https://www.channelfutures.com/wp-content/themes/channelfutures_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • SDN/SD-WAN
    • Cloud
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Telephony/UC/Collaboration
    • Cable
    • Mobility & Wireless
    • Fiber/Ethernet
    • Data Centers
    • Backup & Disaster Recovery
    • IoT
    • Desktop
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Analytics
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Channel Research
    • Business Models
    • Distribution
    • Technology Solutions Brokerages
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Best Practices
    • Vertical Markets
    • Regulation & Compliance
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • Complete 2023 MSP 501 Rankings
    • 2023 MSP 501 50-1
    • 2023 MSP 501 100-51
    • 2023 MSP 501 150-101
    • 2023 MSP 501 200-151
    • 2023 MSP 501 250-201
    • 2023 MSP 501 300-251
    • 2023 MSP 501 350-301
    • 2023 MSP 501 400-351
    • 2023 MSP 501 450-401
    • 2023 MSP 501 501-451
    • NextGen 101 Rankings
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • From the Industry
    • Reports/Digital Issues
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • Channel Futures TV
  • EMEA
  • Channel Chatter
    • Back
    • People on the Move
    • New/Changing Channel Programs
    • New Products & Services
    • Industry Honors
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Channel Futures 20: Top Tech Providers
    • Advisory Boards
    • Industry Organizations
    • Our Sponsors
    • Advertise
    • 2023 Editorial Calendar
  • Awards
    • Back
    • 2023 MSP 501
    • 2023 NextGen 101
    • Channel Influencers
    • Circle of Excellence
    • DE&I 101
    • Technology Advisor 101 (TA 101)
    • Channel Leaders Lists
  • Events
    • Back
    • 2024 CP Expo Call for Speakers
    • Channel Futures Leadership Summit
    • MSP Summit
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • Channel Partners Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
    • Industry Events
  • About Us
  • DE&I
Channel Futures
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • SDN/SD-WAN
    • Cloud
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Telephony/UC/Collaboration
    • Cable
    • Mobility & Wireless
    • Fiber/Ethernet
    • Data Centers
    • Backup & Disaster Recovery
    • IoT
    • Desktop
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Analytics
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Channel Research
    • Business Models
    • Distribution
    • Technology Solutions Brokerages
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Best Practices
    • Vertical Markets
    • Regulation & Compliance
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • Complete 2023 MSP 501 Rankings
    • 2023 MSP 501 50-1
    • 2023 MSP 501 100-51
    • 2023 MSP 501 150-101
    • 2023 MSP 501 200-151
    • 2023 MSP 501 250-201
    • 2023 MSP 501 300-251
    • 2023 MSP 501 350-301
    • 2023 MSP 501 400-351
    • 2023 MSP 501 450-401
    • 2023 MSP 501 501-451
    • NextGen 101 Rankings
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • From the Industry
    • Reports/Digital Issues
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • Channel Futures TV
  • EMEA
  • Channel Chatter
    • Back
    • People on the Move
    • New/Changing Channel Programs
    • New Products & Services
    • Industry Honors
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Channel Futures 20: Top Tech Providers
    • Advisory Boards
    • Industry Organizations
    • Our Sponsors
    • Advertise
    • 2023 Editorial Calendar
  • Awards
    • Back
    • 2023 MSP 501
    • 2023 NextGen 101
    • Channel Influencers
    • Circle of Excellence
    • DE&I 101
    • Technology Advisor 101 (TA 101)
    • Channel Leaders Lists
  • Events
    • Back
    • 2024 CP Expo Call for Speakers
    • Channel Futures Leadership Summit
    • MSP Summit
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • Channel Partners Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
    • Industry Events
  • About Us
  • DE&I
    • Newsletter
  • REGISTER
  • MSPs
  • VARs / SIs
  • Agents
  • Cloud Service Providers
  • Channel Partners Events
 Channel Futures

SDN/SD-WAN


SDN

SD-WAN Roundup: Katalyst Praises Cisco Viptela Solution, Avant Talks MPLS

  • Written by James Anderson
  • September 17, 2019
SMBs and enterprises are on different pages with SD-WAN adoption.

Katalyst counts SD-WAN as a chief weapon for obtaining monthly recurring revenue.

The North Carolina-based company previously identified as an integrator but has transitioned into an MSP in recent years. The firm now derives approximately 60% of its revenue from products and 40% from services, according to Jesse White, director of solutions engineering and field chief technology officer.

White, Jesse_katalyst

Katalyst’s Jesse White

White said SD-WAN fit nicely into Katalyst’s quest to organically grow its managed services practice. He said a sizable networking technology skills gap makes SD-WAN an attractive value proposition. A brief LinkedIn search proves his point.

“There are literally 12,000-15,000 jobs open in this Southeast region that our customers can’t fill,” White said. “And they can’t fill them because there’s a major talent shortage. But there’s also an experience-level shortage with a converged WAN.”

White said his company can fill the gap, and more.

“We don’t just manage the WAN that connects their interoffice facilities. We connect and manage everything behind it as well. And that’s where I think we have a competitive advantage, specifically against the provider space,” he said.

White said provider-based solutions – such as those from AT&T, Windstream and CenturyLink – represent Katalyst’s biggest SD-WAN competition. And the providers see SD-WAN as a key battleground they’ll need to win in order to retain customers.

“They don’t want to lose the revenue — these big, meaty contracts that they’ve had customers paying for years,” White said.

But what exactly is Katalyst’s SD-WAN solution? The MSP included the providers when it reviewed the SD-WAN marketplace in search of a platform. But Katalyst picked neither the provider-based nor “virtualized stack” flavors of SD-WAN. It instead chose with Cisco SD-WAN powered by Viptela.

Katalyst was already serving a Cisco-heavy install base that, in White’s opinion, preferred to remain independent from the carriers. Other customers worried securing new internet connections.

“Why try to introduce something novel to a customer that only adds complexity and unfamiliarity?” he said.

White said further utilizing the Cisco platform helped Katalyst offer an end-to-end WAN service.

“Managed WAN great; managed SD-WAN is great, but our customers want more than that,” White said. “We have competitors out there that are slinging mud around: ‘Oh, we’ll manage your WAN end-to-end.’ Well, what about your SIEM? What about your security stack? What about your collaboration environment?”

Katalyst had been selling Cisco IWAN as of five or six years ago but is now in the process of converging IWAN users over to Viptela. The MSP has sold the quite popular Cisco Meraki solution, but White said the Meraki conversation focuses more on simplicity than SD-WAN adoption.

With only about 50 employees, Katalyst has also benefited from Cisco’s scale. Cisco has taken the MSP to its road shows, where Katalyst has tapped into the hefty demand for SD-WAN. White also praised Cisco for its openness to feedback. Security in particular has been an area where Cisco has rolled out new integrations and offerings in response to customer feedback passed along by Katalyst, according to White.

“We’re at a place where we feel like Cisco has rapidly adopted and supported some of the recommendations that some of the engineers have made, and brought it into market very, very quickly.”

Avant

SD-WAN is disrupting its predecessors faster than any other technology in the channel, according to Avant Communications. The Chicago-based master agent rolled out juicy SD-WAN data last week with the launch of its “SD-WAN 6-12 Report.”

Avant surveyed 300 technology decision makers about how quickly they are replacing or supplementing incumbent technologies with new ones. SD-WAN’s “Rate of Disruption Index” (RDI) was 13%, which was a clear winner over UCaaS and cloud infrastructure (both 7%). As you might expect, smaller companies reported a larger RDI, with companies of more than $1 billion reporting only 8%.

Avant SD-WAN Disruption

Source: Avant SD-WAN 6-12 Report

The consulting and manufacturing industries reported the highest disruption rate for SD-WAN.

But SD-WAN disruption doesn’t necessarily equate to MPLS displacement. Sixty-two percent of respondents had MPLS, and 40% of respondents said they planned to…

  • Page 1
  • Page 2
Tags: Agents SDN/SD-WAN Security Technology Solutions Brokerages Telephony/UC/Collaboration

Most Recent


  • 2023 MSP 501 insights
    Top 10 Insights from the 2023 MSP 501
    Where did the top MSPs find success in 2022 and where are they expecting to grow in 2023?
  • cybersecurity
    Canalys: Global Cybersecurity Market Set to Exceed $7.8 Billion in 2023
    Palo Alto Networks was the top cybersecurity vendor in Q2.
  • Mike Baur on Intelisys leadership
    ScanSource CEO Mike Baur 'Not in a Hurry' to Find New Intelisys Leaders
    ScanSource confirmed the resignation president John Eldh, who had been serving as the interim leader of Intelisys.
  • Fortinet team at Ingram Micro One Solutions Showcase
    Ingram Micro One Expo Hall: AWS, Veeam, T-Mobile, More
    See faces from Ingram Micro's supplier community at the distributor's event in Nashville.

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your Channel Futures account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Cloud security
    VMware Debuts Cloud Web Security on SASE Platform
  • zero trust security
    Leveraging Partner Expertise to Build a Zero-Trust Strategy
  • Twenty, 20, SD-WAN providers, email security
    The CF List: 20 Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) Providers You Should Know
  • Security shield on digital background
    VMware Security Connect Focused on Redefining Security, Increasing Threats

Upcoming Events

View all

Channel Futures Leadership Summit

October 30, 2023 - November 2, 2023

Channel Partners Conference & Expo

March 11, 2024 - March 14, 2024

Channel Futures Leadership Summit 2024

September 17, 2024 - September 19, 2024

Galleries

View all

ScanSource CEO Mike Baur ‘Not in a Hurry’ to Find New Intelisys Leaders

September 28, 2023

2023 Channel Futures DE&I 101: Dedication, Determination and Drive

September 28, 2023

Ingram Micro One Expo Hall: AWS, Veeam, T-Mobile, More

September 28, 2023

Industry Perspectives

View all

Top 10 Insights from the 2023 MSP 501

September 29, 2023

Public Sector Sales Show Promise for Channel Partners

September 29, 2023

Partners Balance Multicloud Opportunity, Complexity

September 25, 2023

Webinars

View all

MSP 501: Leadership in Cybersecurity

October 19, 2023

DE&I: Find the Balance that Works for You

September 7, 2023

Above and Beyond with the NextGen 101ers

August 30, 2023

White Papers

View all

6 UCaaS Reseller Challenges and How Real World Businesses Solved Them

February 1, 2023

Frost Radar: North American UCaaS Market, 2022

February 1, 2023

The Complete Guide to White-Label UCaaS for Reseller Success

February 1, 2023

Channel Futures TV

View all

Coffee with Craig and James Episode 129: ZLH Enterprises

Coffee with Craig and James Episode 128: Channel Partner Strategies Intelligence Service

August 25, 2023

Coffee with Craig and James Episode 127: Expereo, Movie Night Returns

August 18, 2023

Coffee with Craig and James Episode 126: ARG

July 28, 2023

MSP 501

The industry's largest and most comprehensive partner awards program.

Newsletters and Updates

Sign up for The Channel Report, Channel Futures Update, MSP 501 Newsletter and more.

Live Channel Events

Get the latest information on the next industry-leading Channel Partners event.

Galleries

Educational slide shows and images from live events.

Media Kit And Advertising

Want to reach our audience? Access our media kit.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • Channel Partners Events
  • Telecoms.com
  • MSP 501
  • Black Hat
  • IoT World Today
  • Omdia

WORKING WITH US

  • Contact
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter

FOLLOW Channel Futures ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X