How hard could it be? Well, after the wired internet connection and Wi-Fi router were in place, there was a quagmire of technology to navigate: various connection boxes, dongles, smart TVs, Wi-Fi extenders. Configuring connectivity itself was a major hurdle, and that was before understanding what software could work on what device, and how the controllers would work for what to stream which services. Verifying the whole thing was secure took another huge block of time committed. It was crazy!

I realized through this experience that this is exactly what enterprise IT decision makers go through today with network modernization.  They generally went with the prevailing technology of private MPLS for Wide Area Network connectivity over the last 20 years or so, usually via a carrier-provided, fully-managed solution that they didn’t have to think about – just pay for it and forget it.  They maintained their own Data Centers or collocated their own equipment and connected privately.  However, now there are many emerging variables (i.e. locations of the workloads and applications) and new technology (i.e. secure SD-WAN, virtualization) that together create an opportunity to optimize connectivity and functionality at a lower price point.  The lower cost and/or higher bandwidth desired may be the initial drivers…