Network Engineer

 Network Engineer Definition

A network engineer  is a technology professional who has the skills to plan, deploy, and monitor computer networks that support internal voice, data, video, and wireless network services.

Although the job titles network engineer and network administrator are sometimes used synonymously, a network engineer generally has more executive responsibilities than a network administrator. The engineering side of things tends to be more concerned with planning, design, and technical specifications, while the administrative side of things is mostly about daily maintenance, management, and problem-solving efforts.

Job titles can also be differentiated by education level and / or income. In general, a network engineer is more trained and earns more than a network administrator.

Responsibilities of a Network Engineer

Network engineers focus on providing highly available network infrastructure to keep IT activities online and on-site for users. Network engineers often overlap other roles, such as computer network architects or security systems engineers, and work internally within an organization or as external consultants.

Network engineers design and implement network configurations, resolve performance issues, perform network monitoring, and configure security systems such as firewalls. They often report to an CIO, an information security officer, and other line managers to discuss and decide on general business objectives, policies, and state of the art updates. network. In many situations, network engineers work closely with project managers and other engineers, manage capacity, and provide remote or on-site support.

Qualification for a Network Engineer

Several universities and other institutions offer training programs in network engineering. A network engineer may only need an associate's degree to get an entry level job, but most positions will require a bachelor's degree in computer science or additional experience. Many network engineers also come from fields such as electrical engineering, physics or mathematics. For many engineers, the additional qualifications and training are closely linked to the Cisco Engineering Certification Program, which offers five levels of professional development. Other certifications are available from suppliers and organizations such as Juniper Networks, Microsoft, Aruba, Alcatel-Lucent, Riverbed Technology Inc., SolarWinds, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Extreme Networks Inc. and the IPv6 Forum.

In addition to technical skills, network engineers need analytical, leadership and organizational skills. It is also important to pay attention to details and the ability to solve problems. Engineers must be able to understand complex networks and detect problems or suggest ways to improve them. They must also be able to work collaboratively, as well as instruct other engineers and support staff to operate the network. And they must be flexible enough to work with engineers and industry colleagues who may not understand networks.

Increasingly, network engineers also need to know about application and software development, reflecting the growing role of automation and software-defined networks. Therefore, engineers need to understand traffic flows, application priority, and data transport. In addition, engineers must also be familiar with hyperconvergence, virtualization, security, containers, wide area networks and storage engineering.

The ultimate network security checklist

 If you are in charge of network security, either because you work on the IT security team or you are the entire IT team, here is a simple list that you can follow, broken down by category. which includes some tips and tricks to get the job done.

Submitted for approval, the ultimate network security checklist. It is a document that provides you with the information security areas you need to focus on, as well as specific settings or best practices to help you protect your environment from internal and external threats. Using this checklist as a starting point and working with the rest of your IT, administration, human resources, and legal advisory team, you can create the ultimate network security checklist for your specific environment. It is an important distinction; no two networks are the same, and business requirements, regulatory and contractual obligations, local laws, and other factors will influence your company's specific network security checklist, so don't think all your work is done. You will have to modify this to suit your own environment, but rest assured that most of the work is done!

We will break this list down into broad categories for your convenience. Some of the breakdowns may seem arbitrary, but you have to draw lines and separate paragraphs at some point, and that's where we draw ours.

User accounts

Let's be honest. Users are the weakest link in any network security scenario. But since they are also the reason we have IT and more to the point ... a job ... we have to make sure that we take care of them and that they take care of us. That is why they come first on this list.

Training

Before a user obtains a network account, they need training on what to do, what not to do, and how to protect themselves and the network. This must be done first and repeatedly, with at least one annual review and update.

Individual accounts

There is no shared account ... ever! Make sure each user gets a unique account that cannot be assigned to them. Make sure they know that the penalty for revealing their credentials to another is tickling death.

Separation between normal user and privileged user accounts

This applies more to system administrators who read this than to end users, so do what we say and not what you do ... be sure to log in with a regular account and authenticate with your privileged account only when you have to. do manager work. Otherwise, you never know when you can accidentally click on something running with these elevated privileges.

Multi Factor authentication

If you look at every major stunt that's been in the news for the past two years, from TJ Max to Target, Premera, and the Office of People Management ... one thing could have stopped them all. Two-factor authentication. Each of these hacks started with compromised credentials that were simply a username and password. The annoying thing about all this is that OPM was supposed to be using 2FA already, but it wasn't. Of course, most of the government doesn't either. It has finally changed, but it is a bit late for the millions of people whose personal information has been stolen.

Update information

Keep the data updated on your system. Be sure to get contact information, job titles, managers, etc. They are updated every time there is a change, so if you need to search for something about a user, they have what they need, not their phone number from seven years ago when they were first hired.

Examine group memberships when roles change

With minimal privileges, it should be standard operating procedure to review and modify group memberships and other access privileges when a user changes jobs. If your new role does not require access to the resources your old role gave you, remove that access.

Accounts are not shared between test and production, or between two external services.

This is critical. If you have multiple environments, it can be very tempting to share credentials between them. This makes a compromise much more likely to occur, especially if the lab or UAT environment does not have the same security measures as production, or if hacking from an external service could reveal your information. identification that could then be used to log in. other services. Pop quiz ... is your username and password for Facebook the same as for Twitter? If you answered yes, you are wrong.

Disable outdated accounts. Delete the very old ones.

Run a scheduled task to deactivate and report on all accounts that have not been used to authenticate in a fixed period of time. I think two weeks is fine, but most would say 30 days. Perform another run at least once a month to identify accounts that have been deactivated for 90 days and delete them. Old accounts can be "resurrected" to provide access, through social engineering or ups. Don't be a victim.

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.

Top 5 Network Monitoring Tools of 2020

 Choosing a network monitoring tool is a bit overwhelming for hundreds of different software providers.

Our team of IT professionals has decided to bring together years of experience and extensive industry knowledge to create a comprehensive list of network monitoring tools to follow.

Each tool is extensively tested, compared, and reviewed to provide a definitive list of the best network monitoring tools for 2020. It includes free, paid, and open source software for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

We can help you find the best tools for your business and IT infrastructure. From dedicated IP scanners, packet trackers and Net Flow analyzers to real-time alert systems and integrated monitoring suites.

Performance monitoring tool for the solar wind network.

SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor is easy to install and ready to go. The tool automatically detects network devices and implements them in one hour. A simple approach to monitoring the entire network makes it one of the most natural and intuitive user interfaces.

The product is highly customizable and the interface is quick and easy to manage and modify. Customize web-based dashboards, charts, and performance views. You can design custom topologies for your entire network infrastructure. You can also create smart alerts that recognize custom dependencies.

PRTG Network Monitoring Tool

PRTG Network Monitor software is known for its advanced infrastructure management capabilities. All devices, systems, traffic, and applications on your network are easily visible in a hierarchical view that summarizes performance and alerts. PRTG monitors the IT infrastructure using technologies such as SNMP, WMI, SSH, packet / flow detection, HTTP requests, REST API, Ping and SQL.

This is one of the best options for organizations with little experience in network monitoring. The user interface is convincing and very easy to use.

An extraordinary feature of PRTG is the ability to monitor data center devices using mobile apps. The QR code corresponding to the sensor is printed and connected to the physical equipment. The mobile app is used to scan the code and the device summary is displayed on the screen of the mobile device.

ManageEngine OpManager Network Monitoring Tool

Core ManageEngine OpManager is APM software (used by the APM plug-in) for infrastructure management, network monitoring, and application performance management.

The products are balanced in terms of monitoring and analysis capabilities. This solution can manage network, server, network configuration, failure, and performance. You can also analyze network traffic. To run Manage Engine OpManager, you must install it locally.

The strong point of this product is that it comes with a pre-configured network monitor device model. These include predefined parameters and monitoring intervals for specific types of devices. Essential Edition products can be purchased for $ 595, allowing up to 25 devices.

WhatsUp Gold Network Monitor Tool

WhatsUp Gold (WUG) is the Ipswitch network monitoring software. It is one of the easiest to use and highly configurable tools on the market. The dashboard is easy to use and visually appealing.

For daily IT management, WhatsUp Gold is a network monitoring tool that balances price and functionality. It is also fully customizable. Customize your control panel to display your IT infrastructure and alert your needs.

Highlights of the latest 2017 Plus release include hybrid cloud monitoring, real-time performance monitoring, automatic and manual failover, and better visibility into distributed networks.

WhatsUp Gold is limited to compatibility with the Windows operating system. This software is provided with different rate plans for your network and your portfolio. Compare the different editions on the official website and request a quote.

Nagios XI Network Monitoring Tool

Nagios XI is intended for a wide range of users, including freelancers, SMEs (small and medium-sized companies) and large companies. This makes the Nagios XI pricing model one of the most flexible models. They have a free, open source, single license and subscription version. It is one of the few tools that allow monitoring and alerting at an extremely low price of flexibility (due to the adaptability to additional modules).

Nagios XI focuses on surveillance. The main IT components monitored by Nagios XI are the network, the infrastructure and the database. The software is easy to install, but it takes time to adapt to your needs initially. In fact, Nagios XI does not automatically detect the device. Each device to monitor in the configuration file must be configured.

What Are The Benefits Of Managed Services?

 Technology enables modern business by increasing efficiency and generating useful information through data. Their networks store your information and allow you to do more work than ever. As one of your most valuable assets, your network deserves the utmost care and attention when it comes to maintenance.

Many companies assume that the only option for network administration is to delegate it to the internal IT team. However, this is far from the truth. Managed IT and technology services provide competent support and service for your network, so you can focus on what your business can do best. The business benefits of managed services combined with the money you can save make it a smart solution for businesses of all sizes.

What Are The Managed Services?

Each company uses technology as a means to be competitive in its field and maximize efficiency. Businesses trust networks and IT more than ever, and the resources necessary to maintain an internal team continue to grow. For many small businesses, this often means sacrificing the quantity or quality of network maintenance efforts to conserve limited resources.

Managed services are a way to outsource maintenance and repairs to experts. A first-class managed IT service provider performs various functions for your business, eg.

• Network administration

• Backups

• Network security

• communication

• IT support

WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF THE SERVICES PROVIDED VS. REPAIR SERVICES?

Repair services have dominated the market for decades. If companies had a problem with a server, they would call an IT professional and try to explain the problem. Hopefully, a solution could be found quickly. Otherwise, you would face costly repairs and downtime. This type of reactive service is called an interruption repair approach.

Managed services, on the other hand, offer constant and constant monitoring of their systems in order to avoid failures whenever possible. With remote monitoring, your service provider can always see what's going on and fix the problem right away.

The advantages and disadvantages of managed services make it clear that partnering with an MSP is the best way to simplify your IT administration at low cost. These are the top 10 financial and business benefits of managed services.

1. Predictably low cost

Can managed services reduce costs? The answer is yes. This can also make your IT costs more predictable. With Managed Services, your costs are grouped into a fixed amount that is paid annually or monthly. An internal IT team, on the other hand, has far more frequent and unexpected expenses that can quickly drain your budget.

Networks come with many devices that require maintenance and sometimes need to be repaired or replaced. MSPs provide maintenance and repairs as part of the contract, so the provider performs a repair that can cost you thousands of dollars out of pocket. This model protects your budget from extreme fluctuations and improves the stability of your overall business.

Small businesses benefit greatly from managed services because the initial costs are so much lower. When a company starts again, the initial cost of hiring and training a team while paying for the servers and other necessary equipment can be overwhelming.

2. Scalability

The price of maintaining an internal IT team is high. For this reason, teams are often seen as understaffed, overworked, and unable to do everything due to lack of time and resources. It doesn't work every day and it definitely doesn't fly when your business tries to expand.

Training another employee for your IT department costs thousands of dollars, and there is no guarantee that you will stay with the company. An MSP covers training costs, and you no longer have to worry about your IT experts jumping off the ship.

Network scaling requires significant coordination, staff, and new equipment. This is a huge cost factor for any business and often leads to an IT team that is no longer focused on other important functions like security. With Managed Services, you can expand or update systems as needed without hiring and training employees you don't need later.

MSPs help your business stay flexible on resources and can adapt to rapid changes to which an internal team may not respond efficiently.

3. Minimized downtime

Downtime occurs primarily due to problems with the device. Servers may crash and computers may malfunction. Electrical interference can also occur. These problems are generally resolved by implementing redundant devices that allow systems to switch to backup in the event of a failure.

Accidental human error causes a significant amount of downtime, and there isn't much you can do to avoid it. Using strict security measures on critical systems is the best way to reduce potential risk.

Attacks on the system can also shutdown your networks and data. Small businesses are particularly vulnerable to cybercrime. Up to two-thirds of attacks target small businesses, and small businesses are least likely to have safeguards that minimize downtime in the event of a cyber attack.

Reducing the risk of downtime is a multifaceted task that an internal team may not have the bandwidth or experience to do effectively. Managed services can reduce downtime costs by preventing them from happening in the first place.

4. A preventive approach

If something breaks, fix it. However, with networks and data, repair costs can put significant pressure on your business budget. Depending on the size of your business, the cost of a security breach can be several million dollars.

Rather than turning to experts quickly after a disaster, it is wiser to take a proactive approach by working with a managed service provider. They monitor their systems for problems and can solve them before they turn into complete disasters. The cost savings associated with this approach are one of the main reasons for using managed services.

5. Proven experts

Hiring an IT team is expensive and time consuming, and you cannot be sure how good they are until you face a serious network problem. Some may pass the test with great success. Others may not be able to solve the problem on time or may not, which will cost your business money that you cannot afford to waste.

Even if your IT staff is knowledgeable and familiar with your systems, they may not be well equipped to operate or maintain new equipment and systems when you add them. The most common problem is that even the best-trained people don't have the knowledge and experience of a great MSP team.

An MSP can provide specialized services to fill in the gaps in your team's experience. It doesn't make sense for an employee to learn completely new skills for a single project. With an MSP, you have access to a team of experts with precise skills that you wouldn't otherwise have access to.

6. Restricted commercial focus

What are the benefits of managed services for your IT team? An MSP frees your IT team from the tasks that are most important to your business. The general perception of IT professionals is that they do minor repairs and ask if you turn them off and on again. While this applies to some companies, it is definitely an ineffective use of IT resources.

When your internal team is overcrowded to help users solve basic problems or solve equipment problems, they don't have the time or concentration to work on projects that drive their business.

Managed services can help by redesigning workflows, updating devices, and automating certain tasks. This frees your team from daily processes so they can focus on innovations.

7. Data compliance

Your company's information is subject to a series of regulations designed to guarantee the security of the information. Your team should review the hundreds of current rules and regulations and find out which ones apply to your business. You should also make sure to follow each of these applicable rules while doing your daily work.

PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) and HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) are the most widespread standards that companies must adhere to. The consequences for violating these and other standards are heavy fines and reputational damage that some companies cannot overcome.

A managed services provider takes care of the complexity of compliance and auditing so you don't have to worry about data protection breaches. You can also run reports and audits to demonstrate that your organization meets all requirements. This can save your internal team thousands of hours in the long run.

8. Reliable relationships

The ongoing relationship with an MSP has several advantages. Managed services act as a partner for your internal team and as a bridge between you and technology providers. They serve as a central point of contact for your business and become familiar with your business over time.

A trusted MSP is a valuable partner to your business growth, not just a service you call when something breaks. You have a vested interest in keeping your networks and systems in good repair and providing information that you can use for your results.

9. 24/7 support

Managed IT services use remote monitoring technology to monitor your systems day and night. Real-time warnings mean that problems that arise can be resolved before they affect your business.

Without constant monitoring, a network problem can easily occur outside business hours. If a system crashes in the middle of the night, it may take time for someone to figure it out. In some cases, the problem is not discovered until the next day, after significant damage has already occurred. Remote monitoring allows your MSP to take corrective action as soon as you receive a warning.

10. New technology

Technology itself is one of the highest costs in IT. Equipment updating is always required and it can be difficult to identify which ones are right for your business. There are few things that are more frustrating than investing in a new network infrastructure only to discover that it doesn't meet your needs, or that your team doesn't know how to do it correctly.

One of the main advantages of using managed services is constant access to current technology. You never have to worry about your systems being out of date or making an investment that doesn't work. System upgrade costs go directly to your MSP rate.

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 IT-managed services, and this number is expected to continue to grow. And that is due to the many Managed Service advantages 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 of 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 are only transferred to the clients. Save operating costs and keep your service and product costs more accessible to customers and more competitive to 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 implement it quickly. 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 a 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 kinds 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 that fit 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 small businesses in need of competitive advantage.

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. Organizations can minimize risk by managing confidential information along with credit card and customer information. They also make sure that your firewall is up to date and that a DMZ has been installed. "The Health Insurance Liability and Portability 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 they have strict regulations on retail health 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. Overall, there are simply too many benefits of partnering with an IT-managed service provider for companies to ignore today. New technologies offer companies great opportunities, but they also pose daily challenges. Professional IT service companies can help your company overcome these challenges.

SD-WAN Deployment Options: DIY vs.Cloud Managed

 So you can implement SD-WAN. Now you must make a decision: do it yourself or buy it as a managed service?

As the market for software defined wide area networks (SD-WAN) continues to grow significantly, the way that companies use SD-WAN Deployment Service, and the way that vendors sell it, is evolving.

According to Lee Doyle, director of Doyle Research, there are three main models. At one end of the spectrum is DIY, where end users install and manage software and service. At the other extreme is a fully managed approach, where a vendor performs the installation and ongoing support of the deployment. A hybrid option combines the two, with the provider managing some aspects of installation and administration, and end users can tailor the solution to their needs.

"There is currently a real mix of customer attitudes towards deployments," said Ramesh Prabagaran, senior director of SD-WAN at Cisco. How do companies know which approach is the right one? He says it depends on your comfort level.

Many of the larger companies like Fortune 50 still use this technology, Prabagaran says.

Medium-sized companies are rather mixed. Some have the experience to manage installation and ongoing support, while others want some level of help from their vendor.

The hybrid option with managed service providers, with which customers can tailor certain aspects of provision, is becoming increasingly popular. According to Robert McBride, head of product marketing at software vendor SD-WAN Versa, this approach enables customers to control things like providing new network connections, setting compliance rules, and creating policies for specific applications. Versa, which sells its software to a variety of managed service providers and telecommunications providers, enables it through role-based access controls of multiple tenants in SD-WAN software. In this way, a supplier can enable the provision of certain aspects of the provision by the customer.

DIY vs. Managed SD-WAN

Deciding whether to manage an SD-WAN deployment yourself or use it as a service depends on the client's ability to run it. Does the customer have in-house staff to manage the deployment and resources to redesign WAN connections to branch offices and remote locations? As a rule, the largest companies have sufficient resources, says McBride. Smaller companies do not have this experience and use SD-WAN as a service. Medium customers are divided between the two approaches.

Capital One’s SD-WAN Deployment 

Capital One took a hybrid approach to implementing SD-WAN, Jason Abfalter, chief technology officer for Capital One's retail and direct banking division, said at the Open Networking User Group meeting in New York last fall. The company recently completed its SD-WAN installation at branch number 75 in the past five months. The company performs at least one new installation a week, sometimes even two a day. Capital One does this primarily in-house, but plans to install Versa installations, which are also available during installation, to resolve issues.

Andrew Dugan, senior vice president of technology planning, network architecture and security at CenturyLink, which offers a managed SD-WAN service, says working with a managed SD-WAN provider brings benefits. "Many customers come to us because they not only want to use SD-WAN, but also want to integrate it more fully into a range of network services that we can offer," he says. Customers combine various types of broadband connections, MPLS with a private connection, and even mobile or LTE services at their branches. A service provider can group these services on a consolidated invoice while performing ongoing maintenance.

Another advantage of working with a service provider, according to McBride, is that you can have direct connections to public cloud services, be it IaaS providers like Amazon Web Service or Microsoft Azure, or SaaS providers like Salesforce. It can be difficult for individual organizations to connect directly to cloud providers unless they go through a connection point.

The Next Wave: SD-Branch

There is currently an even bigger trend in the industry, which can be seen as the next development beyond SD-WAN. This involves creating a software-defined branch (SD branch) and managing many network functions in the branch through software. McBride says that many customer sites have six to ten network management devices, including routers, wireless access points, firewalls, unified threat management systems, and WAN optimization. The purpose of SD-Branch is to consolidate all of this into one system.

SD-WAN is considered one of the applications that can be consolidated into an SD branch. If customers want to combine these multiple branches into a single system, they face similar decisions to do it themselves or to work with a service provider. As with SD-WAN, customer appetite depends on the resources they have to move on to the next wave of branch virtualization.