Bigleaf Networks is pitching its software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) offering to managed service providers.

The Oregon-based vendor on Tuesday announced the Bigleaf Global MSP Partner Program, which offers education, around-the-clock support and resources for sales and marketing. The program works with MSPs to “make SD-WAN a practical reality” for their SMB customers.

Bigleaf unveiled the program at DattoCon in San Diego, where more than 2,500 MSPs have gathered.

Bigleaf Networks’ Aaron Kaffen

The company’s executives said they are finding traction with MSPs, who oversee VoIP, Office 365 and other cloud-based technologies on behalf of their customers. Co-founder Jeff Burchett told us last year that Bigleaf provides connectivity to public clouds and SaaS applications. Aaron Kaffen, vice president of marketing, said channel partners need more control over their customers’ internet connectivity, especially as more customers migrate to the cloud.

“We hear from MSPs that their biggest cost center is their people,” Kaffen said. “Every time the internet hiccups, their support lines light up and the only thing they can do is wait on hold with their customer’s ISP until the network is back up. That eats into their support staff capacity, costing them money and creating a headwind to growth.”

Bigleaf Networks’ Joel Mulkey

Bigleaf’s platform stands out among its peers for how it sits outside the customer’s firewall in order to compliment the existing security system. We’ve called it the plug-and-play approach.

“Most SD-WAN products are out of touch with the unique needs of MSPs,” founder and CEO Joel Mulkey said. “They tend to be built for complex hands-on deployments in large enterprises. With Bigleaf, the SD-WAN solution drops in just outside of the MSP’s preferred firewall and doesn’t require any policy configuration or other complex integration. This brings all the benefits of a software-driven network while saving our MSP customers money through reduced training, engineering, and ongoing maintenance costs.”

Source: LinkedIn

Telarus recognized Bigleaf as its top-selling SD-WAN supplier in 2017. TBI, CNSG, MicroCorp, Sandler Partners and WTG are some of the vendor’s other master-agent partners. The company announced in April that its global network now touches three major European cities and will reach Australia later this year.