What is SD-WAN? How is it reshaping manufacturing?

Digital transformation initiatives are growing in the manufacturing industry like never before. While Smart manufacturing and Industry 4.0 are gaining importance, so are the tons of data and applications hitting the enterprise WAN. Manufacturers must upgrade their network game to ensure performance and manage mission-critical applications and security with a managed Software Designed Wide Area Network (SD-WAN).

Manufacturers are exploring and adopting social, mobile, big data analytics, cloud, and IOT to improve customer experience, simplify operations, meet demand, and introduce new business expansions. The massive operations, the data collected, stored, analysed, and insights sliced across applications and technologies require a robust enterprise SD-WAN.

What is SD-WAN? 

SD-WAN technology solves networking challenges. The most significant advantage is that it empowers companies to achieve faster digital transformation. Companies can adopt apps, manage and reroute traffic, and seamlessly connect across locations and markets. SD-WAN has  faster deployment time and offers  end-to-end network visibility on a single-pane-of-glass. It guarantees the promise of next-gen connectivity, low latency, and the higher capacity needed to succeed in a demanding market.

Smart manufacturing is a growing industry trend that manufacturers are adopting to modernize and improve their operations.

One of the most important aspects of this Industry 4.0 is traceability, complete visibility and accountability across the value chain, with enhanced interconnectivity.

Large-scale transformation and absolute digitalization are the key to achieve  smart manufacturing  and a secure, dependable, and robust SD-WAN technology is critical to bolster this journey.

“Major manufacturing companies have made digitalization a strategic necessity, with 78% prioritizing it.”

So, how is  SD-WAN reshaping manufacturing enterprises? 

SD-WAN makes your manufacturing environment dynamically adjust to your needs and demands and makes your operations effective, productive, and cost-effective while protecting your data and intellectual property (IP). With the SD-WAN at the centre, manufacturers can explore and execute emerging technologies like AI-powered operations and IOT while focusing on expansion plans.

This efficient delivery requires secure bandwidth for processing large amounts of data, transporting and storing data, and ensuring reliable and secure connectivity. And SD-WAN, unlike pre-SD-WAN, provides intelligent routing, data transport, and security: automated connectivity and AI-powered IT operations.

Simply put, the right managed SD-WAN  solutions should be able to deliver:

• Improved  business process efficiency
• Better customer experience
• Deliver products and services faster
• Responsive to customer/ market needs
• Better employee experience
• 24/7 connectivity and business visibility
• Increased productivity and growth

SD-WAN technology solves networking challenges faced by growing countries like India. The most significant advantage is that it empowers companies to achieve digital transformation faster. Companies can adopt apps, manage and reroute traffic, and seamlessly connect across locations and markets. SD-WAN aids in faster deployment times with end-to-end visibility on a single-pane-of-glass management of the total manufacturing stack. It guarantees the promise of next-gen connectivity, low latency, and the higher capacity needed to succeed in a demanding market.

Managed SD-WAN Business benefits: 

• Builds scalability for business expansion
• Faster delivery with better network infrastructure. 
• Bolstering reachability – Staying connected across locations and touchpoints
• Central device access for engineers
• Reduced OPEX and CAPEX
• Increased network TCO allows n/w and IT teams to concentrate on more critical initiatives.
• Implementing security: ZTNA, UTM, and IPS/IDS

Now, nothing stops you from your expansion plans. Smarter, wiser Airtel Managed SD-WAN is here.

The sky’s the limit when you have a reliable, secure, agile, managed SD-WAN solution. You can manage end-to-end management of your manufacturing in real-time. Improve production and other smart manufacturing techniques using AI, IoT, or applications that can function error-free and manage high data usage. Keep all operations connected across factories, offices, vendors, or supply chain movement across multiple locations and networks.

All of this in real-time and meet newer demands, production-wise or location, in around half the time than before accurately and efficiently.

SD-WAN could be critical to today’s manufacturing sectors.

Take the first step to secure your business processes and ensure total peace of mind for you and your employees.