Manila, Philippines [31 March 2021]—The country’s largest integrated telecommunications provider PLDT further cements its commitment to empower businesses with future-proof and reliable solutions, by helping them manage their digital foray in the ‘new normal’ with the support of SD-WAN or Software-Defined Wide-area Network technology.

PLDT SD-WAN makes it easy for businesses - including retailers, food chains, distributors, and start-ups, tobetter manage their business operations. The solution provides the utmost in reliability as it links up their remote workers, offices and branches with combinedfiber and wireless connectivity. It is also fully managed and optimizes business applications, all these at affordable price points.

“With PLDT SD-WAN, companies with multiple sites or branches can level up in managing their network connectivity easily with the service’s ‘intelligent’ business capabilities,” said PLDT SVP and Head of Enterprise Business Jovy Hernandez.

“This provides business owners a reliable solution to their digital requirements and an easier way of rolling out a wide area network for their branches. These cloud-scaling capabilities are now a necessity for enterprises to adopt to the virtual way of doing businesses brought about by the pandemic.”

PLDT SD-WAN automates many of the traditional network processes that are especially beneficial for industries that depend heavily on secure connectivity for multiple sites. This is especially useful for businesses in the Food and Beverage, Retail, Banking, and even Outsourcing companies that have already implemented work-from-home set ups to sustain their business operations.

Among banks, Online transactions are overtaking physical transactions, pressing end-users to go digital in the ‘new normal’. Reliable connectivity is a paramount requirement for their branches to ensure the seamless digital banking experience of their customers.

"We understand that the need for greater security is accelerating with the shift of most enterprises to digital. This is why we're consistently improving our networking technologies and security solutions at PLDT Enterprise to help our customers further strengthen their resilience in today's new normal," said Vic Tria, PLDT FVP & Enterprise Revenue Group Head.

The food industry has also been greatly impacted by the challenges of the pandemic, where limitations to dining out have compelled businesses to explore opportunities with delivery services and take outs. Diners and patrons are now coursing their orders through digital channels, while delivery services have become the extension of their customers. Having resilient connectivity for theirrestaurants and back offices help preserve the service delivery, experience, and loyalty of their customers.

Many outsourcing companies have also permanently moved to work-from-home arrangements. It is an ideal setup as it saves companies on rental costs, but one that requires the enterprise-grade technology that can meet their voice and data application requirements for their people working remotely from their homes across multiple locations. PLDT SD-WAN utilizes Fiber broadband and LTE connectivity to securely connect home offices to corporate applications using encrypted tunnels and provide detailed connectivity quality metrics to support teams.

Old models used to force these businesses in these industries to contract several different suppliers in order to implement a wide area network capability. PLDT SD-WAN offers a better solution by rationalizing the IT and infrastracture costs to run such service, as it already covers all the necessary elements that are needed to integrate a fully managed solution from the connectivity, to equipment, security, and the digital applications needed.

PLDT SD-WAN also leverages on the capabilities of the PLDT Group's ICT & Cybersecurity arm, ePLDT, which provides complementing services such as Security Operations Center as a Service or SoCaaS, which monitors, and provides response and remediation to corporate network elements including SD-WAN equipment.

“Our partners get the end-to-end ICT solutions and support to maximize the benefit of their investment in SD-WAN technology. Our teams are ready to help enterprises fully utilize this technology in their journey towards a ‘smarter’ modern enterprise network,” added PLDT FVP Mitch Locsin.

Having an intelligent network system fully complements the ICT roadmaps of various industries which are anchored on PLDT’s massive fiber optic infrastructure running throughout the country. Running over 429,000 kilometers, PLDT has strategically invested in growing its fiber footprint to support the booming ICT demands of industries, large private companies, MSMEs and the requirements of government.