Blog | Orixcom | Colocation, Connectivity, Cybersecurity

Orixcom Managed SD-WAN for Secure, High-Performance Hybrid Work

Written by Sudhansu Ranjan | June 2025

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

  1. Introduction 
  2. Key Challenges in Supporting a Secure Remote Workforce 
  3. Enabling a Truly Secure Remote Workforce with Orixcom Managed SD-WAN  
  4. Beyond SD-WAN: Managed Services Built for Experience and Unmatched Performance 
  5. Conclusion 
  6. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Key takeaways from this blog: 

  • Understand the top challenges of supporting a secure hybrid workforce
  • Discover why legacy WAN architectures fall short in cloud-first world
  • Explore how SD-WAN delivers secure, cloud-optimised, application-aware connectivity
  • Learn how Orixcom Managed SD-WAN simplifies hybrid work for businesses in the UAE and wider region

The rise of hybrid work has permanently transformed how businesses operate. Employees expect seamless access to corporate applications from anywhere—be it a branch office, home, or on the move. This shift has driven a surge in demand for secure remote network access that is reliable, agile, and scalable. However, traditional networks weren’t designed for this kind of decentralised, cloud-intensive environment. According to a report (Source: Capgemini), organisations are now prioritising flexible connectivity models that offer visibility, performance, and robust security for distributed users. 

Legacy MPLS networks are costly, slow to scale, and lack the network analytics, agility, and multi-cloud connectivity needed to support today’s distributed teams. As a result, businesses are turning to hybrid work solutions that offer secure remote network access, zero trust security, and end-to-end cloud performance. 

That’s where Orixcom Managed SD-WAN comes into play. Designed to support enterprises globally—with a strong footprint across Dubai and the wider GCC—it combines dynamic path selection, integrated security, and 24×7×365 managed services to deliver a seamless, scalable foundation for hybrid work. Whether you're enabling remote teams, rolling out new sites, or enhancing cloud access, Orixcom provides a solution that is simple, secure, and built for the future. 


Key Challenges in Supporting a Secure Remote Workforce

As organisations shift to hybrid work, supporting a secure remote workforce presents significant technical and operational hurdles. Below are the most pressing challenges—and how SD-WAN helps address them:

Inconsistent Visibility Across Remote Sites  

When employees work from home, shared workspaces, or satellite offices, IT teams struggle to gain a clear picture of what is happening on the network. Without unified monitoring, it's difficult to detect performance bottlenecks, application issues, or potential threats—especially in decentralised environments. 

Managed SD-WAN resolves this by providing a single, cloud-delivered dashboard that offers real-time visibility to users, applications, and traffic across all sites. This centralised control enables faster troubleshooting, performance optimisation, and proactive network management.

High Cost of Scaling MPLS 

Expanding MPLS to every branch or remote user is financially unsustainable. Long provisioning cycles and premium pricing make it impractical for dynamic hybrid work environments.  

Managed SD-WAN serves as a true MPLS replacement, leveraging broadband, LTE, and 5G with bandwidth aggregation to lower operational costs while maintaining performance and resilience, through intelligent path selection and load balancing.

Security Policy Fragmentation

Enforcing consistent security policies across remote sites and unmanaged endpoints is difficult, especially when users are outside the corporate perimeter. This creates a fragmented security posture and increases the risk of data breaches and unauthorised access. 

With integrated zero trust SD-WAN architecture, Orixcom enforces end-to-end encryption, role-based access, and secure web gateway controls to deliver consistent, secure access across all endpoints. Managed SD-WAN enables secure remote network access through a unified security model that includes next-generation firewalls, DNS filtering, and zero trust SD-WAN principles. 

Complex Setup for Remote Locations

To set up a secure network connection at a remote site, many IT teams rely on manual configurations, leading to inconsistent policies and unnecessary delays. This also leads to configuration errors, and inconsistent security coverage. 

Orixcom Managed SD-WAN offers zero-touch provisioning and pre-configured templates, enabling IT teams to deploy secure, optimised connectivity to new locations within hours—not days. This makes it ideal for hybrid teams that need rapid onboarding and reliable access. 

Enabling a Truly Secure Remote Workforce with Orixcom Managed SD-WAN 

Overcoming the core connectivity and security challenges of hybrid work is only half the battle. The real advantage lies in deploying a solution that not only addresses these gaps—but transforms how access, performance, and control are delivered. across the enterprise. This is exactly where Orixcom Managed SD-WAN excels. Let’s dive in to learn how: 

  1. End-to-End Control and Simplification
    Orixcom delivers a fully managed SD-WAN service with 24/7 support, real-time visibility, and complete control—all through a single platform. With zero touch provisioning, IT teams can roll out secure connectivity across sites within a matter of hours.
    Built-in application-aware routing and dynamic path selection ensure critical traffic takes the most efficient route—powering performance for cloud-based tools and collaboration platforms.

    Case Study: Bahri & Mazroei Trading Company (BMTC)
    As BMTC expanded operations, their legacy MPLS network struggled with cloud application performance and branch connectivity. Orixcom Managed SD-WAN and CloudConnect delivered high-speed, secure access to Microsoft Azure, along with centralised visibility and intelligent traffic control. BMTC’s IT team now manages distributed operations with ease, enabling rapid site onboarding and laying a scalable foundation for secure, cloud-first collaboration across the business. 

  2. Flexible and Scalable Remote Work Architecture
    Whether it’s broadband, LTE, or satellite, Orixcom supports diverse transport—including MPLS replacement—to enable agile connectivity for branch offices and remote staff.
    New locations can be deployed in hours using zero-touch provisioning and pre-configured templates, helping businesses rapidly set up secure network connections at remote sites.
    In addition to SD-WAN, with CloudConnect, Orixcom provides low-latency, secure access to public cloud platforms without backhauling—ideal for maintaining high-performance multi-cloud environments.

    Case Study: Finstreet
    Finstreet, a financial services firm based in ADGM, meeting real-time FSRA compliance required secure, low-latency connectivity to regulatory systems hosted on Azure. Orixcom Managed SD-WAN, integrated with CloudConnect, delivered direct, encrypted access, thus eliminating the delays and unpredictability of public Internet routing. This improved application performance and enabled rapid deployment of new branches, supporting Finstreet’s hybrid trading model.

  3. Robust Security with Zero Trust SD-WAN

    Security is embedded at every layer of Orixcom’s SD-WAN. With built-in next-generation firewalls (NGFW), intrusion prevention systems (IPS), DNS-layer protection, and end-to-end encryption, organisations benefit from strong perimeter and internal defences—without relying on bolt-on tools.

    To further strengthen its zero trust approach, Orixcom Managed SD-WAN can be integrated with Cisco Duo Security. This enables adaptive access controls, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and device health checks—ensuring only trusted users and devices can access critical resources. Combined with micro-segmentation and identity-based policies, this layered security model delivers secure remote access from anywhere, ideal for today’s hybrid workforce.

  4. Secure Network Access, Anywhere
    Remote teams, home offices, and branches benefit from consistent policies and encrypted IPsec tunnels, ensuring productivity and compliance from day one.
    Whether users are in Dubai or on the move, Orixcom ensures secure access and prioritised bandwidth through intelligent routing and bandwidth aggregation—perfect for video, voice, and SaaS.

    Case Study: CNBC Arabia
    Unstable IPsec VPNs disrupted large video file transfers between CNBC Arabia’s eight regional bureaus and central newsroom—hindering editorial coordination. By transitioning to Orixcom Managed SD-WAN, they gained reliable, centrally managed connectivity, reduced latency, and seamless file movement across locations. This provided the flexibility to onboard new sites quickly—making it a perfect fit for their hybrid newsroom operations.

  5. Centralised Visibility and Control:
    IT teams gain unified control over WAN, cloud, and security through a single portal—simplifying operations and reducing overhead.
    Real-time insights, alerting, and network analytics enable proactive management of endpoints, traffic patterns, and application performance. With API-based automation, Orixcom enables scalable, programmable management—ideal for enterprises evolving fast in a hybrid world. 

Beyond SD-WAN: Managed Services Built for Experience and Unmatched Performance

What sets Orixcom apart is not just the technology—it’s the regional expertise and managed service excellence tailored to enterprises in the UAE and beyond. 

Strategic partnership with Cisco ensures the latest features and support

By leveraging Cisco’s industry-leading SD-WAN platform, Orixcom delivers proven performance, secure connectivity, and rapid innovation—backed by global best practices. 

Integration with Orixcom CloudConnect for superior cloud access

CloudConnect enhances SD-WAN performance with a dedicated middle-mile network across regions. It eliminates public Internet vulnerabilities and ensures consistent cloud application performance—critical for hybrid work solutions.

Local presence and flexible pricing tailored for regional enterprises

With a deep footprint in the UAE and neighbouring regions, Orixcom understands the regulatory, infrastructural, and commercial needs of local businesses. Flexible, tiered pricing allows customers to scale as they grow—without locking into rigid cost structures.  

Zero-touch and quick deployments, agile scaling, and proactive support

Whether rolling out a new office in hours or onboarding hundreds of remote users, Orixcom’s expert support and automated infrastructure ensure agility at every step. Businesses gain a network that works as hard as their workforce—wherever that may be.

Conclusion

As hybrid work becomes a long-term reality, enabling a secure remote workforce is no longer optional—it’s essential. SD-WAN has emerged as a modern, cloud-native alternative to rigid legacy networks, offering intelligent routing, centralised control, and integrated security. From improving visibility across remote endpoints to ensuring reliable application performance, SD-WAN plays a foundational role in supporting hybrid work at scale. Its ability to deliver secure remote network access, enforce zero trust principles, and optimise cloud traffic makes it a critical pillar for enterprises adapting to distributed workforces. 

Orixcom Managed SD-WAN stands out in this space by delivering far more than just connectivity. Orixcom offers a fully managed solution designed specifically for businesses in the Middle East—complete with built-in security, application-aware performance, and direct cloud access via CloudConnect. With local support, flexible pricing, and zero-touch provisioning, Orixcom aligns closely with regional enterprise needs, helping organisations scale with confidence and control. Whether it’s launching new branches, supporting work-from-anywhere initiatives, or maintaining performance across cloud-hosted applications, Orixcom provides hybrid work solutions that are built for agility and resilience.
 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)  

Q1. How does SD-WAN help set up a secure network connection at a remote site?

  • SD-WAN simplifies remote site deployment through zero-touch provisioning—devices are pre-configured and automatically connect to the network upon installation. All traffic is secured using encrypted IPsec tunnels, while policy-based access ensures only authorised users and applications are allowed. This makes it easy to scale secure connectivity across remote offices or home workers without manual intervention. 

Q2. What makes Orixcom Managed SD-WAN suitable for hybrid work solutions?

  • Orixcom Managed SD-WAN is purpose-built for hybrid environments, offering fully managed services that remove operational complexity for IT teams. It combines intelligent routing, integrated security, and CloudConnect for optimised access to public and private cloud platforms. With local expertise and flexible service models, it’s ideal for enterprises in the Middle East to adapt to dynamic hybrid work setups. 

Q3. Can Orixcom SD-WAN support multicloud and remote access simultaneously? 

  • Yes, Orixcom integrates with CloudConnect, its dedicated Layer 2 global network, to deliver secure, low-latency connectivity to AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and other platforms. This ensures remote users can access cloud applications directly—without backhauling—while benefiting from consistent security and performance, regardless of location. 

Q4. What kind of visibility do IT teams gain with Orixcom’s SD-WAN?

  • Orixcom provides a unified dashboard for full visibility across WAN, cloud, and security layers. IT teams can monitor traffic patterns, application performance, and endpoint status in real time. Built-in telemetry and alerting features enable faster troubleshooting, bandwidth forecasting, and proactive performance optimisation—critical for managing a secure remote workforce effectively. 

Q5. How does Orixcom SD-WAN enforce zero trust security?

  • Orixcom SD-WAN incorporates zero trust SD-WAN architecture, which authenticates users before granting access and continuously verifies trust throughout each session. It enforces micro-segmentation to isolate sensitive traffic and applies role-based access controls linked to user identity and device posture. This approach significantly reduces attack surfaces and ensures secure remote network access.