Leading manufacturer migrates from MPLS to SD-WAN across three continents, reduces costs and increases agility

One of the world’s largest automotive component manufacturers, with operations across Europe, the Americas, and Asia, was facing significant challenges with its legacy MPLS infrastructure. When Cloud365 and our partner Aryaka Networks were invited to present a solution, it became evident that a radical shift was needed to meet the company’s demands for enhanced flexibility, scalability, and performance across its vast global network. What followed was a transformative journey that dramatically improved the company’s agility, while reducing costs and ensuring top-tier support for critical business operations.

Challenges

The existing MPLS infrastructure was failing to keep up with the company’s growing needs for global connectivity. Some of the critical challenges included:

• Reduce costs – MPLS network relies on expensive last mile dedicated links, whose cost is particularly high in locations like South America or China.
• Increase flexibility – Upgrading, downgrading or moving MPLS circuits takes time and is expensive; installing a new site can take from several weeks to months, depending on location; defining new network parameters, like a new routing policy, can take weeks, due to the inherent complexity of MPLS technology; connection to public cloud services is very complicated, due to the ‘close’ nature of MPLS.
• Improve support and reduce response times – The previous network provider struggled to provide timely support, leading to poor user experience and operational inefficiencies.

The client needed a solution that would provide fast connectivity between sites, easy access to cloud services like Office 365 and AWS and high service uptime due to applications criticality for running daily business, all without increasing costs.

Cloud365 Approach and Solution

Cloud365’s proposal was centered around Aryaka’s SmartCONNECT, replacing the aging MPLS infrastructure with a next-generation, fully managed SD-WAN service that delivers consistent performance for applications, no matter where in the world they are accessed. Cloud365 and its long-time partner, Aryaka Networks, were invited to participate in a Proof of Concept (PoC) alongside other major competitors to demonstrate their solution for intercontinental connectivity. The PoC included sites in Europe, America, and China.

During and after the PoC the client experienced the solution capabilities for:

• Rapid deployment: In just five business days, Cloud365 and Aryaka successfully deployed the PoC environment across multiple sites, including China—a complex region known for significant regulatory and connectivity challenges.
• High performance: During PoC it was possible to validate whether the performance was equal or better than the previous MPLS solution.
• Cloud optimization: Optimizing access to cloud services, including Office 365 and AWS, for thousands of users across 25+ sites on three continents.
• High availability and redundancy: Network redundancy for all sites and high-availability configurations for 10 key locations.
• World-class support: The solution is backed by a formal SLA and by a world-class support service, able to solve client issues and requests in record time.

The full implementation was completed in just 10 weeks. The transition went smoothly, with all stages aligning with the pre-agreed project timeline. The support from Cloud365 and Aryaka’s expert teams ensured that any issues encountered were promptly addressed, and continuous communication with the client meant that both technical and strategic objectives were met.

With 24/7/365 support, Cloud365 continues to monitor the client’s global network infrastructure through a centralized customer portal. This portal provides real-time data on network performance, service quality, and traffic, allowing the Cloud365 team to make proactive recommendations to continually optimize user experience.

Results

The transition from MPLS to Aryaka’s SmartCONNECT delivered a multitude of benefits for the client:

• Cost reduction: By replacing the MPLS network, the client realized significant direct cost savings while benefiting from a much more flexible and scalable solution.
• Global scale flexibility: The client now enjoys a network infrastructure capable of supporting their ongoing digital transformation, ensuring agility and performance as their global operations evolve.
• Improved customer service: The support service provides advice and timely answers to all customer requests, aligned to business priorities, measured in minutes, not in days or weeks.

As a trusted partner, Cloud365 continues to work alongside the client, helping the business focus on its core objectives while confidently navigating the digital future.

Are you also facing global connectivity challenges? Let Cloud365 help you unlock the full potential of your infrastructure. Contact us today to learn more about how our solutions can drive your business forward.