top of page

Why More Enterprises are Turning to Managed LAN: Scalable, Secure, and Surprisingly Cost Effective

  • Writer: Chris Mospan
    Chris Mospan
  • Jul 29
  • 2 min read

In my previous blogs, I wrote high-level about network services and took a deep dive into circuit aggregation.  I would like to write about a complementing solution that ties into circuit aggregation and has had tremendous buy-in from my clients over the years.


Managed LAN refers to having a third party, which can be your circuit aggregator or another provider, centrally manage, monitor, and maintain your LAN infrastructure.  This can include routers, switches, access points, and security appliances.

Glowing data cables emit binary code against a blue circuit board background. Bright light source at center, evoking high-tech digital flow.

Here are the typical features of a managed LAN service:

  • Centralized Monitoring: Network operations centers (NOC’s) monitor performance, uptime, and security. This can be for your circuits and/or your hardware.

  • Proactive Maintenance: Issues are identified and resolved before impacting users.

  • Configuration Management: Network devices are updated and patched as needed.

  • Technical Support: 24/7 or business-hours support determined by client.

  • Policy Enforcement: Security, segmentation, and compliance controls.



Here are the typical benefits from the aforementioned services:


1. Consistency Across Sites

  • Standardized implementations mean each location, whether it is in Chicago or Shanghai, follows the same security, performance, and compliance policies.


2. Expertise & Focus

  • Knowing you have a qualified partner to manage and monitor your environment, your IT team can focus more on the strategic needs of your business. Additionally, your IT team will no longer need to support multiple time zones when issues arise.  This leads to greater retention of IT talent!


3. Easier to scale and for MACD’s.

  • Launching new offices anywhere in the world is easier and faster when you have a partner dedicated to it with a contracted process.  If you source the hardware from the provider, it significantly streamlines everything!


4. 24/7/365 Monitoring & Support

  • Around-the-clock monitoring detects and resolves issues promptly, reducing downtime—crucial for different time zones.


5. Enhanced Security

  • Centralized management means vulnerabilities and misconfigurations (which can be catastrophic in a global enterprise) are caught quickly by the 24/7/365 NOC and not dependent on waking up Jennifer in IT at 4 in the morning!


6. Improved Compliance

  • Helps comply with global standards like GDPR, PCI-DSS, or local data regulations, ensuring uniform adherence worldwide.


8. Simplified Management

  • One dashboard for all branches; easier troubleshooting, updates, and audit trails.

 


Cost??

The big question you are all waiting to ask!  “Sounds perfect, what does this all cost?” Our Financial Analysts here at Opex have run many financial assessments for our clients. In my most recent, it was 39% less costly to leverage a Managed LAN service versus supporting the LAN infrastructure in-house with full-time equivalents.


From a hardware perspective, Managed LAN providers offer the hardware as a CapEx or OpEx, depending on the preference. I have found the discount to be comparable when comparing the Managed Provider’s and original VARs.

bottom of page