Client Overview & Business Challenge

A global research organization with complex IT infrastructure was experiencing performance bottlenecks and high costs due to their existing cloud-based SD-WAN setup. Latency issues, lack of consistent high availability, and complicated routing across AWS, Azure, and on-premises environments made global connectivity unreliable and costly.

The client needed a more resilient backbone that could simplify operations, reduce cost, and improve application performance while laying the foundation for future global expansion.

The Challenge: Complexity and Latency Across Clouds

The client was experiencing operational challenges such as:

• High latency from cloud SD-WAN appliances
• Lack of consistent high availability across regions
• Complicated multi-cloud routing between AWS, Azure, and on-premises
• Escalating costs due to inefficient architecture

AHEAD’s Approach: Designing a Next-Gen Hybrid Cloud Backbone

AHEAD India designed and deployed a new backbone using Megaport Cloud Router (MCR) and Megaport Virtual Edge (MVE) to replace the legacy cloud-based SD-WAN.

Key elements included:

• Designing Red/Blue MCR models for high availability and resilience
• Deploying MVEs as regional hubs for AWS, Azure, and on-prem routing
• Building a full-mesh VXC (Virtual Cross-Connect) network for faster performance
• Integrating Cisco SD-WAN for consistency and scalability

Results: Improved Performance, Reduced Complexity

Through partnering with AHEAD, the client was able to:

• Establish a resilient global backbone with built-in redundancy
• Reduce network complexity through centralized multi-cloud routing
• Improve application performance for end-users worldwide
• Deliver a clear roadmap to retire legacy SD-WAN and further reduce costs

What’s Next: Scaling for the Future

The client is now preparing for:

• Production cutover to the new Megaport backbone
• High-availability validation across regions
• Extending the backbone to future global expansion initiatives