Here's Who Made Gartner's First-Ever Magic Quadrant For WAN Edge Infrastructure

The number and variety of vendors jumping into the briskly growing SD-WAN market today led Gartner to put together its first Magic Quadrant for WAN Edge Infrastructure.

Edge Of Your Seat

More than 90 percent of all wide-area network edge infrastructure refresh projects will be based on SD-WAN and virtualized customer premises equipment [vCPE] by the end of 2023, up from less than 40 percent today, according to research firm Gartner.

Predictions like that, as well as the number and variety of vendors jumping into the briskly growing SD-WAN market today, led Gartner to put together its first Magic Quadrant for WAN Edge Infrastructure.

As businesses’ digital transformation initiatives begin in earnest, the WAN edge infrastructure market has evolved, Gartner said, from one based on traditional branch routers implemented via MPLS and stand-alone security and WAN optimization offerings to SD-WAN and vCPE platforms that incorporate multiple functions.

The opportunity for large legacy networking vendors and startups alike means the market has become crowded and the competition intense. Two or three "incumbent" vendors and one or two "emerging" vendors typically compete for each deal, Gartner estimated.

Among them, a few clear leaders have emerged, notably Cisco Systems, which acquired SD-WAN power player Viptela last year; VMware, which acquired the industry's No. 1 SD-WAN vendor VeloCloud late last year; and pure-play SD-WAN juggernaut Silver Peak, which was founded in 2004 by Cisco veteran David Hughes.

Click through to see which vendors made Gartner's first Magic Quadrant for WAN Edge Infrastructure.

Leader: VMware

VMware's acquisition of top SD-WAN player VeloCloud has made it tough to beat, according to Gartner. The Palo Alto, Calif.-based company’s SD-WAN offering, NSX SD-WAN by VeloCloud, has the advantage of VMware's recognition in the market, as well as completeness as a solution. "VMware is relevant to Gartner clients in nearly all verticals and geographies and should be considered for all SD-WAN opportunities globally," Gartner said. VMware has also "consistently demonstrated the ability to win against other SD-WAN competitors in highly competitive situations with technologically astute customers," Gartner said.

Leader: Cisco

Like VMware, Gartner said Cisco is broadly relevant and should be on the short list of customers across industry verticals and geographies. Cisco, San Jose, Calif., offers SD-WAN solutions through its Viptela business, as well as a solution powered by Meraki appliances. The broad portfolio, scalability and a clear road map that points toward increasing levels of automation and uniform policy across environments make Cisco's SD-WAN offerings particularly strong, Gartner said. Cisco's large portfolio can also be confusing to customers, Gartner noted.

Leader: Silver Peak

Santa Clara, Calif.-based Silver Peak is ahead of the SD-WAN game. Hitting the market ahead of other major SD-WAN vendors has given the company a strong understanding of the intricacies of customer needs, as well as the market itself, Gartner said. Silver Peak's key strength is in its real-time internet path intelligence, which provides support for internet links whose performance can be variable, Gartner said. Silver Peak also has partnerships with key security vendors, including Check Point Software Technologies, Fortinet, Palo Alto Networks and Zscaler. One key challenge for Silver Peak is a lack of service provider partnerships that could turn off buyers looking to consume its SD-WAN solution as a service, Gartner said.

Challenger: Fortinet

Network security powerhouse Fortinet offers SD-WAN through its FortiGate SD-WAN firewall appliance, allowing customers that use FortiGate products to get SD-WAN with a simple software upgrade. Fortinet's advantage in the market is its large branch security customer base and its reputation for high-performance, cost-effective products in that space, Gartner said. Among the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company’s strengths in SD-WAN are a strong global channel operation, aggressive pricing and a clear vision for increasing automation. On the other side of that coin, however, is the fact that Fortinet is not known as a networking vendor, Gartner said.

Challenger: Aryaka

Aryaka differentiates itself in the increasingly crowded SD-WAN market by offering a completely managed solution. Called SmartConnect, the solution includes application acceleration, data loss mitigation, as well as a client-less solution for mobile employees. The Networking as-a-Service approach allows the San Mateo, Calif.-based company to accelerate deployments and integrations, while the solution boasts an all-encompassing feature set, Gartner said. Aryaka may not be a good fit for customers that take a DIY approach to networking, or for very small or very large customers, Gartner said.

Challenger: Citrix

Desktop virtualization leader Citrix uses the same user interface to manage its NetScaler SD-WAN offering as it does to manage its other products, simplifying things significantly for existing Citrix customers, Gartner said. Citrix, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., also has sophisticated systems for latency-sensitive applications like Unified Communications as a Service. NetScaler SD-WAN is cloud-managed and includes WAN optimization. Security is provided through partnerships with Zscaler and Palo Alto Networks. Limited experience with very large deployments, limited cloud gateway functionality and potential complexity are among Citrix's challenges in the space, Gartner said.

Challenger: Huawei

China-based data center heavyweight Huawei boasts more than 20,000 WAN edge customers, and its deep hardware portfolio gives it an edge in the market. Its multiple WAN edge functions are offered alongside management, provisioning, service chaining and automation. However, Huawei is late to the WAN market, Gartner said, has a limited install base and name recognition in North America, and its SD-WAN offering doesn't have the Software-as-a-Service acceleration and WAN optimization capabilities that competitors do, Gartner said.

Challenger: Riverbed

Riverbed comes to the SD-WAN market with extensive experience in the WAN space and more than 30,000 large-scale WAN optimization customers. The San Francisco-based company's SteelHead SD supports SD-WAN, and it also offers the SteelConnect line of SD-WAN gateways. Riverbed has offered SD-WAN as part of an integrated appliance and offers "one-click" virtual cloud appliance deployment, Gartner noted. Still, Riverbed's SD-WAN offerings are comparatively expensive, and lack some features competitors offer, Gartner said.

Visionary: Versa

Small and privately held, San Jose, Calif.-based Versa focuses on SD-WAN among other branch networking functions, including routing and security. Gartner highlighted Versa's advanced features in security and SD-WAN, and said customers are attracted to the company's single management interface. Gartner also noted the fact that several service providers, including Verizon and CenturyLink, have general availability offerings based on Versa technology. Versa, however, doesn't have much experience in large-scale branch deployments, lacks important capabilities like WAN optimization, and isn't geared toward DIY customers, Gartner said.

Visionary: CloudGenix

CloudGenix's focus on DevOps functionality sets it apart from other vendors in the crowded SD-WAN market, Gartner said. The privately held, San Jose, Calif., company has about 200 WAN edge customers, and its value comes from its ability to provide visibility and troubleshooting capabilities that can cut down on the time needed to resolve problems and lighten customers' reliance on other dedicated tools, Gartner said. CloudGenix supports integration with key DevOps tools and plans to offer increasing levels of DevOps integration, Gartner said. CloudGenix has limited geographic reach, however, and has been slow to develop its sales channel, Gartner said.

Visionary: Cato Networks

Tel Aviv, Israel-based Cato Networks' Cato Cloud offering bundles SD-WAN with security capabilities, including anti-malware and secure web gateway solutions. The offering is particularly successful among price-conscious midmarket customers leery about the complexity of carrier-managed WAN products, Gartner said. The same customers also represent a broad base of businesses aligned to Cato's road map to deliver simplified, unified and self-healing security over the next 18 months, Gartner said. Still, Cato is small and lacks the reach and some important functionality of its larger competitors, Gartner said.

Niche Player: FatPipe Networks

Salt Lake City-based FatPipe Networks pioneered path selection technology, which has become an important capability for SD-WAN. The company also has a broad set of products that have been deployed by customers from SMBs to large corporations, Gartner said. FatPipe is also undertaking efforts to expand internationally, but its presence in the market outside North America is limited, Gartner said. The company also has limited experience in complex deployments and hasn't detailed plans for key use cases like the Internet of Things, monitoring and automation, Gartner said.

Niche Player: Nuage Networks

Nuage, which is owned by Nokia, has a number of WAN edge capabilities including provisioning, control, management and automation. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company is helped by close ties to communications service providers, Gartner said. Nuage's architecture is well thought out, and its road map aligns with customer needs, but the company has a very small enterprise install base and limited experience dealing with DIY customers, Gartner said.

Niche Player: Barracuda

Campbell, Calif.-based Barracuda aims primarily at the SMB sector with its firewall products marketed to organizations with limited technical resources, Gartner said. Barracuda's products sport simplified operations, aggressive pricing and strong support, Gartner said. Like other smaller firms in the quadrant, Barracuda has limited experience with enterprise customers, Gartner said. Its products are also manageable on-premises only through Infrastructure-as-a-Service deployments.

Niche Player: Talari

Talari's main product is Failsafe SD-WAN, and it has gained traction among demanding customers like 911 systems, the military and international call centers. Gartner characterized the offering as "strong," and said the company's vision for simplified, resilient SD-WAN is on target with customer needs, especially in the midmarket. Talari is challenged by its lack of experience in deployments beyond about 150 locations and its limited channel and service provider presence, Gartner said. The San Jose, Calif.-based company is eyeing channel expansion in the coming year.

Niche Player: Juniper Networks

Juniper has some 20,000 WAN edge customers but was cautious in its approach to the SD-WAN market. Gartner said the Sunnyvale, Calif., company was late enough to the market that competitors may have swooped in on customers that would have been likely to adopt Juniper offerings. Juniper markets its SD-WAN offering under its common Contrail brand. The breadth of its capabilities and its longstanding relationships with major service providers are among its strengths, Gartner said. However, important features like WAN optimization and cloud management are missing from Juniper's solution, Gartner said.

Niche Player: Teldat

Spain-based communications vendor Teldat includes SD-WAN among several WAN edge products, including routing and firewall products. The company's portfolio is cost-effective and broadly applicable, and it has a large customer base to draw on. However, Teldat focuses mostly on the European and Latin American markets and so far has very few SD-WAN customers, Gartner said.

Niche Player: Cradlepoint

NetCloud is Cradlepoint's flagship WAN edge offering, and it includes routers, appliances, management and support delivered as a managed service. Among the Boise, Idaho-based company's strengths are its deep knowledge of the wireless networking market, relationships with major service providers like AT&T and Verizon, and highly integrated, cost-optimized platforms, Gartner said. Gartner cautioned that Cradlepoint does not offer a virtual edition of its router software and that its troubleshooting capabilities are cumbersome.

Niche Player: Peplink

Peplink is a small, Hong Kong-based vendor that offers a variety of WAN products including its flagship SD-WAN offering SpeedFusion SD-WAN. Gartner said Peplink's management and troubleshooting capabilities are particularly strong, especially when it comes to solving wireless problems. The company also offers vertical-specific capabilities. The company is challenged by its small size, and limited channel sales, according to Gartner.

Niche Player: Forcepoint

Austin, Texas-based Forcepoint is owned by defense firm Raytheon and Vista Equity Partners. Forepoint is a security company that offers SD-WAN as a feature of its platform. Forcepoint's ability to offer SD-WAN and security from a single vendor sets it apart from competitors that partner with third-party security vendors for that capability, Gartner said. The company's strength in security policy is solid, and Gartner said customer feedback indicates strong feature quality. However, it is unknown whether Forcepoint can compete with network-centric SD-WAN vendors, and its offering may be less mature than competitors'.