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SD-WAN Modernization Across 25 Sites

25 sites. Legacy MPLS to SD-WAN. Minimal downtime, site by site.

A phased, site-by-site modernization that retired legacy MPLS circuits and aging edge hardware across 25 geographically distributed sites, replacing them with a modern SD-WAN architecture built for a cloud-first, security-conscious organization.

Scope25 Sites
Legacy MPLS to SD-WAN

ApproachPhased, Site-by-Site Cutover

OutcomeStandardized Architecture Nationwide

01Situation

25 geographically distributed sites were still running on legacy MPLS and aging edge hardware, infrastructure that couldn't keep pace with a cloud-first, security-conscious organization.

Every site had its own circuit, its own hardware age, and its own local quirks. This wasn't a single upgrade, it was 25 of them, each needing its own procurement, staging, and cutover plan.

And the network wasn't just plumbing. Network Engineering, Security, Infrastructure, vendors, carriers, and local site leadership all had a stake in how, and how safely, each site made the switch.

Why it mattered

This was the backbone every other system ran on. A bad cutover didn't just mean a network blip, it meant a site losing phones, applications, and cloud access all at once.

02Challenge

Coordinating a modernization that touched every team in the building, and every site outside it.

Coordinating across Network Engineering, Security, Infrastructure, local site managers, and outside vendors and carriers, each with their own priorities and timelines
Validating site readiness, hardware inventory, circuit and bandwidth availability, rack space, power, cabling, and firewall rules, before a single cutover could be scheduled
Circuit delays, configuration conflicts, and site-specific constraints, any one of which could derail a cutover window
Executing every cutover with minimal downtime for business operations already running on the old network

03Action

Ran every site the same disciplined way, roadmap to validation, while carrying several cutovers at once.

Built the full upgrade roadmap: site prioritization, cutover sequencing, risk analysis, and dependency mapping, then ran steering committee reviews to keep IT leadership, security, and business stakeholders aligned.

Coordinated with SD-WAN vendors, ISPs, and hardware suppliers on procurement, licensing, circuit readiness, and installation schedules, validating SOWs and tracking every delivery milestone.

Led site readiness assessments ahead of each cutover: hardware inventory, circuit and bandwidth validation, rack space, power, and cabling checks, with firewall rules and security policies documented before staging began.

Built a cutover plan for every site: pre-migration backups, change control submissions, rollback procedures, and a communication plan for local staff, then ran each cutover window in real time between engineers, carriers, and onsite personnel.

Flagged risks early, circuit delays, configuration conflicts, site-specific constraints, and built mitigation plans, giving the most critical sites extra support and contingency coverage.

Validated every site after cutover: end-to-end connectivity testing, application performance checks, security policy verification, and monitoring and alerting configuration, before calling a site fully stable.

04Results

25sites migrated from legacy MPLS to modern SD-WAN

1standardized network architecture across every site, simplifying future expansion and support

Twenty-five sites, each with its own hardware and history, ended up on the same modern backbone: legacy MPLS retired, SD-WAN standardized site to site, and every cutover validated end to end before a site was called done.