A 500-member IT services delivery center spread across Gurugram, Bengaluru, and Pune was burning ₹14 lakh every month on multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) circuits. Despite this massive bandwidth expenditure, their engineering teams faced constant latency spikes when accessing AWS Mumbai instances, Microsoft Azure DevOps pipelines, and Jira cloud tools. The core problem? Legacy architecture backhauling all internet traffic through a central datacenter before sending it out to public cloud platforms.
When the firm shifted to a hybrid work model with 200 engineers logging in via VPN daily, the central firewall bottleneck choked completely. Bandwidth upgrades on MPLS circuits were quoted at exorbitant rates with 8-week provisioning delays. To resolve this, the network architecture team partnered with Positive Communication to replace their legacy MPLS network with Tata SD-WAN iFLX built on dynamic hybrid underlays.
The Legacy Problem: Hairpinning Traffic and Escalating MPLS Bills
Prior to WAN modernization, the IT firm relied on point-to-point MPLS links connecting branch offices back to their primary hub in Gurugram. Every SaaS tool, cloud instance, and video call had to travel through this central pipe—a design known in enterprise networking as 'hairpinning'.
This legacy topology created three critical operational bottlenecks:
- Cloud Latency Spikes: Developers pushing code to AWS experienced packet loss and delays of up to 90ms during peak business hours because public cloud traffic had to loop through the main datacenter inspection node.
- Work-from-Home Chaos: Remote engineers using legacy IPsec VPNs were routing their home broadband connections directly into the central head-end, saturating corporate internet access lines.
- Cost Inefficiency: MPLS bandwidth pricing per Mbps was 4x to 5x more expensive than commercial internet lines, making scalable cloud adoption financially unsustainable.
The Architecture: Designing Tata SD-WAN iFLX Solution
To eliminate backhauling while maintaining enterprise-grade security, Positive Communication designed a hybrid SD-WAN architecture leveraging Tata Tele Business Services (TTBS) SD-WAN iFLX. Instead of depending exclusively on high-cost MPLS lines, each delivery location was upgraded to a dual-underlay structure.
The primary pipe was set up using a high-performance 100 Mbps Tata Internet Leased Line for mission-critical core traffic, paired with a cost-effective secondary commercial broadband line. Centralized SD-WAN appliances at each office node continuously monitor circuit health, jitter, packet loss, and latency in real-time to steer traffic dynamically.
Direct Internet Breakout (DIB) was configured at the branch edge for trusted SaaS applications like AWS, Azure, Microsoft 365, and Zoom. Instead of traversing the core MPLS network, cloud traffic went directly from the branch router to the nearest cloud edge zone with end-to-end IPsec encryption.
Technical Comparison: Legacy MPLS vs. Tata SD-WAN iFLX
The operational shift transformed how bandwidth was utilized across all delivery centers. Below is a direct structural breakdown of the infrastructure before and after the Tata SD-WAN migration:
| Parameter | Legacy MPLS Setup | Tata SD-WAN iFLX Hybrid |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud Access Latency | 75ms – 90ms (Via Central DC Hairpin) | 14ms – 18ms (Direct Local Breakout) |
| Network Underlay | Single Proprietary MPLS Circuit | Hybrid (Tata ILL + Commercial Secondary) |
| Failover Switching | Manual or BGP slow convergence (30s+) | Sub-second automated packet steering (<1s) |
| Remote WFH Support | Overloaded VPN Concentrator at HQ | Integrated Secure Access Edge / Direct Cloud SSO |
| Monthly Network Spend | ₹14,00,000 / month | ₹8,10,000 / month (42% savings) |
Implementation Journey: Zero-Downtime Migration in 3 Weeks
Migrating a 500-person live engineering business requires absolute precision to avoid disrupting customer SLAs. The transition was executed in three distinct stages over 21 calendar days:
Stage 1: Site Survey & Hybrid Underlay Provisioning
Positive Communication conducted free on-site fiber path surveys across Gurugram, Bengaluru, and Pune offices. Tata ILL secondary links were provisioned in parallel to existing lines, ensuring zero disruption to live operational environments.
Stage 2: Centralized Policy Configuration & ZTP Deployment
Using Tata SD-WAN's Zero-Touch Provisioning (ZTP), central firewall and traffic management policies were pre-configured on the orchestrator. Devices sent to remote branch offices synced their security rules automatically upon plugging into internet links.
Stage 3: SaaS Traffic Offloading & Voice Integration
Cloud breakouts were enabled selectively. Traffic meant for AWS and Azure was offloaded to the Direct Internet Breakout paths first. Meanwhile, corporate voice traffic was integrated smoothly alongside cloud communication lines like Smartflo Cloud Telephony for seamless call routing across remote teams.
Business Impact: Speed, Reliability, and 42% Cost Savings
Within 30 days of complete cutover, the enterprise experienced drastic performance improvements. Developer deployment times on AWS decreased by 35% due to sub-20ms latency. The centralized orchestrator provided single-pane visibility over every application running across all three delivery locations.
Financially, replacing bloated MPLS links with SLA-backed Tata Leased Lines and broadband underlays reduced their recurring monthly WAN expenditure from ₹14 Lakhs to ₹8.1 Lakhs. The business recouped its hardware setup costs within five months of deployment.
For growing companies running remote teams or multi-city delivery hubs, switching from legacy routing to managed SD-WAN is no longer just a network upgrade—it is a core business advantage.
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💬 Free Quote Paayein →Frequently asked questions
Can Tata SD-WAN work over existing non-Tata broadband connections?
Yes. Tata SD-WAN iFLX is vendor-agnostic at the underlay layer. It can aggregate Tata Internet Leased Lines alongside third-party broadband, 4G/5G links, or existing MPLS lines into a single managed virtual network.
How does SD-WAN handle voice calls over secondary broadband lines?
Tata SD-WAN continuously checks line quality using forward error correction (FEC) and jitter buffering. If a secondary broadband line drops packets, real-time voice packets are duplicated or instantly re-routed to the primary SLA-backed Tata Leased Line without dropping the active call.
What is the typical deployment timeline for a 3-location SD-WAN setup?
With existing internet underlays in place, hardware deployment and Zero-Touch Provisioning (ZTP) take less than 3 to 5 business days. If fresh Tata Leased Lines are required, standard installation takes 7 to 10 working days including site surveys.