SD-WAN SPARK comparison 23-24
A matrix is vital to capture the vendor landscape of a particular domain. It allows users to gauge company products’ quality, specific strengths, and weaknesses, to help them to choose the product that is the best fit for their particular requirements. Here, we will examine the SPARK Matrix for the Software Defined-Wide Area Network (SD-WAN)) for the years 2023 and 2024. Let us start with a comprehensive list of participants, their ranks for both years, and the likely reasons behind their rise, staying put, or dropping out of the quadrant.
| Vendor | 2023 posiiton | 2024 position | Change / Movement |
| VMware | Leader | Leader | No change |
| Fortinet | Leader | Leader | No change |
| Versa Networks | Leader | Leader | No change |
| Cisco | Leader | Leader | No change |
| Palo Alto Networks | Leader | Leader | No change |
| Riverbed | Leader | Leader | Slight drop in customer impact |
| Juniper Networks | Leader | Leader | No major change |
| Forcepoint | Leader | Strong Contender | Need to regain ground in tech excellence |
| Fatpipe Networks | Leader | Leader | Static performer |
| Aruba (HPE) | Strong Contender | Strong Contender | Stable, strong position |
| Cradlepoint | Strong Contender | Strong Contender | No significant movement |
| Nuage (Nokia) | Strong Contender | Strong Contender | Stable mid-position |
| Mushroom Networks | Lower Contender | Lower Contender | Improvement in customer impact |
| Bigleaf Networks | Lower Contender | Lower Contender | Static position – low tech and impact |
| Peplink | Lower Contender | Lower Contender | No change |
| Barracuda | Lower Contender | Lower Contender | Static – lowest quadrant |
| Huawei | Absent | Strong Contender | New entry – low impact but credible tech |
| Aryaka | Absent | Lower Contender | New entry – low in both axes |
The results indicate one thing: The market is maturing. Most participants’ positions have remained the same. The entry of Aryaka and Huawei indicates that there is space, but more efforts are needed to earn more credibility. But that does not mean that the leaders should rest on their laurels. They need to innovate and think beyond mere connectivity.