EarthLink taps VeloCloud as its SD-WAN partner, sets fall service launch

EarthLink has named VeloCloud as one of its SD-WAN (software defined wide area network) vendor partners, signaling another step in the competitive provider’s plan to offer SD-WAN service for multi-site business customers.

The service provider plans to launch a full-service SD-WAN product this fall. VeloCloud’s technology will support business customers’ application growth, network agility and simplified branch implementations while delivering access to cloud services, private data centers and enterprise applications.

VeloCloud Cloud-Delivered SD-WAN will be offered to business customers as part of EarthLink’s solutions suite that also includes a suite of network access, hosted voice, security services, optimized application performance, bandwidth prioritization controls and always-on customer service.

“Implementing SD-WAN alongside other managed network services will give our customers more visibility and control over the applications, websites and devices that utilize their network,” said Joe Eazor, CEO and president of EarthLink, in a release.

EarthLink, which was an early advocate of SD-WAN, told investors in February that it was testing an SD-WAN offering in its lab and plans to conduct live trials with business customers later this year.

While SD-WAN is still a relatively nascent concept, a recent IDC report estimates that worldwide SD-WAN revenues will surpass $6 billion in 2020 with a compound annual growth rate of more than 90 percent over the 2015-2020 forecast period.

Competition for SD-WAN is already heating up as EarthLink is being joined by a host of traditional telcos and competitive providers such as CenturyLink, Verizon, Masergy, MetTel and Vonage. All are delivering similar offerings to multi-site business customers.

Verizon launched an SDN-based network solution leveraging Viptela's SD-WAN Platform in February. The telco revealed details of its broader Virtual Network Service plan, under which it will offer three virtual service models to business customers, including SD-WAN, security, and WAN optimization.

Fellow telco CenturyLink also got into the SD-WAN action, announcing a fully managed solution in July. What’s interesting about CenturyLink’s approach is that the telco will allow customers to conduct proof of concept trials to better understand how the SD-WAN service operates within their own organization.

Regardless of the competitive threats EarthLink faces, Eazor told investors during its first quarter earnings call in May that its one-box solution will set it apart from its competition, attracting business customers that are transitioning more of their workloads to the cloud. Additionally, the service provider will offer management capabilities regardless of whether the service is being carried over its own network or that of one of its interconnection partners.  

 For more:
- see the release

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