What are the opportunities in the Indian SD-WAN market?

Short answer: India's SD-WAN opportunity comes from three drivers: enterprise digital transformation, a move to cloud-first IT and the spread of broadband across the country. SD-WAN now competes with MPLS-based VPNs because it offers affordable, reliable connectivity for both small and large enterprises. Adoption spans banking and financial services, energy, manufacturing, hospitality and more, and Indian buyers look for price sensitivity and specific security requirements to be met.

Technology and networking in India is one of the most relevant topics right now. India is a growing market in this sector. SD-WAN has gained a tremendous amount of publicity in this market as well. But what exactly is the scene in the Indian market when it comes to SD-WAN? Let’s find out.

APAC markets, including India, have been growing quickly. India plays a vital role in the SD-WAN needs, keeping in mind various market differentiators like the diverse market environment, price sensitivity, specific security requirements and the unique ecosystem, and catering to all these needs.

Digital transformation has become imperative for enterprises to gain a competitive edge. SD-WAN today is no more a new and unique way of networking and connectivity but is competing with the mainstream connectivity options like MPLS based VPN. Enterprises are ahead in the digital transformation curve and are driving business transformation and innovation via the adoption of digital technologies. They are also geared up to adopt SD-WAN services and are accelerating towards a cloud-first strategy if the switch hasn’t already been made. Most organizations have made digital transformation their top priority as they aim to deliver more agile, simple, scalable, and cost-efficient services to their customers. Followed by cloud infrastructure deployment and artificial intelligence.

With a large and growing base of internet and mobile subscribers, India has become a digital market, which creates demand for newer and better networking approaches.

What is driving SD-WAN adoption in India?

India is one of the few countries to witness the adoption of advanced state-of-art technology. SD-WAN has taken a leap of faith by providing affordable, reliable and dynamic connectivity rendering to all small and big enterprises.

Some of the drivers behind this growth are:

• Digital Transformation – Corporate giants making a move into all spheres of business, be it marketing, sales to advertisement, are all opting for a digital first model. Along with the population who has a mobile first approach, where everything is a click away, digital transformation has impacted the market immensely and at great speed.
• Cloud First – Adoption of the cloud first approach has gained all the traction it required. It also reduces spending on data centres. Leading to the need for consistent and cost efficient bandwidth.  
• Broadband all around – Telecom companies in India have made it a point to connect all corners of the country, providing even the remotest part with internet and connectivity. Under the Digital India initiative, the government has tried to deploy broadband to every part of the country. This makes broadband a backbone of the nation, and SD-WAN a natural choice for upgrading network infrastructure.

India has adopted SD-WAN quickly across the country. Various industries are taking this up, from banking to financial services, to energy as well as manufacturing and hospitality and many more. Adoption in India continues to grow.

Related: how to choose SD-WAN providers in India, SD-WAN vs MPLS costs in India and replace MPLS branch by branch.

Frequently asked questions

What is driving SD-WAN adoption in India?

The main drivers are digital transformation, a shift to cloud-first IT and nationwide broadband rollout under Digital India. Together they create demand for consistent, cost-efficient bandwidth across many sites.

Which industries use SD-WAN in India?

SD-WAN is used across banking and financial services, energy, manufacturing, hospitality, retail and more. Nexapp, for example, serves 400+ enterprise and banking customers across India and APAC.

Is SD-WAN replacing MPLS in India?

SD-WAN now competes directly with MPLS-based VPNs because it can combine broadband and cellular links with central control. Many enterprises move branch by branch rather than all at once.

What do Indian enterprises look for in an SD-WAN vendor?

Indian buyers weigh price sensitivity, specific security requirements and support for a diverse, widespread site base. Public buyers may also need a Class-I local supplier under the Make in India procurement order.

To learn more about SD-WAN and its impact on various industries and sectors, check out Nexapp SD-WAN Enterprise.