USD
GBP 
CNY 
EUR 
INR 
JPY 
MYR 
ZAR 
KRW 
THB 
IT Resource Optimization, Centralized Network Management, and Improved Cloud Connectivity Drive Growing SD-WAN Adoption
02-Sep-2021
North America
Customer Research
K640-01-00-00-00
TE04031-NA-CR_25740
The Software-defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) has advanced to the growth stage from an early growth phase of the product lifecycle. In Frost & Sullivan’s 2018 survey, we found that enterprises were aware of the benefits of SD-WAN and prepared for its deployment. Since then, enterprise decision-makers have focused on upgrading network capabilities with SD-WAN solutions, increasing their efforts as the COVID-19 pandemic-induced disruptions drive the shift to remote work as the new normal. The Frost & Sullivan 2021 SD-WAN survey validates the SD-WAN adoption trend across industries and how IT decision-makers emphasize security functionalities and network virtualization. This report provides a detailed analysis of the 2021 SD-WAN survey results, evaluating the benefits enterprises achieve from SD-WAN deployment, the trends on replacing existing network equipment, enterprises’ preferred VNFs, and the criteria IT decision-makers use in selecting a SD-WAN solution.
Author: Gina Sanchez
Research Objectives and Methodology
Top Business Drivers for Companies’ Digital Transformation Initiatives
Top Technology Trends for Businesses in the Next 24 Months
SD-WAN Deployment Trends among US Businesses
Reasons for No Intention to Deploy SD-WAN in the Next 24 Months
SD-WAN Deployment Trends by Industry Vertical
SD-WAN Deployment Trends by Company Size
Benefits Businesses Achieve from SD-WAN Deployment
Improvements Businesses See from SD-WAN Deployment
Top Challenges Businesses Face in SD-WAN Deployment
SD-WAN Sites at Branch and Remote/Home Office Locations
Benefits Businesses Expect from SD-WAN Deployment
SD-WAN CPE Replacing Traditional Routers in Enterprise WANs
SD-WAN CPE Replacing Traditional Firewalls in Enterprise WANs
Expected Impact of Replacing Branch Routers with SD-WAN CPE with Integrated Routers
Expected Impact of Replacing Branch Firewalls with SD-WAN Appliance with Integrated SD-WAN and Security CPE
Perspective on Current and Planned uCPE Deployments
Expected Impact of Deploying uCPE at Branch Locations
Preferred VNFs for Current and Planned uCPE Deployments
Importance of Parameters in Selecting a SD-WAN Solution
Organizations’ Preferences to Purchase and Manage SD-Wan Solutions
Importance of Parameters to Select a Fully Managed/Co-managed SD-WAN Solution
Network Service Choices with SD-WAN
Expected Value of Working with a Managed Service Provider
Preferred Partner to Deploy Managed SD-WAN
Conclusion
List of Exhibits
List of Exhibits (continued)
Legal Disclaimer
Speak directly with our analytics experts for tailored recommendations.
Recent related Information Technology research
28 Sep 2026 | Global | Frost Radar
Frost Radar™: Communications Platform as a Service, 2026
Communications platform as a service (CPaaS) has become foundational infrastructure for digital business, embedding programmable voice, messaging, and video into the applications where customers and employees engage. Enterprises are rearchitecting their communication workflows around programmable in...
25 Sep 2026 | Global | Frost Radar
Frost Radar™: Demand-Side Platforms, 2026
Demand-side platforms (DSPs) have evolved from programmatic buying tools into the decisioning infrastructure through which advertisers plan, execute, optimize, and measure campaigns across connected television, display, video, audio, digital out-of-home, and commerce media. Frost & Sullivan estimate...
25 Sep 2026 | Global | Technology Research
Growth Opportunities in AI Robotics, GPU Cloud, Reinforcement Learning, Blockchain Intelligence & Developer API, Geospatial and Agentic Conversational AI
This edition of the IT, Computing and Communication Technology Opportunity Engine captures developments related to Unified AI robotics, Hybrid GPU cloud and MLOps, Production inference stack, Full-stack reinforcement-learning compute, AI Infrastructure, Computer Vision, Software-Defined Applications...
24 Sep 2026 | Global | Customer Research
UCC Buyers’ Perspective: Investment Priorities in 2026 and Beyond
This research examines enterprise buyer priorities, investment plans, and purchasing behaviors related to Unified Communications and Collaboration (UCC) technologies through 2029, based on Frost & Sullivan’s 2026 global Information Technology Decision-Maker (ITDM) survey. The study explores how orga...
23 Sep 2026 | Global | Market Research
Growth Opportunities for Agentic AI in Telco Business Support Systems
AI has been embedded in telecommunications for over a decade, initially through rule-based automation and early machine learning applied to network optimization, fraud detection, and customer analytics. Even before 5G, CSPs used AI to enable self-optimizing networks (SON), predictive maintenance, an...
Purchase includes:
- Report download
- Growth Dialog™ with our experts
Growth Dialog™
A tailored session with you where we identify the:- Strategic Imperatives
- Growth Opportunities
- Best Practices
- Companies to Action
Impacting your company's future growth potential.
| Deliverable Type | Customer Research |
|---|---|
| No Index | No |
| Podcast | No |
| Author | Gina Sanchez |
| Industries | Telecom |
| WIP Number | K640-01-00-00-00 |
| Is Prebook | No |
| GPS Codes | 9705-C1,9655 |
US SD-WAN End User Survey Analysis, 2021
$4,950.00
Special Price $3,712.50 save 25 %