Complex RFP for SD-WAN

Complex RFP for SD-WAN

CANNON GROUP DELIVERS 46% ANNUAL SAVINGS FOR LEADING MANUFACTURING COMPANY THROUGH GLOBAL VENDOR CONSOLIDATION

PROBLEM

One of the world’s largest paper companies wanted to upgrade their network and move to an SD-WAN solution across five different international regions. They needed the right mix of vendors who could support them globally, offer the appropriate service levels needed for the global network, implement in a timely manner and ultimately deliver savings.

SOLUTION

Cannon Group was chosen to manage this complex RFP process for their global network. Because five international regions were involved, Cannon’s approach included a review of each region separately, followed by a holistic assessment across the entire enterprise and recommendations for a consolidated set of vendors. They negotiated price and service levels—a cumbersome back-and-forth process that required superior negotiation expertise. With each round of negotiations for the multiple vendors across the global network, the Cannon team also performed highly complex financial modeling of baseline vs. proposed spend, then delivered those insights to the customer in an easy-to-digest format to support an informed decision.

RESULTS

By consolidating vendors from four to two, Cannon helped the customer achieve $5M (46%) in annual savings. Additionally, the client was able to deploy the newer network technology along with higher bandwidth to meet emerging business needs. Improved performance levels should be achieved along with opportunities to leverage the available bandwidth.