Masergy: Leading SD-WAN and Managed Security Solutions for Enterprise
Masergy provides managed SD-WAN, cloud communications, and managed security services for global enterprises, featuring a software-defined network and AIOps.
Overview
Masergy, a Comcast Business company, is a pioneer in software-defined networking and a leading provider of managed SD-WAN, cloud communications, and managed security services. For over two decades, the company has focused on helping global enterprises transform their IT infrastructure to meet the demands of the digital age. Masergy’s core value proposition lies in its ability to simplify the complexity of global networking by providing a unified, high-performance platform that integrates seamlessly with cloud environments like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.
Headquartered in Plano, Texas, Masergy serves a diverse clientele ranging from mid-sized businesses to Fortune 500 enterprises across various sectors, including financial services, manufacturing, healthcare, and professional services. The company’s history is defined by innovation; it was one of the first providers to move away from rigid MPLS architectures in favor of more flexible, software-driven solutions.
Today, Masergy’s portfolio is centered on three main pillars:
- Managed SD-WAN & SASE: Providing secure, agile, and scalable connectivity that optimizes application performance.
- UCaaS & CCaaS: Delivering integrated cloud-based communication and contact center solutions that leverage the company’s high-performance network.
- Managed Security: Offering a comprehensive suite of security services, including Managed Detection and Response (MDR) and Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), managed through their 24/7 Security Operations Centers (SOCs).
Following its acquisition by Comcast Business in 2021, Masergy has bolstered its market presence by combining its high-touch service model and advanced SD-WAN capabilities with the massive infrastructure and scale of Comcast’s network. This synergy allows Masergy to offer a unique blend of global reach and specialized expertise.
Positioning
Masergy positions itself as the premier choice for "agile enterprises" that require high-performance global connectivity without the management overhead of traditional carriers. Their brand positioning is centered on the concept of "Performance Without Compromise," targeting IT leaders who refuse to choose between the reliability of a private network and the flexibility of the cloud.
In a crowded market of SD-WAN and SASE providers, Masergy differentiates its messaging by focusing on the "Managed" aspect of their service. While competitors often sell software licenses or raw bandwidth, Masergy sells a fully managed outcome. They position themselves against "Big Telco" by highlighting their superior customer service and technical agility, and against "Pure-Play SD-WAN" vendors by emphasizing their global private backbone and integrated security operations.
Their messaging strategy heavily emphasizes three key pillars:
- Precision: Using AIOps and deep analytics to provide unparalleled visibility into network and application health.
- Innovation: Leading the market in SASE convergence and cloud-first networking strategies.
- Empowerment: Freeing IT teams from the burden of network management so they can focus on digital transformation and business growth.
By targeting the mid-to-upper enterprise segment, Masergy occupies a strategic middle ground. They are large enough to handle complex, multi-national deployments that smaller MSPs cannot, yet they remain agile enough to provide a personalized, consultative experience that the global incumbent carriers struggle to match.
Differentiation
The primary differentiator for Masergy’s product portfolio is its software-defined, high-performance global private network. Unlike providers that rely solely on the public internet, Masergy owns and operates a global Tier 1 backbone that offers deterministic performance for mission-critical applications. This network is the foundation for their SD-WAN and SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) solutions, which provide seamless integration of networking and security.
A standout technical advantage is Masergy’s AIOps (Artificial Intelligence for IT Operations) platform. This integrated virtual assistant, known as Masergy AIOps, acts as a digital network analyst. It uses machine learning to proactively identify anomalies, predict bandwidth needs, and optimize application performance automatically. This level of automation reduces the "noise" for IT teams, allowing them to focus on strategic initiatives rather than basic troubleshooting.
Additionally, Masergy offers a "Work From Anywhere" solution that extends the corporate SD-WAN fabric to remote employees, ensuring that the security and performance policies of the office are maintained regardless of location. Their UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service) integration is also a key differentiator; by embedding communication tools directly into the software-defined network, they can guarantee crystal-clear voice and video quality through advanced Quality of Service (QoS) tagging that persists across their entire global footprint. This convergence of network, security, and voice into a single pane of glass provides a level of visibility and control that is difficult to replicate with disparate point solutions.
Ideal Customer Profile
The ideal Masergy customer typically fits the following profile:
- Company Size: Mid-market to large enterprises (typically $250M+ in revenue) with 10 to 500+ global locations.
- Industry: Particularly strong in Manufacturing, Finance, Healthcare, and Professional Services where uptime and security are non-negotiable.
- Technical Maturity: Organizations with a lean IT team that prefers a "Managed Service" or "Co-Managed" model rather than building a DIY network.
- Geographic Footprint: International or multi-regional operations that require consistent application performance across long distances.
- Budget: Premium-tier budget; Masergy is positioned as a high-value, high-performance solution rather than a low-cost commodity provider.
Best Fit
Masergy excels in the following scenarios:
- Global Mid-Market to Enterprise Operations: Companies with a distributed workforce across multiple continents that require a single, high-performance backbone to ensure application consistency.
- Cloud-First Strategies: Organizations migrating heavily to AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud that need high-performance, private connectivity (Cloud Connect) rather than relying on the public internet.
- Co-Managed IT Environments: It is the best fit for IT teams that want to retain control over policy and visibility but want to offload the heavy lifting of network monitoring, carrier management, and security patching to a managed service provider.
- Security-Conscious SD-WAN Needs: Businesses that do not want to manage separate networking and security stacks; Masergy’s integrated SASE approach is ideal for those requiring built-in firewall, IDS/IPS, and threat monitoring.
Offerings
Masergy categorizes its offerings into three main solution areas:
- Managed SD-WAN: Available in several tiers, from basic internet-based SD-WAN to "Premium" SD-WAN utilizing their global private backbone. Options include Co-managed or Fully Managed.
- Managed Security (SASE): A comprehensive suite including Managed Firewall, Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), and Managed Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR).
- Unified Communications (UCaaS): Fully hosted and managed communication services integrated with Cisco Webex or Microsoft Teams, backed by Masergy's network performance guarantees.
- Managed Managed Services: Includes 24/7 proactive monitoring, incident management, and professional design services.
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Introduction
Welcome to the Masergy Evaluation Guide. As organizations navigate the complexities of digital transformation, the convergence of networking and security—often referred to as SASE (Secure Access Service Edge)—has become a critical priority. Masergy, now a Comcast Business company, stands out as a pioneer in software-defined networking, offering a global high-performance network combined with embedded security and managed services.
This guide is designed to help IT leaders determine if Masergy’s Managed SD-WAN, Security, and Unified Communications solutions align with their organizational goals. You will learn about their unique "shadow IT" discovery tools, their global private backbone, and how their co-managed approach can alleviate the burden on internal IT teams. Whether you are looking to replace an aging MPLS network or secure a remote workforce, this guide provides the technical and business insights necessary for an informed decision.
Key Features
Masergy’s value proposition is built around three core pillars:
- Software-Defined Networking (SD-WAN):
- Global Private Backbone: A high-performance network with <1% packet loss, ensuring superior application performance for international sites.
- Dynamic Path Selection: Real-time routing of traffic based on application priority and circuit health.
- Integrated Security (SASE):
- Managed Firewall & IDS/IPS: Enterprise-grade security embedded directly into the network edge.
- Shadow IT Discovery: Unique visibility into unauthorized cloud application usage across the network.
- Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR): Managed security services that extend protection to the device level.
- AIOps & Visibility:
- Intelligent Control Tower: A single-pane-of-glass dashboard for managing SD-WAN, security, and UCaaS.
- AI-Powered Analytics: Proactive alerting and anomaly detection to identify network issues before they impact users.
- UCaaS & CCaaS:
- Optimized Voice/Video: Specialized routing to ensure high-quality communication via Microsoft Teams or Cisco Webex.
Use Cases
- Global Manufacturing Expansion: A manufacturer opening new plants in Southeast Asia and Europe uses Masergy’s private backbone to ensure their ERP system remains responsive across all locations, bypassing the volatility of the public internet.
- Hybrid Work Security: A financial services firm implements Masergy’s SASE solution to provide secure, high-speed access for remote employees while maintaining strict compliance and visibility into "Shadow IT" cloud usage.
- Retail Digital Transformation: A national retail chain uses Masergy SD-WAN to prioritize POS (Point of Sale) traffic over guest Wi-Fi, ensuring that transactions are never dropped during peak holiday shopping hours.
- Cloud Migration: A tech company moving its data center to Azure uses Masergy Cloud Connect to establish a private, 10Gbps link, reducing latency and egress costs compared to standard VPNs.
Pricing Models
Masergy typically employs a customized, contractual pricing model based on the following drivers:
- Site Connectivity: Costs are determined by the number of locations, the required bandwidth (Mbps/Gbps), and the type of local access (Fiber, Broadband, LTE).
- Service Tier: Pricing varies between "Managed" (Masergy handles everything) and "Co-managed" (customer shares configuration tasks) options.
- Security Features: Add-ons such as EDR, Managed Firewall, and CASB (Cloud Access Security Broker) increase the monthly recurring cost.
- Licensing: Per-user licensing for UCaaS/CCaaS seats.
- Contract Term: Standard enterprise terms are typically 36 to 60 months, with discounts for longer commitments.
- One-time Fees: Implementation, hardware shipping, and professional services fees apply at the start of the contract.
Technical Requirements
To deploy Masergy solutions, the following technical environment is generally required:
- Hardware: Masergy-provided Edge devices (versatile SD-WAN appliances) or certified third-party hardware (e.g., Fortinet, Silver Peak).
- Local Access: Reliable local loops (Fiber, Ethernet, or high-quality Broadband) at each site.
- Power & Cooling: Standard rack space with adequate power and cooling for edge appliances.
- Browser: Modern web browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge) for accessing the Intelligent Control Tower.
- Network Environment: Ability to support BGP or static routing for integration with the Masergy edge.
- Security Baseline: Existing security policies should be documented for translation into the Masergy SASE framework.
Business Requirements
To successfully adopt Masergy’s solutions, organizations should meet several business prerequisites:
- Strategic Alignment on Managed Services: Leadership must be comfortable with a co-managed or fully managed model rather than a DIY approach to networking.
- Process Readiness: Internal IT processes for incident management and change requests should be aligned with Masergy’s support portal to ensure seamless communication.
- Stakeholder Buy-in: Network, Security, and Cloud teams must collaborate, as Masergy’s SASE approach blurs the traditional lines between these silos.
- Training Availability: While Masergy manages the infrastructure, internal staff will need time to learn the Intelligent Control Tower for visibility and analytics.
- Site Readiness: For physical site deployments, local contacts must be identified for hardware installation and local circuit handoffs.
Implementation Timeline
A typical Masergy implementation follows these phases:
- Discovery & Design (2–4 weeks): Detailed site audits, bandwidth requirement analysis, and security policy mapping.
- Procurement & Provisioning (4–12 weeks): This phase is heavily dependent on local access circuit lead times. International sites can take longer. Masergy handles the carrier coordination.
- Configuration & Lab Testing (2 weeks): Building the SD-WAN edge configurations and security profiles in a staging environment.
- Deployment & Migration (Variable): Rolling out hardware to sites. Often done in waves (e.g., Pilot sites, then regional clusters).
- Training & Handover (1–2 weeks): Final walkthrough of the Control Tower and support protocols.
- Total Timeline: Most global deployments range from 3 to 6 months depending on the number of sites and local loop availability.
Support Options
Masergy is known for its "white-glove" service approach:
- 24/7 Global NOC & SOC: Round-the-clock technical support from Network and Security Operations Centers located across the globe.
- Dedicated Account Management: Enterprise customers are typically assigned a dedicated Account Manager and Technical Account Manager (TAM).
- Service Level Agreements (SLAs): Industry-leading SLAs including 100% in-sequence packet delivery and proactive credits for downtime.
- Masergy University: An online portal providing training modules for administrators and end-users.
- Professional Services: Available for complex migrations, network design, and security audits.
Integration Requirements
Masergy offers robust integration capabilities designed for the modern enterprise:
- Cloud Service Providers (CSPs): Pre-built, private connections to AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and IBM Cloud via Masergy Cloud Connect.
- SaaS Optimization: Direct peering and optimization for major SaaS platforms like Salesforce, Microsoft 365, and Zoom.
- APIs: RESTful APIs are available for exporting performance and security data into third-party SIEMs (like Splunk) or ITSM platforms (like ServiceNow).
- Unified Communications: Deep integration with Cisco Webex and Microsoft Teams for voice and video optimization.
- Interoperability: Ability to integrate with existing legacy MPLS circuits during a phased migration to SD-WAN.
Security & Compliance
Masergy is built for highly regulated industries and maintains a rigorous security posture:
- Certifications: SOC 2 Type II compliant, PCI DSS compliant, and HIPAA ready for healthcare environments.
- Security Operations Center (SOC): 24/7 managed threat monitoring and incident response provided by certified security analysts.
- Data Privacy: GDPR compliant with strict data residency controls for global traffic.
- Zero Trust Architecture: Support for Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) to ensure secure remote work.
- Identity Management: Integrations with major IdPs (Identity Providers) like Okta and Azure AD for secure access control.
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