How to address some of these challenges
Lack of relevant skills or experience:
In our view, this is not a major barrier.
- Leading SD-WAN vendors collaborate closely with telcos to facilitate integration of their platforms with telcos’ networks and services.
- SD-WAN platforms provide management interfaces that are easy for non-technical staff to operate, and offer visibility into application workflows and network KPIs.
For example, Juniper SD-WAN uses Mist AI for network insights and automated troubleshooting; Contrail Orchestration provides automated implementation and assurance, with a customer portal for end-to-end WAN management.
How to differentiate SD-WAN service:
There are many mature SD-WAN vendors and platforms to choose between, and many types of offering.
- Ensure you choose an SD-WAN platform that suits the key needs of your customer base.
- Differentiation can also be achieved through the services telcos and vendors offer around SD-WAN products, e.g. good local market and language support.
Many major SD-WAN platforms do not offer technical documentation or support in local languages – providing this for enterprises could be a USP for operators launching SD-WAN in developing markets that are not yet well served.
Find more recommendations and detailed analysis in our report Delivering on SD-WAN: How to choose the right partners which assesses the different choices for SD-WAN platform?