Axians’s new proposition can speed up service providers’ SD-WAN launches but may limit future flexibility

SD-WAN deployments are, for many service providers, a first step towards offering more network services as software, which represents a shift from providing hardware-enabled solutions. This requires the adoption of new processes, which can be extremely challenging both for established operators, which have set ways of doing things, and for smaller players, which tend to have limited resources.

Axians UK, a network systems integrator, has recently launched Ascent, a programme aimed at helping service providers bring new services to market, including networking, security and uCPE. Axians's new proposition has a proven ability to reduce the time to market for SD-WAN, but the challenge for its partners will be to gain the internal expertise needed to bring these new services fully in-house. This comment assesses some of the strengths and weaknesses of Axians's Ascent programme.