Rural areas often lack access to reliable, high-speed internet services, which puts businesses in these regions at a disadvantage. However, if your clients are far from an urban center, an SD-WAN connection can be the ideal solution to the broadband issue. Here's what every reseller should know about how these networks empower businesses in rural communities.

How Lack of Broadband Access in Rural Areas Hurts Businesses

At least one high-speed internet provider serves almost all homes and businesses in urban areas, and most have multiple options. Unfortunately, customers in rural communities have fewer choices, and many don't have broadband access. Only 63% of residents in rural communities have high-speed internet, leaving almost one-third with dial-up or no connection.

Lack of broadband access is a significant roadblock to any business hoping to compete in the modern world. Without high-speed internet, companies in these areas have trouble adopting the latest technologies or reaching a broader audience. Using cloud services to coordinate offices in different locations or find vendors in other countries can be difficult, if not impossible.

How SD-WAN Closes the Gap

What Is SD-WAN?

Software-defined wide area networks use sophisticated programs to route network traffic over several different means of connectivity and potentially across multiple carriers. By combining wireless, fiber, and cable internet services into one connection, SD-WAN gives rural businesses the high-speed connectivity they need to compete.

The Benefits of SD-WAN

As a software-managed service, SD-WAN doesn't depend on expensive on-site servers that require extensive maintenance and a dedicated IT team. Instead, resellers can offer rural clients preconfigured routers that require almost no setup. In addition, their connection, security, and cloud services are monitored remotely, a service that levels the playing field between rural businesses and their urban competitors.

SD-WAN connections come with lower setup costs, which make them an attractive option for rural businesses that may lack the resources and expertise to build their network. Companies in multiple locations can also share a network, allowing workers in all offices to collaborate and share files in real-time and for one company administrator to secure and monitor traffic.