on optimizing the underlay with sophisticated BGP route optimization. This ensures that outbound user traffic is always traversing the best path across the Internet.

Contact us for more info.

SD-Wan

Contactus for any Questions

You may have heard the term “SD-WAN” being thrown about lately.

SD-WAN is an emerging technology. It makes sense that there are a lot of myths it. Want to know the truth about SD-WAN?

Myth #1: SD-WAN is the same as WAN optimization

 WAN optimization and SD-WAN both reduce bandwidth use. But SD-WAN provides solutions that meet or exceed those offered by traditional WAN technologies: 

·        Connectivity to other cloud based solutions

·        Dynamic bandwidth

·        Application acceleration and optimization

·        Support whenever you need it 

Myth #2: SD-WAN will replace Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS)

 SD-WAN allows companies to utilize multiple internet circuits, balance the load across them, and provides a solid quality of experience. 

SD-WAN will reduce reliance on private MPLS links, but not replace it. As long as quality of service is needed, MPLS will be needed. 

Myth #3: The only benefit compared to MPLS is cost

 Yes, there are cost effective upgrades when choosing SD-WAN. But the benefits of SD-WAN are far greater: 

·        Best overall value and functionality

·        Agility and speed when adding locations

·        Simplification of operations

·        Redundancy, scalability and fault tolerance

·        Quality of experience for critical applications

SD-WAN will open a whole new set of opportunities for your company. It is already a game changer for several of our clients and partners.

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How Big Data is Transforming the Telco Industry

Monitoring call data records in real-time and identifying baseline behaviour to prevent fraud.

• Analysing network traffic to predict periods of heaviest usage and avoid congestion

• Identifying customers who are considering leaving and taking preventative measures to increase loyalty

• Identifying new opportunities with services and features to improve customer service

Canadian mandatory breach notification starts November 1, no regulations yet

Published: April 4th, 2018

Companies covered under federal law will have to report data breaches to customers, affected third parties and the federal privacy commissioner starting November 1, the government has decided. However, Ottawa still hasn’t proclaimed the regulations that firms will have to follow, which is puzzling privacy law experts.

Who is winning - Android or Apple

My apple is a lemon, crashes all the time.  I am  using Android for the last 3 years  - much much better.