Businesses in the UK are holding back on SD-WAN deployment because of unfounded myths surrounding the technology, according to a new study by Cogeco Peer 1.

The main myths identified are security concerns (42 per cent ), cost concerns (38 per cent ) and a fear of disruption to day-to-day business (35 per cent ). This is followed by worry about a lack of skills to implement (34 per cent ) and being worried about a lack of understanding around the technology (26 per cent ).

The study, questioned 300 UK based IT decision-makers across the education, financial services, and retail sectors, found that the education sector (47 per cent ) is the most concerned about security issues, followed by retail (43 per cent ) and financial services (36 per cent ).

For IT decision-makers, the following priorities were revealed for the next 12 months:

• Network security 61 per cent
• Improving cloud performance 44 per cent
• Improving application performance (44 per cent )
• Increasing network agility (41 per cent )

The study found that businesses understand the role SD-WAN can play in their digital transformation, with 74 per cent  of respondents believing the technology is crucial to enabling the process. It is also seen as the future of connectivity, with 77 per cent  of respondents believing it will ultimately take over the WAN landscape in the future.

Tom Adams, Director of Product Marketing at Cogeco Peer 1, said: “There are clearly a number of perceived risks around SD-WAN that are preventing UK businesses from realising its benefits. It is time for the technology industry to come together and educate UK businesses about the potential SD-WAN brings. If the industry doesn’t unite, there is a danger that businesses will be left behind and unable to remain competitive.”

Dave Tracey, EMEA channel sales manager at Cogeco Peer 1, said: “The technology industry is often seen as at the cutting edge in delivering future benefits and implementing new ideas. However, the myths surrounding SD-WAN are stifling UK business growth and harming their chances of success. Vendors and channel partners must work together to prove these myths wrong and educate organisations on the technology’s benefits. It is also clear that SD-WAN packages need to come with consultancy and support to unlock the technology’s potential.”