ISG to Release Study of SDN Provider Landscape

Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a leading global technology research and advisory firm, has launched a research study examining provider offerings in the rapidly growing software defined networking and services market.

The study results will be published in a comprehensive ISG Provider Lens™ report, called Network – Software Defined Solutions and Services, scheduled to be released in May. The report will cover providers of several SDN-related technologies and services, including SD-WAN implementation and managed services, do-it-yourself SD-WAN operations, and edge technologies such as the Internet of Things and SD-LAN.

Enterprise buyers will be able to use information from the report to evaluate their current vendor relationships, potential new engagements and available offerings, while ISG advisors use the information to recommend providers to the firm’s buy-side clients.

Many enterprise customers are moving from traditional Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) networking to SD-WAN, said Dieter Thompson, partner and president, ISG Network Advisory Services.

“Enterprises have been moving to SD-WAN and cloud-enabled networks, driven by a need for their networks to be more flexible and scalable,” he said. “While SDN-related technologies are rapidly increasing their market share, so are several other related network services, including hybrid MPLS and IP networks and software defined local area networks.”

ISG has distributed surveys to more than 250 SDN technology and service providers. Working in collaboration with ISG’s global advisors, the research team will produce six quadrants representing the services and products the typical enterprise client is buying in the SDN space, based on ISG’s experience working with its clients. The six quadrants that will be covered are:

• Managed (SD) WAN Services, addressing providers of enterprise WAN, including enterprise SD-WAN and hybrid MPLS/IP WAN, that deliver complete managed solutions and all associated services to enterprise customers. SD-WAN provides the benefits of SDN technology over traditionally hardware-based networking through an overlay architecture with a networking foundation that is much easier to manage than legacy WANs. It essentially moves the control layer to the cloud and, in the process, centralizes and simplifies network management.
• SDN Transformation Services (Consulting & Implementation), analyzing providers of consulting and services associated with delivering SD-WAN to enterprises. Traditionally, modifications or new installations of IT devices in a data center and its external WAN networks involved making changes to each network component, which could take days or longer. SDN provides a flexible network environment that can accommodate changes quickly and with minimum human intervention.
• SD-WAN Equipment and Service Suppliers (DIY), covering providers of hardware and software, management and reporting tools, applications and services associated with delivering SD-WAN for enterprises and enterprise-owned operations.
• Technology and Service Suppliers (core – 4G/5G), analyzing providers of SDN core services purchased directly by either enterprises or service providers for specific enterprise projects. This quadrant also covers specific 4G/5G mobility-targeted services or solutions, applications, management systems and methods, as well as SDN end-device control and management and related services that can integrate enterprise-wide SD-WAN from a major enterprise location with branch or remote office locations.
• Edge Technologies and Services, covering vendors delivering technologies across all hardware and software areas, management/reporting tools and applications and services associated with delivering edge network technology and services in and across multiple industry verticals to enterprises. Using edge technologies, companies can process data at local sites more securely because breaches can be managed locally and not passed onto the WAN or cloud and thus back to the central enterprise.
• Enterprise 5G Solutions, analyzing 5G enterprise networks that are offered by network equipment providers, technology and service providers, and systems integrators acting as part of a larger partner ecosystem. They may be proof-of-concept solutions moving into pilots, or have already moved through those stages, with longer-term intentions of phased commercial deployments based upon initial results.

The report will cover the global SDN market and examine products and services available in the U.S., Germany, the U.K., Australia and the Nordic countries. ISG analysts Kenn Walters, Craig Baty and Avimanyu Basu will serve as authors of the report.

An archetype report will also be published as part of this study. This report, unique to ISG, is the study of typical buyer types of SDN services as observed by ISG advisors.

A list of identified providers and vendors and further details on the study are available in this digital brochure. Companies not listed as SDN providers can contact ISG and ask to be included in the study.

About ISG Provider Lens™ Research

The ISG Provider Lens™ Quadrant research series is the only service provider evaluation of its kind to combine empirical, data-driven research and market analysis with the real-world experience and observations of ISG's global advisory team. Enterprises will find a wealth of detailed data and market analysis to help guide their selection of appropriate sourcing partners, while ISG advisors use the reports to validate their own market knowledge and make recommendations to ISG's enterprise clients. The research currently covers providers offering their services globally, across Europe and Latin America, as well as in the U.S., Germany, Switzerland, the U.K., France, the Nordics, Brazil and Australia/New Zealand, with additional markets to be added in the future. For more information about ISG Provider Lens research, please visit this webpage.

The series is a complement to the ISG Provider Lens Archetype reports, which offer a first-of-its-kind evaluation of providers from the perspective of specific buyer types.

About ISG

ISG (Information Services Group) (Nasdaq: III) is a leading global technology research and advisory firm. A trusted business partner to more than 700 clients, including more than 75 of the world’s top 100 enterprises, ISG is committed to helping corporations, public sector organizations, and service and technology providers achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm specializes in digital transformation services, including automation, cloud and data analytics; sourcing advisory; managed governance and risk services; network carrier services; strategy and operations design; change management; market intelligence and technology research and analysis. Founded in 2006, and based in Stamford, Conn., ISG employs more than 1,300 digital-ready professionals operating in more than 20 countries—a global team known for its innovative thinking, market influence, deep industry and technology expertise, and world-class research and analytical capabilities based on the industry’s most comprehensive marketplace data. For more information, visit www.isg-one.com.

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