But examining service quality alone doesn’t really paint the full picture. Much like other cloud “as-a-service” offerings, agility is a big part of the SD-WAN value proposition, which focuses on the capability to order, provision and scale on demand using software instead of manual processes and capex. So, how does our hybrid model fare, when considering agility and flexibility? It doesn’t—at least, not when using a legacy telecom service. 

Fortunately, the industry has begun to move beyond the legacy telecom world and into the age of software-defined interconnection. The modern software-defined interconnection platforms are at the forefront of network evolution, with an eye on simplification and ease of use for the customer. Companies such as PacketFabric have revolutionized the delivery of datacenter-to-datacenter or cloud connectivity through software. By creating simple-to-use web portals and application program interfaces (APIs), customers are able to order and provision services in minutes with just a few clicks. A traditional private network simply can’t deliver the agility and control enterprises are realizing with modern software-defined private networks.

So let’s return to our hybrid solution, combining Internet, SD-WAN, and a private middle mile, but this time utilizing a modern software-defined network as opposed to a legacy telecom solution. With this change, we can solve the agility problems that were previously left unresolved. The enterprise customer wanting to build a dynamic and flexible network leveraging its existing Internet services, along with SD-WAN for secure communication, can optimize the private middle mile in the same flexible, easy-to-consume way.

Where a hybrid solution with a private, software-defined middle mile component really shines, however, is when those branch locations using SD-WAN need to communicate with each other, as well as with the hyper-scale cloud companies and private cloud resources that may be on-prem or in colocation facilities. 

Enjoying the Hybrid Journey

At PacketFabric, we’re confident that a hybrid approach to network infrastructure—combining resources located on-premise, in multi-tenant data centers, like our old friend Steve’s server farms—and cloud-based resources for compute, storage, and so on, will only become more popular. The reason the hybrid approach is important is that it gives the enterprise the flexibility to choose the most appropriate infrastructure to meet specific business objectives—whether financial, technical, compliance, or any other reason. There’s no need to choose between all private or all public; with advancements in technology and the growing popularity of software-defined networking platforms, the modern enterprise can have the best of all worlds.

Imagine the security of infrastructure located on-premise, and the economical and reliable power at colocation facilities, plus the convenience and agility offered by the cloud, all connected together with a scalable, private network, easily controlled through software.

This is where the industry is heading. Even as networks continue to evolve, the needs of the enterprise will continue to grow in complexity. We’ll see more and more networks adopting the hybrid approach, combining public network technologies with agile, high-bandwidth private networks.

Amid this change, one thing remains certain: Evolution is the name of the game in the journey of enterprise infrastructure, and no one single solution is going to be the cure-all. A scalable, secure, and on-demand network, however, is the foundation to the success in your enterprise hybrid IT journey.