The High Cost of Traditional SD-WAN
“Before buying costly SD-WAN boxes, try CloudConnexa’s free plan and compare performance.” Managing a global network with conventional MPLS circuits or SD-WAN appliances is often expensive and complex for small businesses. Each branch office needs a dedicated SD-WAN router (plus licenses and support), and MPLS lines or leased links drive up recurring costs. Add remote workers and cloud services, and the network quickly gets hard to manage. Instead of a truck-roll for each new site or a pile of on-premises boxes, why not try a cloud-native approach?
CloudConnexa is a cloud-delivered SD-WAN-as-a-Service from OpenVPN. It gives you a virtual wide-area network spanning the globe without any new hardware. You simply run software connectors on your servers or routers and install the OpenVPN Connect client on user’s devices. Behind the scenes, OpenVPN creates a Wide-area Private Cloud (WPC) with over 30 worldwide Points of Presence (PoPs). Your offices and applications connect to these PoPs over the internet, forming one big full-mesh network. This means any site or user can reach any other location through direct, high-performance routes – with built-in redundancy if any path fails.
Key CloudConnexa Benefits
CloudConnexa packages all the advantages of SD-WAN without the appliance headache. Its core benefits include:
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Global coverage (30+ PoPs): CloudConnexa operates from 30+ PoPs worldwide, so every office and cloud region can tap into the nearest node. This global overlay gives fast, on-demand connectivity without installing physical routers everywhere.
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Full-mesh topology: Every PoP is interconnected, maximising route diversity. Traffic always has alternate paths, which improves resilience and lowers latency. If one link or PoP has issues, your data simply routes another way.
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Smart route optimization: The system automatically selects the best path for each connection based on geography and network conditions. In practice this means your VoIP calls, video conferences or cloud backups take the fastest, most reliable route available.
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Built-in security (Cyber Shield): You get integrated IDS/IPS and web content filtering at no extra charge. OpenVPN’s Cyber Shield monitors traffic by category and threat priority, automatically blocking malware and unwanted sites. This reduces risk with no need for separate firewall appliances.
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Software-based deployment: No new hardware or on-site boxes are required. Connect your networks by running the OpenVPN Connector software on servers or existing VPN gateways, and let users log in with the OpenVPN Connect app. Adding a branch or user is as simple as installing an app – no physical shipment needed.
These features make CloudConnexa far more affordable and agile than traditional SD-WAN appliances. You only pay for the concurrent connections you use, and you can instantly scale up or down. For example, OpenVPN’s pricing notes a free forever plan for up to 3 seats (all features enabled, no credit card required).
Getting Started with CloudConnexa
CloudConnexa is easy to try. Sign up for the free plan (3 seats) or start a 14-day trial to compare performance. You can register directly via Digital Carbon’s OpenVPN referral link: Sign up for a CloudConnexa trial. Within minutes, you’ll have your WPC online, complete with global PoPs and built-in security. Your IT team just needs to configure the Connector on each site or server, and instruct users to install the OpenVPN Connect client.
Digital Carbon is an official OpenVPN Managed Service Provider (MSP) partner, and we can help at every step. We’ll guide you through deploying CloudConnexa – from planning the network layout to troubleshooting any issues. Our experts ensure your new cloud network aligns with your business needs and security policies.
But we also recognise some organisations prefer appliance-based SD-WAN. Digital Carbon partners with Arista VeloCloud to offer that solution too. If you want to compare options or learn which SD-WAN approach suits you best, book a free SD-WAN workshop with us. In the workshop we explore your use case and even demo CloudConnexa and VeloCloud side-by-side. Schedule it here: Book a free SD-WAN workshop.
Conclusion and Call to Action
In summary, small Businesses no longer need to invest in expensive SD-WAN boxes or MPLS contracts to build a secure, global network. OpenVPN CloudConnexa provides a cost-effective, cloud-native SD-WAN-as-a-Service with worldwide reach, full-mesh performance and integrated security. It’s fast to deploy (just install software clients), scales with your business, and comes with a no-strings free plan.
Get started today: Sign up for the CloudConnexa free plan using our referral link above and start connecting your sites in minutes. If you need expert help or want to compare SD-WAN approaches, contact Digital Carbon. We can assist with CloudConnexa deployment and also set you up with Arista VeloCloud SD-WAN; book a free workshop at digitalcarbon.io/book-a-call to learn more.