New Study Shows that Complexity at Branch Locations Is Primary Factor Making Wan Management and Security More Difficult

More than one third of companies do not have proper security measures at branch locations; 80 percent prefer an integrated SD-WAN and security solution.

Santa Clara, Calif., December 15, 2016

Versa Networks, a leading provider of software-defined wide area networks (SD-WAN) and software-defined security (SD-Security) for service providers and enterprises, today published its latest report, “Using SD-WAN to Simplify & Secure the Network.” The global study, conducted by Dimensional Research, found that companies are struggling to manage and secure the WAN, especially at branch locations. Nearly all participants stated that maintaining security policies, network devices and complexity due to cloud and mobile applications are the most difficult aspects of managing the WAN.

Among the survey’s findings:

• Growing complexity is the top challenge for managing branch networks and security
• More than one third of companies fail to have proper security measures at branch locations
• Less than one quarter of companies have an active project to address challenges
• 80 percent of respondents prefer an integrated SD-WAN and security solution

The full report can be found here: http://versanetworks.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Dimensional-Research-WAN-Survey-November-2016.pdf

WAN security and management complicated by volume of devices

The report illustrates that organizations are struggling to adequately manage and secure their WANs – especially at branch offices. Overall, 97 percent said they face multiple challenges to managing their WAN. The three most common challenges involve branch offices:

• Managing network and security devices at branch locations (52 percent)
• Mitigating information security risks at branch locations (50 percent)
• Deploying new network and security solutions at branch locations (42 percent)

The survey illustrated that when it comes to the WAN, networking professionals struggle primarily with maintaining security policies, managing network devices and controlling sensitive information. These issues are exacerbated by the number of physical network and security devices respondents have to manage in a typical branch: 44 percent of respondents manage more than ten devices, while 66 percent have to manage more than six devices. Further complicating matters, 88 percent of networking professionals confirmed that in a given remote branch they are working with devices from multiple vendors.

Despite this, only 76 percent of respondents are currently implementing projects to simplify WAN management. Furthermore, more than one-third of companies are failing to institute proper security measures – such as secure web gateways, intrusion protection and firewalls – at branch locations. The research found that the top challenge for managing branch network security is the growing complexity caused by cloud applications and mobile devices.

SD-WAN could answer the challenge

“This survey shows that enterprises are focused on increasing agility, visibility and control of their wide-area networks, while reducing complexity and cost,” said Kelly Ahuja, CEO, Versa Networks. “Versa is focused on helping achieve those objectives through a software solution that integrates both SD-WAN and security. Our architecture is unmatched in the industry, and the survey results validate why this approach is so appealing.”

According to the survey, 80 percent of networking professionals prefer an integrated SD-WAN and security solution, while 59 percent would consider purchasing a managed SD-WAN service rather than a standalone enterprise product.

Research Goal and Methodology

The report was conducted by Dimensional Research in November 2016 and surveyed 308 network professionals across five continents at organizations with 1,000-plus employees. The primary research goal was to capture how companies managed and secured their networks across branch locations. The research also investigated expected benefits and challenges of a software-defined WAN (SD-WAN).

About Versa Networks

Versa Networks, the leader in SASE, combines extensive security, advanced networking, industry leading SD-WAN, genuine multitenancy, and sophisticated analytics via the cloud, on-premises, or as a blended combination of both to meet SASE requirements for small to extremely large enterprises and Service Providers, and via the simplified Versa Titan cloud service designed for Lean IT. Thousands of customers globally with hundreds of thousands of sites trust Versa with their networks, security, and clouds. Versa Networks is privately held and funded by Sequoia Capital, Mayfield, Artis Ventures, Verizon Ventures, Comcast Ventures, Liberty Global Ventures, Princeville Capital, RPS Ventures and Triangle Peak Partners. For more information, visit https://www.versa-networks.com or follow Versa Networks on Twitter @versanetworks.