SD-WAN and multi-site networks for growing businesses
Once a business has a second site, the network stops being a single router in a cupboard. We connect your offices, branches and shops into one network that is managed from one place, keeps working when a fibre line drops and gives every site the same rules.
SD-WAN & multi-site networks for small and medium businesses
Most multi-site networks grow by accident. The first branch gets a consumer router and a VPN someone set up on a Saturday. The second shop copies the first, but with a different password scheme. By the fifth location nobody can say which firewall rules apply where, the head office link is a single point of failure, and staff at the branches complain that the shared software is slow every afternoon. Fixing one site at a time rarely helps, because the real problem is that nothing was designed as a whole.
SD-WAN, short for software-defined wide area network, replaces that patchwork with matching firewalls at each site that are configured centrally. Each one can use two internet connections at once, such as fibre plus 4G or 5G, and steer traffic to whichever is healthier. Voice calls and payment terminals get priority over large downloads. Sites talk to each other over encrypted tunnels that rebuild themselves after an outage, and a new branch can be brought online by sending a pre-configured box and having someone plug it in.
We design the layout with you first: which sites need to reach which systems, what happens if head office loses its connection, and what each site can live without for an hour. Then we pick hardware that suits your size and budget, document the address plan and rules, and roll it out site by site in quiet hours. Auckland and Hamilton sites get onsite installs; other regions are set up remotely with a local helper, or onsite by arrangement as planned project work.
What's included
Network design
A written plan covering every site, its internet links, which systems it needs, how traffic is prioritised and what happens when a link or a whole site goes offline.
Matching firewalls at each site
Business-grade firewalls from vendors such as Fortinet, configured from one template so every location follows the same security rules.
Dual internet with failover
Fibre paired with a 4G or 5G backup at sites that cannot afford to stop trading, with switching handled by the firewall rather than a person.
Secure site-to-site links
Encrypted tunnels between branches and head office or the cloud, rebuilt automatically after an outage so staff do not need to do anything.
Traffic priority
Phone calls, video meetings and EFTPOS traffic placed ahead of updates and file syncs, so a big download at one shop doesn't stall the tills.
New-site rollout
Equipment configured and tested before it ships, so opening a new branch is a delivery and a short install rather than a week of troubleshooting.
Central monitoring
Link health, failovers and firewall status for every site watched from one dashboard, with problems raised as tickets for follow-up.
Documentation
An address plan, a site list and a diagram kept current, so any technician can understand the network without reverse-engineering it.
Who is SD-WAN and multi-site networking for?
A managed multi-site network is worth looking at if:
- You run two or more offices, shops, clinics or depots that share systems
- A branch stops trading whenever its single internet connection drops
- Each site has a different router and nobody knows the passwords for all of them
- Branch staff find head office software slow or unreliable
- You plan to open more locations and want a repeatable setup
- Your phones moved to VoIP and call quality suffers at busy times
Not sure where to start?
Our free IT health check looks at your devices, accounts, backups, security and network. You get a short written report with what is working, what is at risk and a price to fix it. No obligation.
Book the health checkSD-WAN & multi-site networks questions
Is SD-WAN only for large companies?
No. The same approach works well for a business with two or three sites. The hardware scales down, and the main benefit for a small business is having every location configured the same way and managed from one place.
Do we need a private network from a carrier?
Usually not. Most small and medium businesses get what they need from ordinary business fibre at each site, with encrypted tunnels running over it. A dedicated carrier link only makes sense in a few specialised cases, and we will say so if yours is one.
What backup connection do you use?
Typically a 4G or 5G router or SIM in the firewall, from a different network than the fibre where possible. In rural spots satellite internet can be the backup. The choice depends on coverage at each address, which we check before quoting.
Can you support sites outside Auckland and Hamilton?
Yes. Branches anywhere in New Zealand are monitored and managed remotely. We pre-configure the equipment so a local staff member can install it, and onsite visits elsewhere can be arranged as planned project work.
How much does a multi-site network cost?
It depends on the number of sites, the hardware and the internet links involved, so we quote the project in writing first. Ongoing network and firewall monitoring is part of the Managed and Complete plans.
Will this disrupt trading while you change it over?
We stage each site, test the new equipment before it goes in and cut over outside business hours. The old setup stays on hand until the new one has been running cleanly for a few days.
Do you install the cabling as well?
We can run and terminate low-voltage data cabling between racks, rooms and devices at Auckland and Hamilton sites. Any new power points or mains wiring are done by a registered electrician, which we can coordinate.
Other ways we help
Managed IT
One monthly price per person for support, security, updates and backups. Your outsourced IT team.
Managed IT
IT support
Remote and onsite help when you need it, billed by the hour. No plan, no contract.
IT support
Cyber security
Practical protection against scams, ransomware and account takeover, set up and kept current.
Cyber security