Sprint Looks Ahead at 2019 to Broaden Its Managed SD-WAN Service

Since launching its managed SD-WAN offering in May 2017, Sprint has updated the service and expanded its footprint. But in 2019, the provider is looking to make its biggest updates yet in order to offer a more flexible and diverse SD-WAN service.When Sprint first launched the service it focused on the U.S. However, throughout 2018 the provider expanded the footprint and reach into Canada, Mexica, Asia Pacific, and Europe.Originally Sprint also selected VeloCloud, which has since been acquired by VMware, as its technology vendor for the managed SD-WAN. At the time, the provider said it selected VeloCloud based on its ability to take services to market quickly, as well as its orchestration, monitoring, and ability to onboard cloud applications. VeloCloud remained Sprint’s primary vendor throughout the global rollout of its SD-WAN services.As Sprint looks ahead to 2019, however, it plans to expand its managed SD-WAN to include other vendors. “We felt that we went to market with what was a market-leading vendor with VeloCloud,” said Sean Chavis, product marketing manager at Sprint. “Velocloud is very good for purpose-built, best-in-class SD-WAN.” However, moving forward Chavis said it makes sense to launch with additional vendors that bring different capabilities and benefits to Sprint’s customers. Sprint is looking at SD-WAN services including Fortinet, Cisco Meraki and Cisco-Viptela, and Silver Peak. Each of these vendors can bring something different to Sprint’s managed offering, Chavis said. Fortinet, which launched its SD-WAN in July 2018, would serve customers with a strong focus on security. “It kind of makes sense to branch out and say well we can offer a turnkey solution on a Fortinet platform, or in a Fortinet ecosystem if we expand what we do from a security perspective to also include SD-WAN,” said Chavis.