VMware, CenturyLink, 128 Unveil Holiday SD-WAN Deals

It seems everyone is coming together for the holidays, even SD-WAN providers as this week VMware, CenturyLink, and 128 Technology announced a series of new partnerships. It seems everyone is coming together for the holidays, even SD-WAN providers as this week VMware, CenturyLink, and 128 Technology announced a series of new partnerships. VMware’s VeloCloud SD-WAN platform was added Hughes Network Systems HughesON Managed SD-WAN portfolio. That managed portfolio runs on a Fortinet-powered gateway. “Adding VMware’s VeloCloud-powered SD-WAN strengthens our position as the one-stop-shop for the distributed enterprise’s SD-WAN needs,” said Mike Tippets, VP of enterprise marketing at Hughes. “Now organizations of all types and sizes can choose from among the leading SD-WAN platforms in the industry while receiving the benefits of our managed service expertise in tailoring the right network and security solutions for their operations.” Hughes is widely seen as a satellite communications company but has built a more diverse portfolio based on its SD-WAN business, which it initially launched in 2017. The company’s HughesON managed SD-WAN service leverages cable, fiber, 4G LTE, and its bread-and-butter satellite service. CenturyLink landed a deal with Braskem, which is one of the largest thermoplastic resin producers in the Americas. Under the agreement, CenturyLink will provide connectivity to more than 50 Braskem locations across Latin America, North America, Europe, and Asia. According to CenturyLink, these connections will be built on the back of more than 130 balanced MPLS and dedicated internet links and will enable connection to the private cloud through CenturyLink Cloud Connect Solutions. “We needed a global vendor we could rely on to plan and manage our network infrastructure so we can focus on faster innovation, improve end-user experience, and deepen processes to accelerate growth in digital business,” said André Oliveira, senior infrastructure operations manager for Braskem, in a statement. “With CenturyLink’s SD-WAN solution, Braskem now has the flexibility to leverage diverse network resources and provide faster user access to business applications, whether in the public cloud or on-premise.” CenturyLink’s managed SD-WAN service leverages software from Versa, and Cisco’s Meraki and Viptela platforms. Company management has cited its acquisition of Level 3 as bolstering its SD-WAN capabilities. 128 Technology announced this week that Impulse Advanced Communications had selected the vendor to offer its customers a “tunnel-free” SD-WAN capable of high reliability and connectivity. The new offering will be called Impulse SD-WAN. The Santa Barbara, California-based service provider peddles a variety of services including cloud-based phone systems capable of voice, video, teleconferencing, call center services, and now managed SD-WAN. “Our customers are increasingly looking for software-defined networking options to enhance their connectivity with branch office locations and better support their cloud applications,” said Chris Rose, VP of client solutions for Impulse, in a statement. “Partnering with 128 Technology gives us a great opportunity to offer our customers a session smart SD-WAN solution that’s application-aware to deliver the best possible customer experiences.” According to 128 Technology, the company’s ability to provide a secure connection without tunneling — which the company maintains adds complexity and consumes additional bandwidth — was essential to addressing Impulse Advanced Communications communications connectivity challenges. The vendor claims its SD-WAN can achieve this without tunneling by relying on network sessions. The result is a connection that can offer better bandwidth and can bundle security in every session.