JUMP TO:  What is SD-WAN?  •  Benefits of Managed SD-WAN  •  Feature Comparison - Cisco vs. VMWare  •  Why Blackfoot?

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Managed SD-WAN

Improve network uptime, reliability, and security with SD-WAN, a cost-effective business network solution.

SD-WAN simplifies your network operations in the cloud and provides greater flexibility by using whatever internet connection is available at your location, such as broadband, LTE, or MPLS. SD-WAN leverages intelligent routing, allowing you to use policies to manage data packets and ensure critical applications run smoothly. SD-WAN also provides improved network visibility, network cost savings, and is easy to deploy and manage.

What is SD-WAN?

SD-WAN is a software-defined (SD) approach to managing your wide area network (WAN). Check out our blog to learn how SD-WAN works and why it's an easier way to manage your business network.

Learn More

Benefits of Managed SD-WAN

  • Protect your business from network downtime and service outages.
  • Securely connect every office, plus get new branches or offices online quickly using whatever internet connectivity is available at your location.
  • Easily control network traffic with a sharpened visibility into network performance. Plus, optimize bandwidth utilization and prioritize key business applications.
  • Enhanced network security with firewall features that automatically apply security and traffic shaping rules to ensure optimal performance. In addition, intrusion protection fortifies your network from any internal vulnerabilities and the latest external threats.

Feature Comparison – Cisco vs. VMWare

Blackfoot partners with Cisco and VMware for our Managed SD-WAN solution. Based on your needs and the available connectivity at your location, we'll use Cisco Meraki MX or VMware.

vmware partner - business internet provider idaho
cisco partner - blackfoot communications
Feature VMWare
SD-WAN		 Cisco
Meraki
Flexible, sophisticated, full-featured SD-WAN solution ✅
Dynamic multi-path load balancing monitors all WAN uplinks on a continuous basis and if issues arise, traffic is steered proactively, dynamically and automatically on a sub-second basis to alternative transport path(s) ✅
Supports virtual Edge (vEdge) on AWS or Azure cloud instances – securely extending your network into the cloud ✅
Active/Active/Active VPN – Utilize up-to 3 WAN uplinks including 4G/LTE ✅
2-armed gateway configuration provides ability to connect to external MPLS networks or attach private cloud on-ramping ✅
Highly scalable (1,000+ branches) ✅ ✅
Centralized orchestration and automation for branch management and expansion ✅ ✅
Real-time network performance monitoring including packet loss, latency, jitter statistics for WAN uplinks ✅ ✅
Supports multiple WAN uplinks – Ethernet, LTE, MPLS ✅ ✅
Zero-touch deployment to streamline branch expansion ✅ ✅
Network and application-based traffic steering ✅ ✅
Direct Internet Breakout (DIB) allows branches access to cloud applications directly through public internet using a single appliance ✅ ✅
Basic SD-WAN and security features in one appliance ✅
Unified Threat Management including IDS/IPS, advanced malware protection, content and URL filtering ✅
Active/Active/Standby VPN – Utilize 2 WAN uplinks in an active/active configuration with 4G/LTE on standby in the event of failure of both wired WAN uplinks ✅

Why Blackfoot?

quote glacier
“I wish more business partners and solution providers were as transparent and collaborative with their “access” and expertise as Blackfoot Communications.”

Bryan Dady, IT Infrastructure Director, Glacier Bancorp

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quote cmc
"Always within reach by phone or email, with great customer service!  When I have to call with any questions or support, I know I will get someone who will assist me with the utmost respect, skill, and professionalism. I highly recommend Blackfoot as a partner for any telecommunications needs.”

Sam Perkins, Center Network Engineer | IT Operations, Community Medical Center

quote cmc
quote purewest
“I was sick of dealing with an internet provider, a WiFi provider, and a separate phone provider to figure out one problem. Blackfoot was adaptable and came up with unique solutions for our business. If something goes wrong, it’s so much simpler to troubleshoot by making one call to one vendor. It’s really nice having a company that is willing to work with us.”

Ashley Grassa, Director of Operations PureWest Christie's International Real Estate

quote purewest
quote sleep city
“The team over at Blackfoot has been instrumental in the success of our business. Their customer service and dedication to supporting us has been refreshing. It’s nice to be able to reach out to someone and have them genuinely want to help.”

Mike Rogers, Controller, Sleep City / Cranky Sam's Brewery / Smart Rooms

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quote hellgate
“Dusty St John and the technical support team at Blackfoot have been a pleasure to work with. Their response time when contacted with either a problem or general question is excellent. Blackfoot, especially Dusty, has also been willing to consult and help with questions about products and processes that are not necessarily part of its product suite in order to help solve problems my organization has needed help with.”

Dale Asanovich, IT Director, Hellgate Elementary School

quote hellgate
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“Blackfoot Communications provides and manages our phone solution at the Sanders County Courthouse. We had an outdated phone system that we needed to replace. The transition was very coordinated and proved to be smoother than we thought. Now we have a modern phone solution with the best tech support ever!”

Kathy A. Conlin, Sanders County Commissioners’ Office

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"Blackfoot is our partner. They care as much about our business as they do their own."

Earl Akers, Director of Information Services, Western Montana Mental Health Center

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“Customer service is so important in our line of work. That’s why we needed a provider who could deliver reliable voice and data services. Blackfoot has been a great partner since 2015 and truly shares our vision of customer service excellence.”

Quin Williams, Vice President, Williams Plumbing

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"It’s a matter of confidence, trust and rapport."

Dan Lee, IT Support Specialist, JCCS

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"While cost savings are significant, having a company that can provide timely and superior support is pretty significant, as well."

Matthew Roberts, Systems Administrator, Garlington, Lohn & Robinson Attorneys

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