How SD-WAN Can Boost Connectivity, Reliability — And Make MSPs 'Crazy Money'

Solution providers selling SD-WAN today talk about the benefits of the technology for customers and partners and why connectivity and SD-WAN should be sold together, like a "full meal with fries and a drink."

SD-WAN represents one of the biggest recurring revenue opportunities for channel partners looking to enhance their connectivity offerings and enable cloud-based applications, according to veteran solution providers selling SD-WAN today.

Xperteks, a New York City-based MSP that has been selling SD-WAN for the last 12 months and the service has been making Xperteks "crazy money," said Marcial Velez, CEO of Xperteks, at The Channel Company’s NexGen Cloud conference in Anaheim, Calif.

That's because SD-WAN can help businesses run faster, more reliability, and securely, Velez said. "SD-WAN gives us the opportunity to create a win-win situation where we can provide more reliability and speed, while making more money doing it," Velez said. "MSPs can set up all their customers with SD-WAN without even telling them it's SD-WAN."

[Related: 6 Hot SD-WAN Technologies To Follow In 2019]

Magna5 Global, a Frisco, Texas-based MSP, has been selling SD-WAN to its base of education and healthcare customers for more than a year and the service is "selling like hot cakes," said Gary Elliott, vice president of Carrier Management for Magna5 Global.

The MSP is selling connectivity to its 6,000 clients today. SD-WAN makes a businesses' network better, said Elliott. Magna5 is now including SD-WAN as a part of all its connectivity sales today -- clients can't opt out.

"It's the full meal with fries and a drink," he said. "It's part of their quote."

As customers come up for renewal, Magna5 is layering on additional services, including SD-WAN, which is giving the customer a better experience while giving Magna5 more wallet share.

SD-WAN, said Elliot, is further enabling MSPs to become trusted advisors in the eyes of their customers.SD-WAN can prop open the door for new sales opportunities that partners may not have expected or have been able to sell before, said Mike Hurd, director of technology services, for Wachter, a solution provider and systems integrator.

"I'm very excited to add SD-WAN to our portfolio because it's a way to make more money," said Mike Hurd, director of technology services, for Lenexa, Kansas-based Wachter. "It's a great hook-in to sell additional services, too."

It's also helping Wachter reach new customers too, including SMB clients. For Magna5 Global, SD-WAN lets the firm reach more enterprise customers.

For partners getting starting, choose the right SD-WAN providers to work with their customers is key, the solution providers said.

Wachter started selling Cisco's Meraki as its initial SD-WAN option and is now selling Cisco Viptela and several other providers, Hurd said. "It's more about learning what the customer's needs are, what applications they are using and what they are trying to accomplish, instead of just where the wires go," he said.

These questions, Hurd said, will help solution providers create customized -- and profitable -- SD-WAN solutions for their customers.