Selecting a WAN provider is not always about price. If it was, enterprises would select the cheapest broadband Internet connection from the lowest cost provider and build VPN tunnels between sites. As organizations become more geographically dispersed, delivering services and applications to workers at remote offices becomes increasingly important. Given that the WAN is the delivery mechanism, selecting the right services from the most appropriate service provider is equally critical.
Selection Criteria
The criteria used to evaluate and select a WAN provider will vary from company to company. While cost may be the most important factor for one company, reliability may be the deciding factor for another. Enterprises should choose a WAN provider based on the criteria that are most important to them. Some selection criteria examples include: