“The Elite team is very professional. If you go to them with an issue, the team looks around the problem, works out what the business needs and comes up with the right solution at the best price. That’s why I go back to them; I trust their judgement.”
What is Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Technology?
Software-Defined Wide Area Networking allows you to utilise and manage more than one external network connection – such as MPLS, business broadband, fibre optic and 4G/5G mobile – at a given location, based on its performance. With SD-WAN, you can define which WAN link an application utilises and set up rules for which link should be used based on its performance, including automatic failover to a backup connection if your primary link degrades or goes down.
Increase your team’s productivity with a cost-effective SD-WAN solution from Elite Group. Power digital transformation within your business by deploying new technologies within your cloud infrastructure efficiently.
Connectivity That Keeps Up with Your Business
With the modern business now implementing remote and flexible working, the reliance on data and applications within the cloud has increased dramatically. Your IT resource needs to adapt to this increased reliance, and ideally, you want to adapt while keeping your infrastructure simple to manage.
Traditional WAN architectures are vital to the infrastructure of your business IT. However, as the demands placed on your network have grown – driven by cloud migration, remote working and an increasing reliance on bandwidth-heavy applications – these architectures can struggle to keep pace, causing disruption and performance issues at exactly the wrong moment.”
Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) solutions optimise your bandwidth and provide a consistent connection to the cloud to boost the performance of your applications, whilst maintaining high-level security and protecting your data.
Improve Your Customer’s Experience with Software-Defined WAN
The applications your team rely on to serve customers – whether that’s a contact centre platform, CRM system, VoIP telephony or video communications – all depend on a fast, stable network connection to perform at their best. When your WAN underperforms, it’s not just your IT team that feels it. Customers experience dropped calls, slow response times and degraded service quality.
SD-WAN prioritises business-critical application traffic across your network, ensuring the tools your customer-facing teams depend on always have the bandwidth and performance they need. With consistent, low-latency connectivity and automatic failover, keeping your network online even when individual links fail, your team can focus on delivering a great customer experience, rather than working around connectivity issues.
Why Choose Elite for SD-WAN Solutions?
Deploying SD-WAN is one thing; managing it effectively over time is another. Elite takes a fully-managed approach, remaining involved from initial network assessment and solution design to deployment, proactive monitoring and ongoing management.
Your IT resource isn’t stretched maintaining a complex network infrastructure. Our specialists monitor your SD-WAN environment around the clock, identifying and resolving issues before they impact your business.
We also take the time to understand your requirements before recommending a solution – whether you’re reducing MPLS costs, migrating to the cloud, or need resilient failover across multiple sites. The result is an SD-WAN solution built around your business, not an off-the-shelf package.
Key Features
Build a digital presence that is more secure, more versatile and more powerful.
Case Study – LED Leisure
LED Leisure were experiencing some reliability and connectivity issues with their previous connections. Elite worked with LED Leisure to provide a solution that worked for their business and they no longer receive complaints from staff members about dropped lines and poor connectivity. Check out the video to see how we did this.
Business Benefits
Trust the Elite experts to optimise your network with SD-WAN solutions.
Cloud Ready
SD-WAN is designed to fully support applications hosted in public or private cloud environments.
Unified Management Platform
Streamline IT operations with a range of Software Defined Wide Area Network management features accessed via a single, intuitive and centralised platform.
Enhanced Security
Protect your business with integrated and advanced security tools, including a next-generation layer-7 firewall, Cisco AMP with Threat Grid and content filtering to confidently allow Direct Internet Access.
Hybrid WAN
SD-WAN is available as a stand alone service, or for more enhanced security and performance, as a Hybrid WAN that combines with an MPLS network.
Built-In Resilience
Automatic failover will keep your business online, even when other links begin to fail.
Customer Reviews
“When we looked at our existing suppliers, side-by-side, Elite Group stood out as the provider who looked after our needs the best. Elite Group were always available to speak with when we contacted them, ready to offer advice, and we had access to a dedicated account manager who ensured our needs were always being met. It made sense that we would look to shift all communications to them.”
“Due to my technology background, I immediately knew that our existing telephony system was not fit for purpose, especially during the stresses of the current pandemic. It was a high priority to support our staff and our customers with the demands of the new way of working. We needed a system that we could use onsite, on the go and from home, which we could manage ourselves, but still have support on hand.”
“We currently deal direct with EE and O2, as well as Elite, but we were keen to work with just one supplier to simplify things. Out of the companies we currently deal with, it made sense to make Elite our preferred supplier, because with them we get one dedicated account manager who will always get back to use about our queries very quickly. It also means we will be able to view all of our bills online in one place, making it much simpler to keep track of our spending.”
“One of the main reasons I recommend Elite Group is their commitment to delivering world-class customer experiences and innovative digital transformation solutions. Their team truly takes the time to understand our unique needs and provides tailored solutions that drive innovation and excellence.”
“I would absolutely recommend Elite Group. Their customer response time is very good. When I’m on tour, it’s 24/7, there’s no 9 to 5 – it’s around the clock work. So, when we need something doing, let’s say on a Saturday or Sunday and I call or email Elite Group, they’ll answer and will find a solution for me, which is invaluable.”
“Elite are good people to deal with. They genuinely try to keep customers happy. They are professional, responsive, and easy to deal with”.
“Elite’s development of a custom reporting suite and their proactive technical expertise has been game-changing. Their tailored solutions and problem-solving approach give us confidence in the growth of our telesales business.”
“Over the past two years, our partnership with Elite to manage our mobile network has been instrumental in enhancing our connectivity and in reducing our operational costs. Their brilliant approach to providing support and managing our account has provided real benefit to GAMA Healthcare in terms of cost savings and improved service.”
“After seven other migrations throughout my career, this has been by far the best delivery of solution I have experienced.”
“I would recommend Elite for their customer service, approachability, and speed of delivery, as well as their project management.”
Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Frequently Asked Questions
Is an SD-WAN right for my business?
SD-WAN has features that can benefit almost any business, but it’s particularly well-suited to organisations in the following situations:
Multiple Sites – If your business operates across more than one location, SD-WAN allows you to manage all of your network connections centrally from a single dashboard, rather than managing each site’s connectivity independently.
Cloud Migration – As more business applications move to the cloud, the demands placed on your network change. SD-WAN architecture is designed to optimise traffic routing for cloud-hosted applications, ensuring consistent performance as your reliance on platforms like Microsoft 365, Salesforce or hosted telephony grows. SD-WAN forms the network layer of a SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) architecture, making it the natural starting point for businesses looking to consolidate network and security into a single cloud-delivered framework.
Remote and Flexible Working – SD-WAN helps ensure that employees working remotely have reliable, secure access to the applications and the data they need, without placing unnecessary strain on your central network performance.
Reducing MPLS Costs – Businesses looking to move away from expensive MPLS circuits without sacrificing performance or security often find SD-WAN an effective alternative or complement, allowing them to aggregate lower-cost broadband connections while maintaining enterprise-grade reliability.
Resilience – You can aggregate multiple site connections to effectively combine the bandwidth of each, maximise your connectivity potential and introduce various layers of resilience.
If you’re unsure whether SD-WAN is the right fit for your network requirements, Elite can assess your current infrastructure and objectives and recommend the most appropriate solution.
Can Elite support me to understand my network and how this may look using SD-WAN?
Yes, and this is something we’d actively encourage before any decision is made. Whether you have clear technical requirements or a set of high-level business objectives you need your network to meet, Elite can work with you to map your current infrastructure, identify where SD-WAN could add value, and build a solution designed around your needs.
Our consultative approach means we take the time to understand how your business operates – the number of sites you run, the applications your team rely on, your current connectivity types and your plans for growth – before making any recommendation. The goal is to ensure that whatever solution we propose genuinely improves your network performance and delivers measurable value, rather than simply replacing one piece of technology with another.
Is it possible to segment voice and data over the network?
Yes, although in recent years, fewer and fewer businesses take this option, as voice and data have increasingly merged as part of the broader move towards unified communications solutions.
For most businesses today, a more effective approach is to use SD-WAN’s application-aware routing to prioritise voice and video traffic over the network, ensuring it always has the bandwidth and low latency it needs without the complexity of full segmentation.
If you have specific requirements around voice and data separation, our team can advise on the best approach for your infrastructure and use case.
Why should I deploy SD-WAN instead of MPLS?
SD-WAN offers several advantages over a traditional MPLS-only approach. Deployment is faster thanks to Zero-Touch provisioning, management is simplified through a single centralised dashboard, and the ability to aggregate multiple connection types (including 4G/5G) means you’re not locked into the higher costs associated with MPLS.
The good news is that it does not have to be a binary choice; Elite can deploy MPLS networks, SD-WAN solutions, or hybrid configurations that combine the two – giving you the security and performance of MPLS when you need it, with the flexibility, cost efficiency and management benefits of SD-WAN across the rest of your network. For a multi-site business, a hybrid approach gives you the best of both worlds.
Elite Green Certified Partner
We are dedicated to partnering with providers who share our aim of working towards a more sustainable future.
Gamma have been certified CarbonNeutral® for since 2006 and are dedicated to becoming a carbon net-zero business by 2041 and have pledged to become a carbon net-zero business by 2042 and have committed to a range of projects and initiatives to preserve the planet’s resources and reduce carbon emissions.
As Gamma Platinum Partners we welcome Gamma’s contributions to our commitment of becoming a sustainable company.
Your Experience is Our Priority
Looking for MPLS Solutions?
Whether you’re looking to get the ball rolling with an MPLS solution from Elite or you’re in need of advice on what is the best option for you, our team is here to help! Fill in our contact form and one of our specialists will be in touch!
