SD-WAN delivers the VIP treatment that AI needs

  • AI challenges enterprise networks, requiring high-bandwidth, upload-intensive, secure data flows
  • Network operators at Walmart, Nature Fresh Farms, AT&T and Orange Business leverage SD-WAN to meet those requirements
  • Find out more in our new, free, in-depth report, "AI-Driven Enterprises: The unexpected evolution of SD-WAN," which also features insights from report sponsors at the VeloCloud division of Broadcom

Researching our latest Fierce Network Research report, I was surprised by a reminder of how quickly enterprise and telco networking has changed in the past 12 years.

The report examines the changing role of SD-WAN in enterprise networking in the age of AI. While researching, I looked back at the original 2013 proposal for SD-WAN.

The big problem for enterprise networks then was connecting branch offices to headquarters. It was a hub-and-spoke architecture, and enterprises looked to new networking technology to solve that problem.

Over the course of the 2010s, networks became more complicated. Increased use of mobile devices and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) meant the remote, branch office could be anywhere — on a construction job site, in a salesperson's car just before a big client meeting, or in a retail customer's hand as they walked the aisles of a store. By 2016, one in five enterprise users were running Microsoft Office applications in the cloud, up from 7 percent nine months earlier and just five years after the Office 365 cloud service launched.

Those cloud end-users wouldn't tolerate the latency involved in going to the data center and then the cloud; they needed direct cloud connections, and the enterprise needed those connections to be secure and manageable. That created new roles for SD-WAN.

The world turns again

And now we're seeing enterprise networks evolve new requirements. As described in our latest, free report, "Redefining Connectivity for AI-Driven Enterprises: The unexpected evolution of SD-WAN"artificial intelligence is putting new demands on enterprise networks.

The future of AI networking is peer-to-peer and distributed. As noted in our report:

AI generates high-bandwidth, low-latency and often unpredictable data flows that challenge conventional network architectures. AI-driven applications require upload-intensive traffic patterns, greater support for real-time data analysis, and flexible, adaptive infrastructure that traditional hub-and-spoke network designs struggle to accommodate. As businesses integrate AI deeper into their operations, networking must evolve to support increasing demands.

In our report, you'll learn how SD-WAN is helping redefine connectivity for AI-driven enterprises, changing data distribution and driving security.

We spoke with leading SD-WAN authorities at the VeloCloud division of Broadcom, Walmart, produce grower and distributor Nature Fresh Farms, AT&T and Orange Business. In reading this report, you'll learn:

  • How enterprises are adapting their networks to meet AI demands
  • The role of SDS-WAN in AI-driven infrastructure
  • How companies across industries leverage AI-ready networking to unlock new capabilities and efficiencies.

Download the free report today: "AI-Driven Enterprises: The unexpected evolution of SD-WAN