To calculate the ROI of a SASE SD-WAN implementation and to create a strong business case to migrate to SASE SD-WAN we need to look at the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of a WAN Network.
Components of the WAN network have an impact on the TCO
Here are some of them:
- Network equipment costs: This includes the cost of your routers, switches, firewalls, sockets, and other hardware components needed to establish and maintain the WAN network.
- Service provider costs: The cost of the last-mile Internet connectivity and global backbone provided by the service providers.
- Installation and configuration costs: As WAN is a critical enterprise resource, it takes time and additional costs to install and configure the network hardware and software so that it does not disrupt business operations.
- Management and monitoring costs: Your expenses related to monitoring and upkeeping the WAN to guarantee superior performance and continuous availability, as well as any expenses associated with expanding or upgrading the network.
- Training costs: The fee of training network administrators and end-users on how to use your network effectively and securely.
- Security costs: The cost of implementing and maintaining security measures such as firewalls, antivirus software, and intrusion detection and prevention systems.
- Downtime costs: The cost of lost productivity and revenue due to network downtime or disruptions.
6 areas of savings SASE SD-WAN can offer and the resulting ROI
Reducing MPLS Connectivity Costs
SASE SD-WAN can provide you with an affordable solution by replacing or supplementing MPLS with last-mile Internet connectivity, resulting in significant cost savings depending on the amount of MPLS replaced and the type of Internet connectivity used, which results in cash savings and makes an attractive part of the generated ROI of the SASE SD-WAN migration.
Low deployment costs and fast implementation
With Cato Networks’ SASE SD-Wan, you only need to install a simple socket at the “edge” and connect it to the internet and no further local support is required. We call it the “zero-touch installation”.
WAN hardware and connectivity cost reduction
For SASE SD-WAN deployments, your organization can save money on both hardware and WAN connectivity costs. E.g. Cato Networks only need to install a socket at the “edge”.
Network Automation and Co-managed Services
By switching to Cato’s SASE SD-WAN, your costs can be reduced and your team will gain control over network and security changes through Cato’s single, converged management application. Partnering with an organization that specializes in SASE SD-WAN can provide you with continuous access to specialized knowledge and resources, which can minimize the need for training your personnel. In the event of challenging situations, your staff can always seek assistance from the SASE SD-WAN experts.
Security costs
With Cato Networks, you have one policy for all your edges. If you buy the additional security modules your network will be incredibly safe. You minimize the risks of a full-blown ransomware attack and the risks of being hacked with zero trust network access are significantly lower.
Downtime costs
With a cloud-native global distributed SASE SD-WAN solution like Cato Networks, very high availability can be offered, which can be even better than MPLS. When you choose the right setup and choose 24*7 monitoring, the risk of downtime costs can really be close to zero.
All in all the business case for SASE SD-WAN is often attractive. You can directly save money on MPLS and traditional firewalls. Further, the innovative and secure setup of SASE SD-WAN will bring down the overall costs of supporting critical business applications and a hybrid workforce.
To better understand the costs, risks, and benefits associated with this investment, Forrester interviewed five organizations that now use Cato Networks’ SASE SD-WAN. For the purposes of this study, Forrester aggregated the interviewees’ experiences and combined the results into a report. You can access the report here.
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