Groupama Rhône-Alpes Auvergne uses SD-WAN solution for its current and future networks

Rapid implementation

“The entire solution is rapid as well as easy to grasp and implement,” explains Laurent Rognard. You simply position the Citrix SD-WAN appliance on the LAN egress at each of the agencies. There are external connections on the Citrix SD-WAN: a telecom operator’s MPLS, an internet service provider or the 4G network as appropriate. After a few minutes, Groupama RAA’s centralized network management console, based in Lyon, will recognize the appliance and transmit its settings to it.

The first advantage of this solution is that none of the agencies’ hardware needs changing and no telecoms operator is required in order to install the appliance. The second advantage is the ability to safeguard branch operation. If the main MPLS connection is faulty, the internet connection takes over. And if a temporary branch opens or a branch relocates, communications are guaranteed by the 4G connection. However, the three connections can also be used in combination to augment the agencies’ bandwidth while monitoring the network using software, which provides the agility required to meet operational needs, such as occasionally increasing the number of employees at an agency.

Increasing speed while managing telecoms expenditure

By using the access packages available today, such as public 4G and the internet, Groupama RAA is now able to install connections of up to 60 or 80 Mb/s at its agencies. “If we had wanted to provide the same speeds conventionally using our MPLS connections, our telecoms costs would have increased by 80 percent,” concludes Laurent Rognard. Moreover, this would have been at the expense of the functionality and data that the Citrix SD-WAN solution provides. “We have regained control of our WAN network, and the time we lost dealing with relocation issues with telecoms providers is time that we can now spend developing our network; something which is invaluable.”