Networking & SD-WAN
Networks that keep your locations connected and your calls clear.
We design, install and run business networks for one location or many. SD-WAN (software-defined wide area network) on Cisco Meraki and VeloCloud keeps traffic moving when a circuit fails. Firewalls, switches and private links between sites come managed too.
- Cisco Meraki and VeloCloud SD-WAN
- Automatic failover when a circuit drops
- Watched 24/7/365 by network specialists
- Local engineers lead every project
What we design and manage
Every part of your network, from the circuit to the switch port
Take one service or hand us the whole network. We design it, install it, watch it around the clock and support it with the same local team.
SD-WAN With Automatic Failover
Cisco Meraki · VeloCloud
A small SD-WAN appliance at each location pairs two or more internet connections, tests them constantly and sends voice and data over the healthiest path. If one connection fails, traffic moves to the other automatically.
- Fiber, cable, cellular or Starlink in any mix
- Rules by application, with calls first
- One dashboard for every location
- Traffic moves back when a circuit recovers
Managed Firewalls
Stateful inspection · Patching · Security alerts
A firewall at each location tracks every connection (stateful inspection) and lets in only the traffic your rules allow. We keep it patched, make the rule changes you ask for and act on the security alerts it raises.
- Guest and staff traffic kept apart
- Remote access for staff on the same device
- Consistent rules at every location
24/7 Network Monitoring
Circuits · Firewalls · Switches · SD-WAN appliances
We watch your circuits and network equipment around the clock. When something goes down, a ticket opens automatically for our on-duty specialists, and if a carrier’s circuit is at fault, we escalate to that carrier for you.
- Any carrier, even ones we don’t bill
- Specialists on duty 24/7/365
- Email scisupport@scitel.net to open a ticket
Routing and Switching
Routers · Managed switches · VLANs
We configure and monitor your routers and switches, and divide the network into VLANs (virtual local area networks) so phones, staff, guests and building systems each stay in their own lane.
- Router setup, changes and monitoring
- Switches that power phones and access points
- Routing between your sites and carriers
Private Links Between Sites
MPLS · Private line · Metro Ethernet
Connect your locations over carrier networks that stay off the public internet: MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching), point-to-point private lines or Metro Ethernet, with quality of service that puts voice first.
- Carrier options compared for each address
- Steady, predictable performance between sites
- Works alongside SD-WAN as a second path
Voice-Ready Networks
Quality of service · Voice VLANs
Calls are the first thing to suffer on a busy network. We put phones on their own VLAN, set quality of service (QoS) so call traffic goes first, and fix the settings behind choppy or one-way audio.
- Bandwidth sized for your busiest hour of calls
- Call-breaking router settings turned off
- Tuned for 3CX and Microsoft Teams calling
NetFlow Traffic Analysis
NetFlow is a running record, sent by your routers and firewalls, of which devices talk to what and how much. We use it to show what is really using your bandwidth, so you can fix the cause of a slowdown before paying for a bigger circuit.
- Usage by device, application and location
- Find what is slowing the network down
- Data to size your next circuit upgrade
- Unusual traffic worth a closer look
Multi-Site Design and Rollouts
We design one standard network for all your locations and roll it out site by site, with equipment configured before it arrives. SCi engineers lead the project and arrange on-site help wherever your sites are.
- Cutovers scheduled around your business
- New locations added on the same design
- Field help coordinated nationwide
Secure Remote Access for Staff
Staff at home or on the road reach office systems over an encrypted VPN (virtual private network) that we set up and manage on your firewall, instead of exposing those systems to the internet.
- Access limited to what each role needs
- Sign-in tied to each person’s account
- Switched off when someone leaves
SD-WAN in plain language
What SD-WAN does when a circuit slows down or fails
The idea is simple. Give each location more than one way to reach the internet, and let a smart device choose the path for each kind of traffic, moment to moment.
Each location gets an SD-WAN edge, a small appliance connected to two or more internet circuits, such as fiber and cable, or cable and 4G LTE or 5G cellular. The edge tests every circuit continuously for delay, jitter (uneven timing between packets) and packet loss, and treats the circuits as one pool. The rules live in one central dashboard, so a change reaches every location at once.
Calls and video meetings notice problems that email doesn’t. A circuit can be up but struggling, and a call on it sounds choppy. SD-WAN sees the trouble and moves calls to the cleaner path, while backups and big downloads use the capacity that is left. The cloud apps your people use all day get the priority you choose.
If a circuit fails outright, the edge moves traffic to the remaining circuit automatically and moves it back when the circuit recovers. How a call in progress behaves depends on the platform and how voice is routed, so we design and test the voice path for each site. Meanwhile our monitoring has opened a ticket, and we take the outage up with the carrier.
- Two or more circuits at each location, from different carriers where possible
- Traffic rules written around your phones and apps, then tuned as needs change
- Failover tested at each site before go-live
- Firmware kept current on every SD-WAN appliance
What We Watch
- Circuit Health
- Up or down status, delay, jitter and packet loss on every circuit at every location.
- SD-WAN Appliances
- Whether each edge is online, on current firmware and running the right rules.
- Call Quality
- Rising jitter or loss on the voice path, the early signs of choppy calls.
- Failovers
- When a location switches circuits, why it happened and whether traffic moved back cleanly.
- Carrier Tickets
- Every open trouble ticket with every carrier, followed until the circuit is restored.
Connecting your locations
Four ways to connect your locations, compared
The right choice depends on how many locations you have, what moves between them and which circuits each address can get.
| Approach | Good fit for | Strengths | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|---|
| SD-WAN Over Internet Circuits | Businesses with several locations that run cloud phones and cloud apps | Uses fiber, cable, cellular or Starlink from any carrier; steers traffic by app; automatic failover | Quality depends on the underlying internet circuits; needs an edge appliance and license at each site |
| MPLS or Private Line | Sites that need predictable performance between them, or policies that call for private connections | Carrier-managed and off the public internet; traffic classes that put voice first; predictable delay | Often costs more for the bandwidth and takes longer to install; internet and cloud traffic need their own path |
| Metro Ethernet | Nearby locations in the same metro area that move large files or share systems | High capacity over fiber; sites behave like one office network; consistent performance | Built for one metro area; fiber has to reach each building, and new construction takes time |
| Basic Site-To-Site VPN | Two or three locations with light traffic between them, or a short-term link | Runs over the internet you already have; encrypted; no new circuits needed | No steering by app or quality controls; basic failover at most; each tunnel is set up and kept up separately |
Many networks mix these: MPLS or Metro Ethernet between main offices with SD-WAN at smaller sites, or SD-WAN that uses an MPLS circuit as one of its paths. We compare carriers for each address and put the options in writing.
How the work runs
How we move your network, one site at a time
SCi engineers lead every project, and you know what comes next at each step. Nothing is ordered until you approve the proposal.
Assess Your Network and Circuits
We review every location’s circuits, bills, contracts and equipment, and talk with your team about what drops, slows down or breaks up today.
Design the Network
We choose the platform, circuits and backup paths for each location, write the traffic and security rules, and put the design and pricing in an itemized proposal.
Roll Out Site by Site
Equipment arrives configured. We cut over one location at a time in a window you agree to, then test calls, failover and key apps before moving to the next.
Monitor and Tune
We watch every location around the clock, open carrier tickets when something fails, and adjust the rules as your traffic, apps and locations change.
Where it fits
Networks built for the way your industry works
Multi-Site Business
One standard design for every branch, central rules for traffic and security, and one account team for every carrier and circuit.
See the industryTrucking & Logistics
Terminals and yards stay connected with SD-WAN and cellular backup, so dispatch, scanners and phones keep working through a circuit outage.
See the industryConstruction & Field
Job trailers and temporary sites get online over cellular or Starlink with the same firewall rules as the office, and the gear moves to the next job.
See the industryHealthcare & Pharmacy
Clinics and pharmacies keep patient systems on their own network segment behind a managed firewall, with backup paths so prescriptions and calls keep moving.
See the industrySchools & Universities
Schools keep staff, students, guests, phones and building systems on separate networks, linked between campuses and watched around the clock.
See the industryContact Centers
Contact centers get voice VLANs, quality of service and SD-WAN that moves calls off a struggling circuit, so agents and callers hear each other clearly.
See the industry
Part of one account, not one more vendor.
- One monthly billWe consolidate your carriers’ invoices into one bill from SCi.
- One point of contactTrouble with any carrier comes to us, whether or not we provide it.
- On duty 24/7/365Network technology specialists, nights, weekends and holidays.
- Dedicated engineersEvery project led by SCi engineers, wherever you are.
Questions
Questions about SD-WAN and managed networks
Still unsure? Call (816) 298-4100 and an engineer will walk you through it.
Do we need SD-WAN?
Not always. A single location may only need a managed firewall that fails over to a backup connection. SD-WAN makes sense when you have several locations, rely on cloud phones or cloud apps all day, or hear calls break up when the network is busy. It steers traffic by application instead of simply switching circuits on or off. We’ll look at your sites and circuits and tell you plainly which you need.
Should we choose Cisco Meraki or VeloCloud?
We deploy and manage both, and the right one depends on your sites. Meraki puts the firewall, SD-WAN, switches and Wi-Fi in one cloud dashboard, which suits businesses that want one system for everything. VeloCloud is built around steering and repairing traffic across mixed circuits, which helps call quality on cable or cellular connections. Equipment you already own often tips the decision, and your proposal explains the trade-off in writing.
Can you manage the network equipment we already have?
Often, yes. If your firewalls, routers and switches are current models that still receive security updates, we can take over their management and monitoring. If something is past its end of support or can’t do what you need, we’ll say so and lay out the options in your proposal, so you can replace equipment as it ages instead of all at once.
How do monitoring and alerts work?
Our monitoring watches your circuits and network equipment around the clock. When something goes down, a ticket opens automatically and goes to our specialists on duty. If a carrier’s circuit is the cause, we open a trouble ticket with that carrier and stay on it until service is restored, whether or not we provide that circuit. You can also email scisupport@scitel.net at any hour, and your ticket number arrives by email right away.
Will our calls survive a circuit outage?
With two circuits and SD-WAN, calls keep working: when one circuit fails, traffic moves to the other automatically. Whether a call already in progress carries on or has to be redialed depends on the platform and how voice is routed. We design for calls to carry on where the platform allows, and we test failover before go-live. A site with one circuit has nothing to fail over to, but a hosted phone system keeps running and can ring staff on the mobile app until service returns.
Can you work alongside our in-house IT team?
Yes. We can run the whole network or share the work. For example, we handle circuits, SD-WAN, firewalls and carrier escalations while your team looks after computers and users. We agree up front who does what and how changes get approved, and your staff can reach our specialists at any hour.
How long does a network rollout take?
It depends mostly on the circuits. A location that already has good internet can move to SD-WAN once its equipment arrives and a cutover window is set. New fiber, MPLS or Metro Ethernet depends on the carrier and the address, and some addresses need construction first. We check every address before anything is ordered and tell you up front what to expect for each site.
Can you support locations anywhere in the country?
Yes. We manage SD-WAN, firewalls and monitoring remotely wherever your sites are, with a nationwide footprint through our carrier partners. When someone needs to be on site, it’s an SCi technician, a field partner, or the carrier’s or your own staff with us coordinating.
Let’s design solutions that enhance and optimize your business.
Tell us about your locations and what you want to optimize. An engineer will reply with a written, itemized proposal. Nothing is ordered until you approve it.