How SD-WAN Transformed Four Major Enterprises

Secure Managed SD-WAN Case Studies

We can tell you everything you need to know about SD-WAN. We can tell why SD-WAN matters. We can explain why it's not just SD-WAN or Managed SD-WAN, but secure SD-WAN you need to focus on. We can paint a picture of MPLS vs. SD-WAN.

But for distributed enterprises, it isn't what we can say. It's what we can show. It's results.

We've got those too.

Don't just take our word for it. Take our case studies.


Understanding SD-WAN

Hughes Digital Signage SolutionsWANsform Your Enterprise

Here's the challenge. Distributed organizations must have a network that can deliver consistent application performance across all of their branches and have always available and always on capabilities. That's simply the world we're in now. Application-centric. Constantly connected. Not keeping up or shuttering your windows at 6 p.m. is no longer an option.

But an overcrowded network cannot face these challenges head-on.

With software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN), you can get the performance and management your enterprise needs with a solution that's not built around the limits of hardware and circuit limits, but around scalability and the use of multiple types of connections. Even better, Managed SD-WAN delivers the performance of SD-WAN while also simplifying network complexity as a managed service, and, as there is no one-size-fits-all solution, can with your organizations existing network infrastructure. 

Sounds great in theory. But what does it mean in practice?

Case 1: Building a Better Network, Even in the Middle of a Merger

Due to a a merger, a longtime Hughes client needed greater bandwidth and more network availability than its MPLS network could deliver. Our client worried that customer experience, in an era where the network delivers VoIP, guest WiFi, serves loyalty apps and so much more, would be negatively impacted by the additional strain. Their enterprise had 98 NAP/ISP providers delivering service over a wide range of  transport types including microwave, fiber, cellular, DSL and others. 

The solution was a comprehensive Managed Secure SD-WAN solution servicing 1,600 sites across 44 states, including dual HR Branch Gateways for secure and redundant SD-WAN functionality and dual-broadband with multiple transports types.

The results were drastic customer experience improvements, including 2.4 million VoIP calls per week with a an average MOS of 4.3.

And that was just the beginning. To find out all the benefits, read the full SD-WAN case studies.

Case 2: A Cost-Neutral Switch From T1-MPLS Changes Everything, Even Marketing

In this case, the challenge is helping department store brick-and-mortars differentiate themselves with their in-store marketing. Yep, even that is a use-case for SD-WAN.

Smartphone-enabled strategies and enhanced app functionality, supporting online orders, revamping mobile rewards systems, and growing store bandwidth all fall beneath this umbrella of new expectations in the ever-changing and expanding digital presence in the retail environment. This Hughes client needs a robust and reliable network to make it happen.

We delivered a cost-neutral switch from T1-MPLS for this 860-unit department store chain. Read the full SD-WAN case studies to see the difference SD-WAN had on bandwidth, availability and most importantly, customer experience. 

Case 3: Satisfying Customer & Employee Appetite for Digital Services
In our third scenario, a company and franchise-owned fast food and casual dining brand needs the bandwidth to support mobile-based loyalty programs, in-house Wi-Fi, self-service kiosks, and other requirements for an enterprise looking to stay above their competitors. Technology contributes to better guest experiences at restaurants these days, and Hughes Managed SD-WAN can help assure distributed owners that their customers will be pleased. Fast casual chains must have sufficient bandwidth on the menu, and Hughes ActiveTechnologies™ provides world-class application prioritization using affordable broadband services.

Read the full case SD-WAN case studies to see how Managed SD-WAN put a better customer experience on the menu.

Case 4: Operational Efficiency for Convenience Stores
In the last case study, an urban convenience store needs greater bandwidth at less cost in order to provide robust security 24/7, improve store inventory tracking, implement digital display screens at gas pumps and self-service kiosks and more.

Additionally, they needed a network with the agility to support emerging new technologies in a competitive industry where having the latest tech can be the difference between profit and loss. In this industry, customer needs can be as varied as the items a convenience store sells. Charging stations. At-pump entertainment. Guest Wi-Fi. Our customer needed a network that could serve its bandwidth needs now, but also be ready for whatever's next in an unpredictable industry.

Read the full SD-WAN case studies to see how Managed SD-WAN delivered dual-broadband connections and 24/7 customer support for a 24/7 industry.