Network Architecture Decision & Governance Advisory

If you’re considering SD-WAN, carrier changes, managed network models, or new network architecture commitments, this advisory helps you make the high-impact architecture and commercial decisions with clear criteria, before resiliency assumptions, dependencies, and contracts become hard to unwind.

•  Clarify network requirements (sites, apps, traffic patterns, latency/jitter tolerance, segmentation, security constraints)
• Evaluate operating models (in-house vs managed, governance and decision rights, support and escalation posture)
• Compare architecture options (SD-WAN patterns, internet/MPLS mixes, cloud on-ramps, redundancy approaches)
• Assess resiliency tradeoffs (failover expectations, blast radius, recovery targets, monitoring boundaries)
• Analyze commercial implications (carrier structures, contract terms, exit clauses, dependency exposure, pricing drivers)
• Produce a decision package (criteria, scoring, tradeoffs, recommendation, sign-offs)

Bradley Partner supports SD-WAN and network infrastructure decisions at the decision stage, before architectures, platforms, carriers, or long-term contracts are selected. Engagements focus on evaluating network requirements, operating model implications, resiliency tradeoffs, and commercial structures while choices are still flexible,so organizations can commit to a path that balances long-term cost, performance, and dependency exposure.

Network decisions are often driven by performance pain or carrier narratives, but the most consequential risks happen earlier. Architecture assumptions, resiliency expectations, carrier dependencies, and contract structures are frequently locked in before requirements are fully defined—creating long-term cost and operational fragility.

Bradley Partner operates upstream of execution to help teams determine what must be decided, how network options should be compared, and which tradeoffs matter, before committing to platforms, carriers, or managed models.

• Network Architecture & Topology Decisions
• SD-WAN Platform Evaluation & Comparison
• Carrier, Transport & Connectivity Strategy
• Commercial Structure, Contract Terms & Cost Drivers
• Resiliency, Availability & Risk Considerations
• SD-WAN & Infrastructure Considerations in Cloud and Application Strategy
• Managed Network Services & Outsourcing Decisions

Across the SD-WAN and network infrastructure decision areas listed, Bradley Partner supports decision-stage choices before architectures are finalized, platforms are selected, carriers are committed, or long-term contracts are executed. The decision focus is to:

• Define the network intent: what the network must enable (apps, sites, performance, security/segmentation, cloud connectivity) and what “success” means for users and systems.
• Set explicit boundaries: what is in scope (edge, WAN, cloud on-ramps, monitoring boundaries), what is out of scope, and what requires executive sign-off before commitment.
• Validate prerequisites and constraints: site realities, traffic patterns, identity/security dependencies, cloud/application constraints, and timing factors that affect feasible options.
• Compare viable architecture paths: topology patterns, SD-WAN approaches, transport mixes, and managed vs internal models using decision-grade criteria—not carrier narratives.
• Surface tradeoffs and long-term exposure: understand resiliency expectations, dependency concentration, operational complexity, contract mechanics, and reversibility before commitments reduce flexibility.
• Establish governance posture: decision rights, exception handling, risk acceptance thresholds, documentation expectations, and auditability.

Engagements conclude with a decision-ready package leadership can approve and downstream teams can execute against, including:

• Decision inventory + decision rights (what must be decided, by whom, by when)
• Requirements + constraints brief (sites, apps, performance thresholds, segmentation/security needs, cloud connectivity)
• Architecture and topology decision set (viable patterns and the assumptions each requires)
• Options comparison + tradeoff matrix (platform, transport, managed model alternatives)
• Resiliency and dependency analysis (availability posture, failure expectations, single points of failure, vendor/carrier concentration)
• Commercial exposure summary (contract terms, pricing drivers, SLAs, renewals, exit constraints)
• Cloud and application alignment considerations (how network decisions support—or constrain—cloud/app strategy)
• Governance boundary language (ownership, approvals, hold/stop criteria, sign-offs)
• Executive recommendation with assumptions, accepted risks, and explicit “what must be true” conditions
• Sign-off artifacts for auditability (what was considered, what was rejected, and why)

*Manufacturer names are referenced to illustrate market coverage and comparison scope, not endorsement, delivery, or operational responsibility.