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With increasing pressure on enterprise networks to support cloud-first operations, remote workforces, and latency-sensitive applications, SD-WAN has become the preferred alternative to legacy WAN architectures. Its flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and ability to prioritise critical traffic make it a strategic investment for modern businesses. However, while the technology itself is transformative, how it's deployed is just as critical.
Some organisations opt for a DIY approach, expecting to reduce costs or maintain greater control. Self-deployment often leads to unforeseen complexities—limited visibility, security gaps, and ongoing resource strain on internal IT teams. In contrast, a fully managed service like Orixcom Managed SD-WAN offers not only streamlined deployment but also continuous optimisation, integrated security, and proactive support, removing the operational burden from in-house teams. In this blog, we’ll examine the risks associated with DIY SD-WAN rollouts and explain how Orixcom’s managed service addresses those challenges.
Why Modern Enterprises Choose SD-WAN
For businesses navigating cloud adoption, hybrid work, and application-heavy environments, SD-WAN has become essential to modern network strategy.
Traditional WAN architectures, often built on MPLS, were not designed for the demands of today’s distributed digital operations. They are expensive to scale, slow to adapt, and lack the visibility needed to manage performance across cloud, branch, and remote environments. This limits agility and creates bottlenecks for cloud-hosted applications, directly affecting user experience and productivity.
SD-WAN addresses these limitations with a more intelligent, software-defined approach to routing and traffic management. It dynamically selects the best-performing path based on real-time network conditions, ensuring optimal application performance across all locations. Its cloud-native design enables seamless access to SaaS, IaaS, and PaaS platforms—eliminating backhauling inefficiencies and reducing latency.
Beyond performance, SD-WAN also offers significant cost advantages. By replacing or augmenting expensive MPLS links with more affordable broadband or LTE options, businesses gain flexibility without compromising on reliability or security. Centralised policy enforcement, integrated security, and simplified orchestration make it easier for IT teams to manage complex, multi-site environments.
However, unlocking these benefits depends heavily on how the solution is deployed—making the choice between DIY and Managed SD-WAN a critical decision.
DIY SD-WAN Deployment: Risks and Limitations
While SD-WAN offers transformative benefits, deploying it without expert support can introduce risks that often negate its advantages. According to multiple reports, 75% of self-deployed SD-WAN projects exceed budget or fail to meet performance goals, primarily due to underestimating complexity and resource requirements. Here’s where most self-deployed SD-WAN initiatives fall short:
Operational Complexity
Implementing SD-WAN across multiple sites means managing a mix of transport types—MPLS, broadband, LTE—and often dealing with different hardware and software vendors. Without automation or pre-defined templates, enforcing consistent policies becomes time-consuming and error prone. Each site requires manual setup, which slows down rollouts and increases operational overhead.
Security Gaps
DIY setups typically lack built-in, enterprise-grade security. Firewalls, intrusion prevention systems (IPS), and DNS-layer protection must be added and managed separately, creating fragmented defences. Without centralised oversight, organisations struggle to maintain consistent threat visibility or timely patching—leaving the network vulnerable to evolving attacks.
Resource Burden on IT Teams
A self-managed environment puts significant pressure on internal IT teams. Continuous monitoring, manual troubleshooting, and complex configuration tasks quickly become unsustainable, especially for lean teams. Misconfigurations—common in manual deployments—can lead to degraded performance, downtime, and increased security exposure.
Integration Challenges
Seamlessly connecting to public cloud providers, legacy systems, and SaaS platforms requires more than basic routing. DIY SD-WAN often lacks automated workflows for multi-cloud environments, making integration cumbersome and inconsistent. Without unified control, enforcing policies across branches and remote users becomes a manual, high-risk process.
These challenges underscore the importance of not just choosing the right SD-WAN technology but deploying it through the right model—one that minimises risk, simplifies operations, and accelerates time to value.
The Orixcom Edge: Unlocking True Potential with Managed SD-WAN
Orixcom Managed SD-WAN is designed to remove the complexity of deployment and day-to-day management while unlocking the full value of a modern network. Here's how the service delivers to every layer—from infrastructure to cloud.
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Full Lifecycle Management:
Orixcom takes ownership of the entire SD-WAN lifecycle—planning, deployment, monitoring, and optimisation—so internal teams can focus on core business operations. With real-time, 24/7/365 access to a centralised management portal, enterprises gain complete visibility and control over their network without operational overhead.
Zero-touch provisioning and pre-built configuration templates accelerate rollout across new sites, eliminating manual intervention and reducing errors. Whether connecting branches, remote offices, or data centres, policies are centrally defined and uniformly enforced—ensuring consistent performance, security, and compliance across the network. -
Advanced Security Integration (Out-of-the-box):
Security isn’t treated as an add-on. Every Orixcom Managed SD-WAN deployment includes enterprise-grade firewalls, intrusion prevention systems (IPS), and DNS-layer security by default. This protects against threats at the network edge and within the traffic flow.
For organisations needing deeper protection, optional services such as malware protection, URL filtering, and DNS filtering are available strengthening defences further. The solution also adheres to a Zero Trust architecture: all users, devices, and applications are continuously verified, segmented, and encrypted, reducing lateral movement and exposure. -
Performance and Visibility at Scale:
Orixcom as a Cisco partner leverages integrated analytics tools—like vAnalytics and ThousandEyes—to provide deep visibility into traffic flows, application performance, and network health. This enables IT teams to detect issues proactively, troubleshoot faster, and fine-tune policies in real time.
Through application-aware routing and SLA-based path selection, traffic is intelligently steered based on real-time network conditions and application priority. This ensures optimal user experience for latency-sensitive workloads like VoIP, video conferencing, or cloud applications, regardless of location. -
Cost Efficiency and Scalability:
Orixcom blends cost-effective broadband for the last mile with its CloudConnect Layer 2 backbone for middle-mile traffic. This hybrid approach reduces reliance on expensive MPLS circuits without sacrificing performance or reliability.
The platform is designed for scale—supporting deployments from five to over 10,000 sites. Whether your organisation operates in a single country or across multiple geographies, Orixcom’s architecture supports consistent connectivity, policy enforcement, and uptime across all locations. This also drives a lower total cost of ownership (TCO) and simplifies expansion. -
Seamless Multi-Cloud Integration:
Enterprises are no longer tied to a single cloud environment. Orixcom Managed SD-WAN integrates with Orixcom CloudConnect to deliver secure, high-performance access to cloud services. By optimising traffic paths and bypassing the public internet where possible, it reduces latency and improves reliability. Designed for multi-cloud strategies, the solution offers native integration with major platforms like AWS, Azure, Oracle, and Google Cloud to ensure direct, optimised access and consistent application performance.
Automated policy workflows streamline connectivity setup and optimise cloud application traffic paths based on user location, latency, or load. This is especially valuable for SaaS-heavy or regionally distributed environments where agility and low latency are critical to business continuity.
Comparing DIY vs Orixcom Managed SD-WAN
The difference between owning SD-WAN hardware and having a fully operational, optimised network lies in how the solution is deployed and supported.
Choosing the DIY path may seem cost-effective upfront, but it often results in delays, integration issues, and significant internal overhead. Setup typically involves configuring multiple vendors, manually establishing policies, and managing compatibility across environments—leading to longer deployment cycles and higher risk of misconfiguration.
Security is also fragmented, requiring separate tools and manual patching, which exposes the network to potential threats. In contrast, Orixcom Managed SD-WAN service is purpose-built to deliver built-in, multi-layered security and seamless integration with leading cloud platforms. Designed and fully operated by Orixcom, with technology partnership with Cisco, the solution ensures optimised performance for applications without manual intervention or operational complexity.
Most importantly, the ongoing cost of internal management—staff time, troubleshooting, and upgrades, adds up quickly. With Orixcom, costs are predictable, outcomes are measurable, and businesses benefit from an always-on network with full visibility and proactive support. It’s not just a deployment model—it’s a smarter, future-ready way to manage your WAN.
Real-World Impact with Orixcom Managed SD-WAN
Al Ghandi Auto Group
Faced with inconsistent network performance and rising connectivity costs across its branches, Al Ghandi Auto Group needed a more scalable, cost-efficient solution. By deploying Orixcom Managed SD-WAN, they gained secure guest access, reduced circuit costs, and established reliable, cloud-ready connectivity across all locations. Centralised control gave their IT team greater visibility and simplified day-to-day network management—freeing up resources to focus on core operations. The result was enhanced user experience for both employees and customers, supporting the company’s digital transformation strategy.
CNBC Arabia
For a media company dependent on real-time broadcasting and regional collaboration, network reliability was business critical. CNBC Arabia turned to Orixcom to upgrade their infrastructure and connect multiple offices and production centres securely. The deployment of Managed SD-WAN significantly reduced latency, improved bandwidth allocation, and provided centralised control over all sites. This enabled seamless video content delivery, uninterrupted editorial workflows, and reliable inter-site communication—ensuring the broadcast operation ran smoothly, even during peak periods.
Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group
With a fragmented network and limited visibility across multiple business units, Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group experienced frequent inefficiencies and higher operational overhead. Transitioning to Orixcom’s Managed SD-WAN allowed them to consolidate and optimise bandwidth usage across all sites. The result was a more resilient, high-performance network with better application performance, especially for cloud-based services. Automated policies and central management also enabled the group’s IT team to ensure consistent security and compliance across the board, without manual intervention.
Conclusion
Deploying SD-WAN without expert guidance often leads to more problems than it solves. From complex multi-vendor setups and inconsistent security to limited visibility and overburdened IT teams, DIY deployments carry strategic risks that can impact business performance. These challenges not only delay time-to-value but also increase operational costs and expose networks to vulnerabilities—especially as organisations scale or adopt cloud-first strategies.
As a leading SD-WAN service provider in Dubai, Orixcom eliminates these pain points by delivering a solution that is fully integrated, centrally managed, and built for scale. The service combines advanced performance capabilities with robust security and real-time analytics—strengthened by strategic partnerships with technology leaders like Cisco. But the value goes far beyond the underlying platform. With zero-touch provisioning, dynamic path optimisation, native cloud integration, and around-the-clock support, businesses get a fully managed service that drives real outcomes—higher availability, better user experience, and measurable cost savings.
Ultimately, partnering with Orixcom means more than just deploying SD-WAN—it means building a resilient, cloud-ready network that evolves with your business. You’re not purchasing a product; you’re engaging with a strategic partner who takes ownership of your network performance and security. With deep regional expertise, dedicated customer support, and a future-proof architecture, Orixcom empowers your organisation to grow with confidence.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Is SD-WAN suitable for all types of businesses?
- Yes. SD-WAN is designed to benefit organisations of all sizes—from SMEs to large enterprises—especially those with multiple branches, remote teams, or heavy reliance on cloud applications. Its ability to reduce connectivity costs, improve application performance, and simplify network management makes it suitable across sectors like retail, finance, healthcare, and media.
Q2. What makes managed SD-WAN more secure than a DIY solution?
- Managed SD-WAN includes multi-layered security by default—enterprise firewall, IPS, DNS security, and zero trust principles. DIY setups typically require these to be sourced and configured separately, leading to fragmented protection and increased vulnerability. With Orixcom, updates, monitoring, and threat responses are all centrally managed.
Q3. What level of visibility and control does Orixcom offer?
- With Orixcom’s 24/7/365 centralised management portal, IT teams have complete real-time visibility into network health, application performance, bandwidth usage, and security metrics. This enables proactive management, quick diagnostics, and data-driven decision-making across all connected sites.
Q4. How quickly can Orixcom deploy its SD-WAN solution?
- Orixcom leverages zero-touch provisioning and pre-configured templates, which significantly accelerate deployment timelines. Unlike DIY setups that can take weeks or months, most Orixcom deployments are completed in a fraction of the time—without the need for on-site IT intervention at every location.
Q5. How does SD-WAN improve cloud application performance?
- SD-WAN uses real-time path selection and application-aware routing to send cloud traffic over the most efficient paths. Orixcom’s integration with Cisco Cloud OnRamp ensures low-latency, direct-to-cloud access, resulting in faster load times and more consistent performance for apps like Office 365, Salesforce, or Zoom.
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