Replace Your Legacy WAN With Intelligent SD-WAN
SD-WAN replaces or augments traditional MPLS with software-defined policies that route traffic intelligently across any combination of internet, broadband, and private circuits — delivering better application performance at lower cost than legacy WAN architectures.
What RLM Delivers on SD-WAN
SD-WAN is the most impactful WAN modernization a multi-site enterprise can make — but platform selection, architecture design, and migration execution determine whether you realize the promised benefits or inherit a new set of operational challenges.
How We Approach SD-WAN
Our network advisory runs from discovery and market evaluation through vendor selection and post-deployment optimization — scoped to the SD-WAN decision in front of you.
Current WAN Assessment
We document your existing WAN topology, circuit inventory, carrier contracts, application performance baselines, and cost structure — establishing the factual foundation for evaluating SD-WAN ROI and architecture options.
SD-WAN Platform Evaluation
We evaluate SD-WAN platforms — Cisco Viptela, VMware VeloCloud, Fortinet Secure SD-WAN, Palo Alto Prisma SD-WAN, Versa Networks — against your specific requirements: cloud integration quality, security capabilities, management complexity, and total cost of ownership.
Architecture & Underlay Design
We design the SD-WAN architecture: hub-and-spoke vs. full-mesh topology, underlay transport selection (MPLS, broadband, LTE), cloud on-ramp integration, and the security service chain appropriate for direct internet access at branch locations.
Migration Planning & Execution Support
We develop the phased migration plan — site sequencing, parallel-run validation, MPLS exit timeline, and cutover procedures — and provide advisory support during implementation to catch issues before they impact production.
SD-WAN Evaluation Criteria
The questions below are the ones that decide whether a SD-WAN investment pays back — and the ones vendors are least eager to answer.
Application Performance Improvement
Measure application performance before and after SD-WAN deployment — particularly for cloud-hosted SaaS applications like Microsoft 365, Salesforce, and Zoom. The improvement must justify the cost and complexity of migration.
Cloud On-Ramp Quality
Native integration with AWS, Azure, and GCP gateways (Transit Gateway Connect, Azure Virtual WAN, GCP NCC) is a critical differentiator. Evaluate the quality of cloud on-ramp for your specific cloud providers.
Security Architecture
Direct internet breakout at branches eliminates the hairpin through HQ but requires local security. Evaluate the integrated firewall, SASE integration, and cloud-delivered security options for each platform.
Underlay Transport Mix
SD-WAN works best when it can choose across multiple transport paths. Evaluate the minimum underlay diversity required — single broadband provides basic SD-WAN benefits; MPLS + broadband + LTE maximizes resilience.
Management Complexity
SD-WAN management complexity varies dramatically across platforms. Evaluate the operations model — central policy management, troubleshooting tools, alerting — against your IT team's network expertise.
Vendor Lock-In Risk
SD-WAN platforms use proprietary overlay protocols. Evaluate the lock-in implications and the commercial leverage you maintain at renewal once your WAN is built on a single vendor's overlay.
"RLM gave us an objective view of our network options that no single vendor could. We replaced aging MPLS across 40 locations and came in 28% under our original budget."
We stay involved through implementation, because selection is the easy half.
Where This Matters Most
Sector-specific considerations we see repeatedly in advanced networking engagements.
A Sample of the Advanced Networking Providers We Evaluate
RLM is vendor neutral. These are among 600+ providers in our evaluation set — inclusion here is not an endorsement, and we are paid by the provider you choose, not by any provider in particular. How that works →
Ready to Move on SD-WAN?
Start with a no-cost conversation with an RLM network advisor — vendor neutral, no agenda, just clarity on the right path forward for your environment.
Talk to a Network Advisor