Why SD-WAN Can Be A Work-From-Home Game-Changer with Eric Brooker

 

Sorry, the most important thing for your company is what? I … I didn’t quite catch that.

If you’re hearing that too often on the other end of your Zoom or Teams calls, then Eric Brooker would like to have a word.

Brooker, the Senior Director of National Partner Programs for Bigleaf Networks, has watched as nearly the entire working world has moved online, but with so many households going under one roof, residential internet has struggled to keep up.

While Brooker has seen plenty of grace extended toward pet noises, children demanding attention or a doorbell interrupting a call, people are far less amenable to total network failures or frustrating blips in important conversations.

“In the world we’re sitting in today, I think there’s an understanding that your four-year-old may walk into your video meeting or a dog may bark when FedEx or UPS ring the doorbell, but there seems to be a lack of patience, as I’m seeing it, of ‘Hey, can you repeat yourself? I didn’t catch that.’ or, ‘Hey, sorry my internet was kind of funky.’”

Often it’s not the program itself having an issue but the functionality of the network. That’s why SD-WAN can be a strong solution, especially with a Bigleaf device that works outside the firewall and can automatically prioritize what’s important.

“Software Defined Wide Area Network is creating application performance, it’s accessing that on-site application or what seems to be more relevant even pre-COVID but certainly post-COVID is the need for cloud-based applications,” Brooker said. “Ultimately, you need those business-critical applications to work in a seamless fashion, each and every time you’re using them.”

Be sure to subscribe to our industry publication for the latest news, videos, and podcasts in the Software & Technology Industry.

Twitter – @MarketScale
Facebook – facebook.com/marketscale
LinkedIn – linkedin.com/company/marketscale

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

experiential learning
Flood the Zone: University of Virginia’s New Strategy to Scale Experiential Learning for Every Student
February 16, 2026

Experiential learning is having a bit of a reckoning moment in higher ed. For years, the default answer was “get an internship” or “do a co-op”—as if every student can pause life, relocate for a summer, and take on a high-stakes role that’s supposed to define their future. But students’ realities have changed: many…

Read More
free tools
The True Cost of Free Tools: When Free Platforms Own More of Your Network Than You Do
February 12, 2026

Nowadays, getting a project off the ground usually means moving fast. A quick map gets sketched. A file gets shared. A design gets reviewed in whatever tool is closest at hand. In the moment, it feels efficient — even smart. But in the telecommunications industry, as networks become more automated, location-aware, and powered by AI,…

Read More
telecom
Predictive Networks: How Baron Weather and GIS are Strengthening Telecom Operations
February 12, 2026

Severe weather is no longer an occasional disruption for telecom providers—it’s becoming part of the operating environment. During Hurricane Ida in 2021, the Federal Communications Commission reported that nearly 1,000 cell sites across Louisiana and Mississippi went offline. In 2024, Hurricane Milton left more than 12% of cell sites in impacted areas of Florida…

Read More
The DAISY Foundation: Impacting Nurse Careers Through Recognition
The DAISY Foundation: Impacting Nurse Careers Through Recognition
February 12, 2026

Recognition is often described as a “nice to have” in healthcare, but on this episode of Care Anywhere, it’s framed as something far more essential. Host Lea Sims sits down with Deb Zimmermann, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, Chief Executive Officer of The DAISY Foundation, and Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, co-founder of the organization, to explore…

Read More