Vodacom has become one of the first South African telecommunication companies to introduce software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) services.
SD-WAN, an application of software-defined networking (SDN) technology applied to WAN connections that are used to connect enterprise networks – including branch offices and data centers – over local and long distances, is offered through Vodacom Business.
Fatima Hassim, managing executive for Vodacom Business, comments: “As enterprise customers prepare themselves for the new digital evolution, their IT departments are laying the foundations for a new digital business architecture.
“Cloud computing, big data and IoT will be the future technology drivers that will move the enterprise forward into the digital world. Broadband access and flexible networking will be the communication foundation required to drive the new digital world. New technologies like service-defined networks and flexible broadband internet access will be at the heart of the enterprise IT foundation.”
SD-WAN-enabled enterprises can now opt for internet-only traffic and save on the costs of opting for alternative data-carrying techniques.
Vodacom has already successfully rolled out SD-WAN to two commercial customers, and expects adoption to grow rapidly because the technology provides a wide range of important operational and financial benefits, ranging from agility, quality of service, security, reliability and performance.