Global Journal of Computer Science and Technology: C

Software & Data Engineering

Volume 20 Issue 1 Version 1.0 Year 2020
Type: Double Blind Peer Reviewed International Research Journal
Publisher: Global Journals
Online ISSN: 0975-4172 & Print ISSN: 0975-4350

SDWAN (Software Defined-WAN) Technology Evaluation and

Implementation
By Anshuman Awasthi
Abstract- Many organizations are struggling to provide high bandwidth and reliable internet
connectivity at their branch offices and business locations and getting the most out of their
operational expense. The need for internet connectivity at any branch offices and business
locations is no longer a luxury but is a necessity. Let us try to understand how to replace the
traditional MPLS network with the new SDWAN (Software - Defined- Wide Area Network)
technology. We will try to understand why it is essential to implement the latest technology
instead of investing in the existing MPLS (Multi- Protocol label switching) by taking an example of
a retail organization. We also have a look at how to evaluate the product by using some metrics
and how different teams are involved during different phases of the project.
Keywords: network engineering, SDWAN implementation, ROI analysis, technical project
management, MPLS replacement.
GJCST-C Classification: C.2.m

SDWANSoftwareDefinedWANTechnologyEvaluationandImplementation

Strictly as per the compliance and regulations of:

© 2020. Anshuman Awasthi. This is a research/review paper, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-
Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/), permitting all non commercial use,
distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
 SDWAN (Software Defined-WAN) Technology
Evaluation and Implementation
Anshuman Awasthi

Abstract- Many organizations are struggling to provide high initiative, but as this is a cross-functional project. It will
bandwidth and reliable internet connectivity at their branch need help from different groups like IT Operations for
offices and business locations and getting the most out of Server and Storage requirements, Business Support for
their operational expense. The need for internet connectivity at
coordination with Business Associates, Network

2020
any branch offices and business locations is no longer a luxury
Administrator, and Onsite Tech support team. They will
but is a necessity. Let us try to understand how to replace the
be responsible for device installation at all galleries. In

Year
traditional MPLS network with the new SDWAN (Software -
Defined- Wide Area Network) technology. We will try to addition to these stakeholders, we need to have a
understand why it is essential to implement the latest dedicated Project Manager (PM) to monitor the project's 1
technology instead of investing in the existing MPLS (Multi- overall progress, who will coordinate with COO for any
Protocol label switching) by taking an example of a retail budgetary issues and with VP –Infrastructure to allocate

Global Journal of Computer Science and Technology ( C ) Volume XX Issue I Version I

organization. We also have a look at how to evaluate the necessary organizational resources. The designated PM
product by using some metrics and how different teams are will work closely with Director Project Management
involved during different phases of the project.
Office to ensure the scheduled tasks for this project do
Keywords: network engineering, SDWAN implementation, not interfere with the plans in other areas of the business
ROI analysis, technical project management, MPLS as the company has multiple projects in progress at the
replacement. same time. This Project has four phases Design, Initial
Methods: This project/research was performed using the Implementation, Rollout, and Project Closure. We will
abilities of Software Defined Network Technology and estimate the average internet bandwidth upgrade and
options available in MPLS (Multi-Protocol Label percentage increase in network and hardware reliability
Switching). The Technical Project management by reviewing the incident data post-upgrade to calculate
principles were adopted as per PMI (Project the overall success of the project.
Management Institute) waterfall methodology.
a) Cause
Results/Conclusion: SDWAN technology provides an Below factors are contributing to the poor
adequate replacement of the MPLS network connection network performance and causing unreliable network
for providing WAN connectivity for our office locations. It connection at several business locations.
is essential to follow a documented process for • Most of the business locations have a high-cost
appropriate vendor selection based on the available low-bandwidth Private WAN (Wide Area Network)
features and other listed attributes in the article. To circuit. This circuit is very reliable but does not solve
increase the chances of the success in the the increasing demand for high-bandwidth.
implementation, it is essential to perform a POC (Proof • Many locations are just operating on a single Private
of Concept) in a controlled environment and validate WAN circuit. Very few locations have a reliable
results. SDWAN provides better network performance secondary network connection.
and improves reliability as the links operate in active- • The business locations with dual circuits cannot
active function. utilize bandwidths effectively, as due to technical
I. Introduction limitations, they are operating on Active/Passive
mode. (Only one connection can be operational at

A
retailer has to perform several transactions in a one time).
business location, and there is a need for a
reliable high-bandwidth internet circuit. In the b) Proposed Solution
absence of a high-speed internet connection, many The existing technology using traditional
sites may report slow internet performance as they may network architecture is undoubtedly unable to provide a
be running on a single high-cost low-bandwidth internet solution that can solve our needs and still be affordable.
connection. This initiative targets to deploy SDWAN The time has come to explore the capabilities of the
technology at all the business locations. The IT Network SDWAN (Software - Defined Wide Area Network)
Engineering team of an organization can lead this solution. According to Wikipedia (n.d.), an SD-WAN
simplifies the management and operation of a WAN by
Author: Director – Engineering, Restoration Hardware. decoupling (separating) the networking hardware from
e-mail: anshumanawasthi@yahoo.com its control mechanism. This concept is similar to how

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 SDWAN (Software Defined-WAN) Technology Evaluation and Implementation

software-defined networking implements virtualization and gather data about current usage; we can make use
technology to improve data center management and of this to estimate the required bandwidth of new circuits
operation. at each location.
An essential application of SD-WAN is to allow The needs, as mentioned earlier from the new
companies to build higher-performance WANs using technology, will help to decide on the metrics to
lower-cost and commercially available Internet access, evaluate the project's success. In addition to the network
enabling businesses to partially or entirely replace more performance parameters, we can also add some service
expensive private WAN connection technologies such and operational improvement data points to improve the
as MPLS. overall experience of the employees concerning this
project. The inclusion of service improvement metrics in
II. Evaluation the project's success will also ensure the vendors
a) Evaluation Approach involved in the project to provide quality service since
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If the organization decides to implement we will evaluate their performance as a part of the
SDWAN technology at all the business locations to project's success.
Year

improve the network performance and reliability, the IT b) Quality Assurance Criteria (Metrics)
Network Team can estimate the new bandwidth We can use below Metrics as a reference to
2 requirement using Solarwinds NPM (Network measure the proposed and actual outcomes of the
Performance Monitor) tool. The team should monitorall project.
Global Journal of Computer Science and Technology ( C ) Volume XX Issue I Version I

the interfaces of network devices at business locations

Business
Evaluations Area Proposed % Actual %
Feedback
Internet Bandwidth Upgrade
Network Reliability
Hardware Reliability
Ease of Installation
Ease of Access
Network Management
Security Policies Management
Vendor Support

We can evaluate the network performance c) Solution Testing

using a tool that is an industry leader in performing a To perform extensive testing with the new
speed test called OOKLA. To measure the overall SDWAN solution provided by the vendor, the project
network performance and compare the pre and post- team needs to work on a test location where they can
installation results, we can use Solarwinds NPM replace the old router with the latest hardware and
(Network Performance Monitor). To measure incident perform connectivity tests. The SDWAN technology
ticket count and ease of administration using the partner can providean appliance for the testing purpose;
incident resolution time matrix, we can use any ticketing the organizationIT team can use the new hardware with
tool like Service Now, one of the most popular Cloud- the old network switch if the experts from theSDWAN
based ticketing systems in the industry today. We team confirms that there will be no compatibility issues.
should only select an SDWAN partner once theyprovide Please refer below the list of activities and
supporting documentation that their product has passed observations as a reference that we need to execute
the necessary security and health safety tests.The every day to test the SDWAN hardware and software.
organization can also perform a vulnerability test once The list of activities and the number of days required for
the product is installedat its first location to ensure there testing are as per the use case.
are no new vulnerabilities discovered in the network.
Location to be tested: Pleasanton (PL) ,CA
Person in-charge for testing:Name1,Name2

Thursday 1st Oct Activity

Day1 -Activity
Created new Policy with Standard format and added ABC.com, Google, Yahoo,Linked In to choose all Network
Paths
Switched On SDWAN-Observed 8 Ping Loss

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 SDWAN (Software Defined-WAN) Technology Evaluation and Implementation

From Pleasanton to Data Center average response time is 7ms

Turned on SDWAN at PL-Took around 2mins for steady response
Disconnected MPLS from providers end
Day1 -Observations
First -Internet and Datacenter Sites were reachable. MPLS sites were not reachable.
Second-Internet went down.Data Center sites were reachable
Internet went down and didn't come up
All sites went down
Connected MPLS Router back-connectivity is restored

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Disconnected MPLS from WAN port for SDWAN

Year
First, only connectivity to Datacenter was up
Then connectivity to all sites went down
3
Connected MPLS back to original state-all sites were online

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Observation-Traffic is going to a blackhole- Needs investigation

Day 2 -Activity
The modified LinkedIn policy only to use MPLS and Internet( No Internet VPN)
Added 8.8.8.8 as DNS in SDWAN in PL as DNS along with Infoblox as the third option
Disconnect Router WAN connection
Day 2 -Observations
Linked was working but Yahoo and YouTube didn't work-Cannot ping to any internet sites
YouTube and Gmail was added to use the Direct Internet path and not to use Internet VPN
YouTube is working very slow
Direct Internet websites response is very slow and not reliable
Observation- Needs more investigation on high latency in direct internet response
Connected SDWAN appliance back
We switched back to original policies where we started

Day 3 -Activity
Validate All policies in Pleasanton

Add floating static Routes in on Rack 7 and Rack 6 Edge switches at Data Center for Pleasanton office

Change all applications listed in SDWAN policies to use a dual path

1. Organization Websites- All Routes
2. Symantec- Internet VPN +MPLS
3. Google- All Routes
4. YouTube- All Routes
5. LinkedIn- All Routes
6. Casper ( Software management on MACs)- Internet VPN +MPLS
7. Yahoo Mail- All Routes
8. Google Hangout- All Routes
Start continuous ping to few websites
Disconnect Internet Circuit from SDWAN (Observe for any blips)

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 SDWAN (Software Defined-WAN) Technology Evaluation and Implementation

Connect Internet Circuit

Start Continues ping to few websites
Disconnect MPLS Circuit from SDWAN (Observe for any blips)
Connect MPLS circuit to SDWAN (bypass Cisco Router)
Perform Trace route to Data Center,Internet Sites,P2P(Point to Point), and MPLS sites
Day 3 -Observations
Check Core Switch in Data Center for new routes
Check MPLS Router in Data Center for new routes
Is MPLS working in Pleasanton -Yes
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Day 4 - Activity
Year

Connect MPLS back to Verizon Box

4 We had intermittent connectivity to complete connectivity loss
Tried rebooting the Verizon device
Global Journal of Computer Science and Technology ( C ) Volume XX Issue I Version I

Tried rebooting MPLS router

Disconnect internet circuit from SDWAN
Day 4 -Observations
Stable connection
Able to browse to yahoo, google

Test Cases
Day 5-Activity
Upgrade Image on PleasantonSDWAN to 0.16.4
Internet +MPLS (MPLS is already connected just connect Internet)
Day 5 -Observations
We had intermittent connectivity to complete connectivity loss to internet websites

Day 6-Activity
Upgraded to version 0.185 on Hub and SDWAN
Connected Internet Circuit
Day 6 -Observations
Stable connection
Able to browse to yahoo, google
After multiple days of testing and running measure performance attributes and operational
different scenarios, we can reach a stable image and improvements.
network architecture.
d) Acceptance Criteria and Evaluation Framework
The Project Teamcan make a list of the abilities
for the product acceptance criteria. It will also help to
Evaluations Area
Internet Bandwidth Upgrade
Network Reliability
Hardware Reliability
Ease of Installation
Ease of Access
Network Management
Security Policies Management
Vendor Support

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 SDWAN (Software Defined-WAN) Technology Evaluation and Implementation

The Project Manager, along with the help of some data on how much time we are spending on the
Leadership and other teams, can perform the Cost- support of maintenance of existing network
Benefit Analysis. Please refer below Cost Analysis for infrastructure and incidents that are occurring due to the
developing, installing, and supporting an SDWAN bandwidth and technology limitations. It is essential to
appliance at a business location. To justify the make a note of the financial loss we have to suffer in
investment (project cost), we have also put together case of an internet outage at a business location.
Please refer below Cost Analysis table as a reference.

Cost -Benefit Analysis of using SDWAN as Internet Appliance at Locations

Projects Costs per Location Amount

Datacenter Hardware

2020
Datacenter Hub -Product Design and Development --
Site Hardware --

Year
Software & Licenses --
Support ( Included in License) -- 5
Internal - Labor ( $75/ hour) -Installation 2 hour per location --

Global Journal of Computer Science and Technology ( C ) Volume XX Issue I Version I

External -Labor ($125/ hour)-Installation 4 hour per location --
Internet Connection 1 -Monthly Recurring Charge per location --
Internet Connection 2--Monthly Recurring Charge per location --

Total Capital Expense for each Location ( Only First Year) --

Total Operational Expense for each Location --

Current Costs ( Project Cost Justification)

Current Site Hardware Support --
Current Datacenter Hardware Support & Maintenance --
Internal - Labor ( $75/ hr) - To solve Incidents --
External -Labor ($125/ hr) - For Technician --
Internet Connection 1 --
Loss in revenue due to internet outage (per hour)
Large locations --
Small Locations --

Total Operational Expense --

Revenue Loss per hour for each location ( Outages-Due to old Technology/Hardware) --

It can become very clear from the above Cost- returns. Once we got a go-ahead from all the different
Benefit Analysis that the organizations are spending teams, the project team collectivity decided a partner to
considerable amounts in supporting the existing work.
technology and not getting any benefits in return. It is
advisable to invest in the new technology and avoid III. Project Review
these outages so that we can run our business a) Phases & Milestones
smoothly. The modern technology architecture is The SDWAN implementation project has four
centrally managed through a cloud-based controller and phases, with below listed main milestones in each
needs minimum operational expenditure post group.
implementation.
First Phase: SDWAN Design
In addition to the above-mentioned acceptance
criteria, which includes Cost-Benefit analysis, hardware/ • Identify what SDWAN has to offer
technology performance the project team should involve • Research available SDWAN vendors
the legal team to create an MSA (Master Service • Finalize an SDWAN Vendor
Agreement) which includes some pre-checks to ensure • Shortlist a vendor and perform a POC
the vendor is following all the environmental and legal This phase will lay the foundation stone for the
obligations like the validation of their W9 form, tax project; the project team needs to be aware of the fact

© 2020 Global Journals

 SDWAN (Software Defined-WAN) Technology Evaluation and Implementation

that if they make a wrong decision at this stage or they location. If the new technology andequipment’s
miss on a critical test scenario to evaluate the product, it verification in the previous phase,there should be no big
can take the whole project to the failure. The Project surprises. Still, there can bemany learnings that can help
Manager needs to spend a lot of time with the technical the team to prepare a precise playbook that should be
Teams to document all the evaluation parameters to followed by the technicians for the installation of the
ensure we select the appropriate SDWAN technology hardware in the other locations.
partner. It is essential to make all the configuration Third Phase: Rollout
changes in the test environment before we say that the
• Implement the final solution in the remaining
technology is ready to be implemented in production. At
Business and Office locations
the end of this,the team can select an SDWAN partner
• Review results with the Operations team and
that provides relevant documentation to integrate the
Management
new technology into the existing enterprise network. The
• Prepare Training and Documentation
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team should also evaluate their assumptions and

carefully recorded various network performance In thisstage, all hands on deck are required. The
Year

parameters. team should feel confident about the solution, as we

have done enough testing during the earliertwo stages.
Second Phase: Initial Implementation
6 The PM helped to coordinate all the scheduled tasks
• Implement a solution in the first location and and allocate resources as per the plan. The Support
evaluate results Team should work with the Network Administrators and
Global Journal of Computer Science and Technology ( C ) Volume XX Issue I Version I

• Implement the solution in five more locations Onsite Tech for the installation and configuration of the
The activities in this phase are essential before SDWAN hardware. The project team can prepare a
the team goes into the full rolloutphase, as it ishelpful to detailed playbook on what steps to follow along with the
implement the solution on a smaller scale, collect diagrams for the device installation and perform
feedback, and make final configuration changes. This application testing.
phase will help the team to fine-tune their skills required Please refer below diagram for reference,
in the rollout phase to implement the solution in multiple showing steps for connecting SDWAN devices in a
locations. The Network team should work with the onsite location.
operations to install the SDWAN hardware in the first
• Existing Setup

• Step 1- Connect controller port to switch

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 SDWAN (Software Defined-WAN) Technology Evaluation and Implementation

2020 Year
7

Global Journal of Computer Science and Technology ( C ) Volume XX Issue I Version I

• Step 2- Move Router link to SDWAN appliance

The Project Team can prepare a detailed set of c) Hardware to be Found Onsite
instructions for technicians on what equipment’s/tools • Broadband Wireline Modem
are required to perform the installation. Please refer toa • SDWAN Device
sample of instructions. • Red, White, and Green patch cables
The objective of this visit is to visit the business The Project team can create a list of tests to
location and complete the Network Conversion to make perform application testing post-installation. A sample of
Primary and MPLS Router/Failover on the new SDWAN test instructions is mentioned below:
device using the equipment on Day 1. You will work Once you have made the connection updates
with the Network Team before making any cable move. and the Network contact has confirmed the network is
b) Equipment Needed by Tech up, request the location Leader to follow below test plan:
• Working computer with working NIC • Test iPad to connect to Organization’s Intranet
• Cat5 Ethernet Cable website
• Null Modem Cable (Console cable) • Test iPad to Gmail
• Punch down tool • Test iPad to CNN.COM
• Label Maker • Test iPad for printing

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 SDWAN (Software Defined-WAN) Technology Evaluation and Implementation

• Test POS (Point of Sale) for printing archiving in organizational process assets, making final
• Test POS for $ transactions-look for an item payments, releasing resources, and completing the
• Test PC for Internet project. Every project teaches lessons to the
• Test PC for printing organization, whether it is a success, or it is a failure. So
• Test wireless phone for an incoming and outgoing even after a project finishes, the documentation of this
call project will be helpful for completing the future projects
With the help of these installation details, along successfully.
with the helpful diagrams and test instructions, the During this phase, the PM worked with the
installation crew can perform installations successfully. Project Technical team like Network and SDWAN partner
The PM needs to schedule conference calls to review to create documentation that includes the below details.
past installations so that we can learn from the mistakes • How to support the new SDWAN technology
and make necessary changes for future installs. • How to perform daily administrative tasks
2020

Fourth Phase: Project Closure • How to troubleshoot any wireless network issues
with SDWAN device.
Year

• Conduct Training for Operations and Support Team

• Handover to Operations Please refer sample of instructions as a
8 • Update Integrations with Incident Management Tool reference that can be created by the project team to
• Prepare Project Closure Documentation handover to operations.
Global Journal of Computer Science and Technology ( C ) Volume XX Issue I Version I

According to MOP (n.d.) Project closure

activities ensure the recording project documents,
• Path Selection process

• How to check Device Status

Red indicates the device has no power:

Green indicates the device has power:

Solid color means configured and connected:

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 SDWAN (Software Defined-WAN) Technology Evaluation and Implementation

Not configured and No connection:

2020 Year
Ports configured but not connected:

Global Journal of Computer Science and Technology ( C ) Volume XX Issue I Version I

The PM should schedule few trainings for the Timeframe:
support team members. The technical team members Please refer below chart to compare the
who performed the actual implementation should lead planned vs. actual period as a reference. The team may
the training sessions. It is due to the detailed support encounter some initial challenges during the testing
documents and the training workshop; the support team phase due to which they may have to extend the
can gain the confidence to work on the new technology. SDWAN design phase by sometime. As mentioned in
The PM needs to work with the IT Operations the previous section, the team prepared very detailed
team to integrate the new technology with the existing installation instructions to expedite the installations. We
enterprise applications. Once we have completed all the have highlighted the estimated timeline in grey, and the
necessary administrative tasks, including paying the due actual time it took is done in red.
invoices and reviewing actual time spent vs. time
allocated, the PM should send a project closure report
to the management and all the stakeholders involved.

Duration Week1 Week2 Week3 Week4 Week5 Week6 Week7

Phases
SDWAN Design-Planned
SDWAN Design-Actual
Identify what SDWAN has to offer
Research available SDWAN vendors
Finalize a SDWAN Vendor
Shortlist a vendor and perform a POC
Initial Implementation-Planned
Initial Implementation-Actual
Implement solution in first location and
evaluate results
Implement solution in five more locations
Roll out -Planned
Roll out -Actual
Implement final solution in remaining
locations and outlet locations
Review results with the Onsite operations
team and Management
Prepare Training and Documentation
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 SDWAN (Software Defined-WAN) Technology Evaluation and Implementation

Project Closure-Planned

Project Closure-Actual
Conduct Training for Operations and
Support Team
Handover to Operations
Update Integrations with Incident
Management Tool

Prepare Project Closure Documentation

d) Dependencies in the timelines section). However, action items in the

In this project, each phase can relate to other
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project closure phase were supposed to be carried out

phases in sequence. Hence, the tasks associated with concurrently (Tasks in the project closure phase are not
Year

each phase also had a sequential relationship with each highlighted). The project team members should perform
other (Dependent Tasks are highlighted in each phase the tasks as per the plan.
10 e) Resources
Global Journal of Computer Science and Technology ( C ) Volume XX Issue I Version I

Skills Project Phases (Estimated hours)- Only for Reference

Initial
Project Initiation Roll Out Project Closure
Implementation
Phase Duration 2 weeks 1 week 2-3 weeks 1-2 weeks
Project Manager 40 30 30 70
Network Architect 60 30 10 40
Network
20 50 200 50
Administrator
Onsite Support 10 20 100 60
IT Operations 10 20 70 20
SDWAN Partner 30 20 100 50

f) Milestones 1. Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) with various

The project team can plan for below milestones SD-WAN providers for technology review.
based on the implementation strategy. 2. Master Service agreement (MSA) agreed with the
• Finalizing an SD-WAN vendor SD-WAN partner.
• Finalizing the network design with the SD-WAN 3. Statement of works (SOW) agreed with the SD-WAN
vendor partner.
• Implementing SD-WAN technology in the initial pilot 4. Detailed project plan.
location 5. Network architecture diagrams prepared, showing
• Reviewing performance results with the project team the SD-WAN in the production network.
and management 6. Application integration documentation prepared.
• Obtaining approval to proceed with the rollout 7. An SD-WAN hardware installation guide produced.
• Implementing SD-WAN technology in all the 8. Organizations network topology developed,
locations including an SD-WAN network administration guide
• Handing over to operations produced.
9. An SD-WAN Location support guide produced.
g) Deliverables (Hardware and Software)
IV. Revisions made based on Formative
• SD-WAN hardware installation in all office locations
• Dual direct internet access circuit installation at all
Evaluation Results
The project team may need to perform some
locations
revision in their plan or test scenarios based on their
• Network policy configuration for SD-WAN software
observations or initial test results. Please refer below
• Security policy configuration for SD-WAN software
iterations as a reference.
h) Implementation Plan for Documenting Deliverables Revision 1:
The project team planned to submit the below More test scenarios were included after initial
documentation as deliverables. testing of the SDWAN technology.

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 SDWAN (Software Defined-WAN) Technology Evaluation and Implementation

The Project Team selected an SDWAN partner • Significant challenges encountered in various
based on the features available in their product and phases
various other factors like ease of installation. During the • Impact on operations due to project activities
SDWAN Design phase, when the team started to test • Return on Investment (ROI)
the application in the existing enterprise network, the • Associates feedback
group encountered a few challenges, as the application The PM has planned to use this data to conduct
did not work as expected. The Network Team worked a lessons learned session along with the Leadership
extensively with the SDWAN technical team to figure out Team, which will help the organization carry out future
what changes are required in the existing network projects more efficiently.
configuration to accommodate new technology. The PM
and the professional team decided to include more test VI. Project Reports and Evaluation
scenarios based on the experience.It will also help to Results

2020
ensure they do not encounter any challenges in the
rollout stage as that will cause an interruption to the The PM can plan to send reports and evaluation

Year
operations, and it may take the whole project in results to the below group of stakeholders.
jeopardy. This revision helped the project in a big way, First Stakeholder Group: Internal Technical Teams
and the team decided to do a few more design changes This Stakeholder group is consists of two 11
in the network architecture before going to the next primary teams: IT Network and IT Operations

Global Journal of Computer Science and Technology ( C ) Volume XX Issue I Version I

phase. 1. IT Network Engineering
Revision 2: 2. Network architecture
Perform the rollout in two weeks instead of three. 3. Network administrators
It is imperative to implement the new technology Responsibility: IT network engineering
as soon as possible, especially before any big holiday The organization’s network engineering team
season, as that is when most of the sales happen. The should work closely with the SD-WAN technology
team had taken some extra time during the SDWAN partner to design the network; administrators will be
design phase,and PM realized that with the current plan, responsible for the switch and appliance configurations.
they would not be able to complete the project as per They will work as per the agreed implementation plan
the schedule. The PM met with the Leadership and scheduled tasks.
Team,and they collectively decided to request Onsite IT operations (server & storage)
Tech partner to allocate extra resources to perform Server administrator
multiple installations at the same time at different Storage and backup administrator
locations. The project team has already worked
Responsibility: IT operations
extensively to develop the installation playbook and
The IT operations team will provide the
application test instructions that helped the installation
necessary computer storage for hosting the application
crew to install with only a few issues. Due to the
in the data center. The server administrator will integrate
expedited schedule that the project members
the SD-WAN platform with other enterprise applications
decided,the team was able to complete the project on
such as Okta for single sign-on or monitoring tools like
time.
Solar winds for alert monitoring purposes. The storage
V. Plan for Summative Evaluation and backup administrator will provide the capacity for
the servers and will be responsible for adding any
According to NIU (n.d.), Summative servers to the backup policy.
assessment takes place after the project has been
Reports & Evaluation Results for this group:
completed and provides information and feedback that
The PM can plan to send below reports to this
sums up the teaching and learning process. Summative
group using enterprise email.
evaluations are more product-oriented and assess the
final output, whereas formative assessment focuses on • Daily Design reviews and architecture draft ( in
the process of completing the product. SDWAN design phase)
With the help of inputs received from various • Network Architecture
stakeholders, including leadership, technical, and • Application integration documentation
operations, the project manager performed Summative • Product information
Evaluation at the end of the project. The PM evaluated • Product Performance Matrix
the project from various aspects as per below. • Project Plan
• Weekly Project Updates
• Compare proposed Vs. Actual Deliverables
• Resource utilization
• Budget Allocated Vs. Actual Spent
• Project Closure
• Resources Allocated Vs. Actual
• Timelines (Planned Vs. Actual)

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 SDWAN (Software Defined-WAN) Technology Evaluation and Implementation

The PM will also schedule technical workshops Responsibility: VP-IT

with this group during the SDWAN design phase and The VP- IT will work closely with all the technical
weekly conference calls with all the stakeholders during teams and the PM to allocate the necessary
the Initial implementation and Roll-out phase. The PMO organizational resources for project task completion. He
(Project Management Office) will also create a common will also approve changes in the network and
shared folder the enterprise google drive (Document application architecture, which may be required to
sharing platform) where these reports will be stored, and complete the project.
any member can review these reports whenever they Project management office
need to. Project manager
Second Stakeholder Group: Operations Support and Director - PMO
Onsite Technicians Responsibility: project management office
This Stakeholder group is consists of two The PM will be responsible for the overall
2020

primary teams: Operations Support and Onsite progress of the project. He will take care of preparing
Technicians the project plan, scheduling tasks, and coordinating
Year

Operations support resources. He will also maintain the project budget and
Technical support analyst provide regular updates to the project stakeholders. He
12 will also review the overall project portfolio for the
Support center leader
organization along with the director of PMO (Project
Responsibility: Operations support
Global Journal of Computer Science and Technology ( C ) Volume XX Issue I Version I

Management Office) to ensure that scheduled tasks do

The technical support analyst will work closely
not clash with the major activities of other business
with the network team and the PM to install the SD-WAN
areas.
hardware in all the locations. The technical support
The PM can plan to send below reports to this
analyst will also assist the PM in coordinating the tasks
group using enterprise email.
and will collect feedback from the associates. The
support center leader will be responsible for providing • Initial Project Charter
the necessary resources for the support staff and will • Cost-Benefit Analysis
conduct training on the new technology. • Project Plan
On-site technicians • Resource Allocation
• Risk Evaluation
Justification: on-site technicians
• Product Evaluation reports
The on-site technical support team will be
• Weekly Project Updates
responsible for providing the necessary resources and
• Resource utilization
tools for the installation of SD-WAN hardware at all the
• Business feedback
business and office locations. They will provide the
• Project Closure
necessary support, “on the ground,” to the network
administrator who will be making the required The PM should invite all the stakeholders in the
configuration changes remotely. initial kick-off meeting of the project to discuss Project
The PM can schedule daily installation scope and his plan for budget and resource allocation.
workshops with this group during the SDWAN design He should gather feedback from all the participants and
phase to discuss the network topology and SDWAN make final adjustments before he shares the documents
installation playbook that can be used by the team with the other groups involved in the project.
members daily. Fourth Stakeholder: Associates
Third Stakeholder Group: Project Leadership and PMO Justification: Associates
This Stakeholder group consists of Chief of An associate can be selected from each
Operations (COO), Vice President (VP) of IT and PMO, location to provide feedback on the overall hardware
including dedicated PM for this project. installation service during implementation and on
Chief of Operations (COO) network performance improvement following installation.
The associate will also grant any exclusive access or
Responsibility: COO
permissions required for installinga new internet circuit
The COO will approve the budget allocated to
or hardware device.
the project and be responsible for providing any
The PM will schedule a meeting with the
financial resources for the project's completion. The PM
selected associates to brief them on the project and
and the VP of Infrastructure will update the COO on the
what all is needed from them to make this project
project's overall progress (Clarizen, 2017).In this project,
successful. The PM will also share the process of
the COO will be the main project sponsor, and PM will
sharing feedback on product performance.
work with COO in case any changes are necessary in
the allocated budget amount. Fifth Stakeholder: SD-WAN technology Partner
Vice President (VP) of IT

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 SDWAN (Software Defined-WAN) Technology Evaluation and Implementation

Justification: SD-WAN technology partner they have sufficient knowledge of the integration
The SD-WAN partner will work closely with the framework. This team can help Onsite Support to setup
network architect during the initial network design. The new performance alerts or add new sites to monitoring
partner will also provide support to the PM and network tools as and when needed.
administrator in preparing training materials or making
b) Maintenance Plan
decisions on configuration changes.
To maintain and administer the new technology,
The PM can plan to send below reports to this
the project team can plan to share the documents with
group using enterprise email.
the IT Network operations and support team.
• Daily Design reviews and architecture draft (in
Short-term maintenance activities:
SDWAN design phase)
SDWAN Troubleshooting Guide
• Network Architecture
SDWAN –New site setup guide
• Application integration documentation

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• Product Performance Matrix Long-term maintenance activities:
• Project Plan SDWAN Hardware Maintenance Process

Year
• Weekly Project Updates SDWAN –New site setup guide
• Project Closure SDWAN software upgrade process
These guides should contain detailed 13
The PM will involve technical team members
from the SDWAN group in the technology workshops documentation with screenshots on how to maintain the

Global Journal of Computer Science and Technology ( C ) Volume XX Issue I Version I

with the Network and IT Operations team so that both product. A preview of the guide on how to measure the
parties have clear information about their environment. various performance parameters is shown below for
The PM will also schedule product review discussions reference:
with the group as and when needed.

VII. Post-Implementation Description

a) Resource Requirement
The project team will share the operations
support plan in its handover documentation to the
operations team and will request for below resources for
post-implementation support.
Onsite Support Team
The onsite support team will be responsible for
managing the day-to-day operational tasks related to
network changes and monitoring all the alerts. They will
be responsible for performing Level1 troubleshooting on
all the incidents. This team will escalate the issue to the
next level that is either Network or IT operations
depending upon the type of alert.
Network Administrator
The Network Operations team will have multiple
Network Administrators who will work as a point of
escalation for the onsite support team. Few team
members from this group can be involved in the initial
network design, and they will have in-depth knowledge
about the technology and its usage. They will be
responsible for coordinating regular software code
upgrades. They can engage in SDWAN technical
support whenever they need an expert opinion on any
support issues, or they need any explanation on how to
use new features.
IT Operations
The IT operations will work as another
escalation point for the support team to resolve any
issues like communication failures with other enterprise
applications. This team will be responsible for any new
application integration that may come in the future as

© 2020 Global Journals

 SDWAN (Software Defined-WAN) Technology Evaluation and Implementation

Please login to SDWAN application GUI (Graphic User Interface) using ----- link.
Click on Network Analytics to review bandwidth utilization.
2020 Year

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Global Journal of Computer Science and Technology ( C ) Volume XX Issue I Version I

To view the application performance view Application Metric.

To check for the alerts, click on Faults (Alarms); below screenshot shows MPLS (Multiprotocol layer
switching) path is not available.

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 SDWAN (Software Defined-WAN) Technology Evaluation and Implementation

The project team will share a detailed document • Sample Pictures that were taken at different
on how to manage the application upgrade process and locations after successful install
how to contact the SDWAN support team, their working • Associate feedback
hours, and support contract details. Please refer the below sample of a Network
performance report of a location that was complaining
VIII. Post-Implementation Project
about the network performance when they were using
Summary an older technology.
a) Deliverables to document the Plan and Process We have observed that after Circuit upgrade
The Project Team can plan to send below and SDWAN implementation, it has reduced the
reports/data to all the stakeholders involved to share the response time for our organization’s website by almost
success story of the project: fifty percent. Please refer below screenshot for a
location taken from the OOKLA tool that is world-
• Locations-Network Performance Report

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renowned for network performance measurement.
• Network Incident report

Year
Before Installation: Page Load was taking 7.94 seconds for 90% of the users.
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Global Journal of Computer Science and Technology ( C ) Volume XX Issue I Version I

After Installation: Page Load time was reduced to 2.67 seconds for 90% of the users.

b) Criteria and Evaluation Framework • Reduction in network incidents after the final rollout
We can evaluate the overall success of the • Overall operational and process improvements
project based on the criteria shown below: • The vulnerability reports on the hardware and
• Improvement in the network performance after software.
completion. Please refer below metrics as a reference to
• Ease of implementation of the new technology at measure the proposed and actual outcomes of the
the new sites. project.
• Ease of network administration

Evaluation criterion Proposed % Actual % Business Feedback

Internet bandwidth upgrade 35M 40M Positive
Network reliability 100% 100% No Issues
Hardware reliability 100% 100% No Issues
Ease of installation 40% 30% No Issues
Ease of access 50% 60% NA
Network management 50% 70% NA
Security policies management 60% 80% NA
Vendor support 50% 40% NA

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 SDWAN (Software Defined-WAN) Technology Evaluation and Implementation

IX. Learnings Global Congress 2006- North America, Seattle, WA.

Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.
According to Sabyasachi (n.d.) by collecting Retrieved from https://www.pmi.org/learning/ library/
and publishing lessons the team learned while lessons-learned-next-level-communicating-7991.
completing the previous project, your organization as a 5. Sabyasachi (n.d.) Blog- Best Practices for Preparing
whole can benefit. You can help reduce the odds of a Lessons Learned Document. Retrieved from
other groups by making sure they do not repeat the https://www.simplilearn.com/practices-for-preparing
same mistakes and provide insights into how various - a-lessons-learned-document-article.
processes and procedures can be improved overtime. 6. Wikipedia (n.d.) Database- SD-WAN. Retrieved
According to Rowe, S. F. & Sikes, S. (2006), most from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SD-WAN.
project managers know the importance of capturing
lessons learned; it is suitable for the team, organization,
existing, and future projects. Lessons learned are the
2020

documented information that reflects both the positive

Year

and negative experiences of a project. They represent

the organization’s commitment to project management
16 excellence and the project manager’s opportunity to
learn from the actual experiences of others I want to
mention the below points that I learned from the process
Global Journal of Computer Science and Technology ( C ) Volume XX Issue I Version I

of completing this project.

• The more time we spend on initial design and
testing, the more we increase the chances of
success in completing the project on schedule and
achieving our targets.
• We need to involve all the stakeholders from the
beginning of the project.
• The PM should inform stakeholders about any
changes in the budget, resource allocation, or times
lines as soon as possible.
• It is essential to decide on the Project Scope,
success criteria, and tools used at the beginning of
the project.
• The process of lessons learned should be adapted
from the initial implementation stage (not at the end
of the project) so that the team can review “What
went wrong” and “What needs to be improved.”
This project manager should use the same forum to
discuss “What went right.”
• It is better to keep some buffer in terms of resources
or timelines in each phase and some cushion in the
overall project timelines.

References Références Referencias

1. Clarizen (2017) Blog – Who are Project
Management Stakeholders. Retrieved from - https://
www.clarizen.com/project-management-stake
holders/
2. MOP (n.d.) Blog: Project Closure Phase. Retrieved
from https://blog.masterofproject.com/project-
closure-phase/
3. NIU (n.d.) Report-Formative and Summative
Assessment. Retrieved from https://www.niu.edu/
facdev/_pdf/guide/assessment/formative%20and_s
ummative_assessment.pdf.
4. Rowe, S. F. & Sikes, S. (2006). Lessons learned:
taking it to the next level. Paper presented at PMI®

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