After helping over 50 organizations migrate to SD-WAN, we've identified patterns that separate successful deployments from challenging ones. Here are the key lessons.
Critical Lessons
Lesson 1: Don't underestimate the discovery phase. Understanding your current network traffic patterns is essential. Lesson 2: Plan for a hybrid period—you'll run MPLS and SD-WAN in parallel longer than expected.
Lesson 3: Security integration is critical. SD-WAN should enhance, not complicate, your security posture. Lesson 4: Application performance varies by vendor—test with your actual applications before committing.