Building Enterprise WAN Resilience with 5G
Downtime is expensive. For enterprises with distributed locations, a single fiber cut or broadband failure can bring operations to a halt. In this article, Shawn Tinsley of Dell Technologies and Dave Idle of Bigleaf Networks explain how enterprise WAN resilience with 5G is no longer optional—it’s essential.
Why 5G is reshaping enterprise WAN resilience
5G has advanced from being a secondary failover option to a core part of WAN design. Its speed rivals traditional broadband, and with intelligent routing, 5G can sustain critical applications even when fixed circuits fail. As Idle explains, bonding multiple circuits—including wireless—means the network never skips a beat.
Benefits of a resilient enterprise WAN with 5G
- Always-on uptime: Seamless session continuity during outages
- Application protection: Voice, point-of-sale, and IoT remain online
- Scalable design: Add circuits without major infrastructure projects
- Cost efficiency: Pay for the performance you need, not unused bandwidth
- Future readiness: AI and automation enhance reliability over time
“You don’t need a gig to run your business. Most companies only use a fraction of what they pay for. With 5G and dynamic failover, you can right-size bandwidth without losing resilience.” — Dave Idle
Real-world use cases for enterprise WAN resilience
- Retailers keeping point-of-sale systems online during fiber outages
- Construction firms managing hundreds of temporary sites without trenching lines
- Offshore operations relying on wireless when wired circuits aren’t feasible
- Multi-site businesses staying compliant when video and IoT systems must remain active
The future of enterprise WAN resilience
Enterprises are no longer asking if wireless can be trusted—they’re asking how quickly they can implement it. A WAN built with 5G and hybrid circuits ensures every application, from Teams calls to payment systems, keeps running. Combined with centralized monitoring, IT teams can oversee entire networks without rolling trucks.
Forward-thinking companies are proving that enterprise WAN resilience with 5G is both practical and profitable. By treating wireless as a foundation instead of a fallback, they are building networks that scale with business needs.
Explore more from this episode:
- Edge to Enterprise: Where Networks Drive Business
- Empowering Field and Offshore Teams with Wireless-First Tools
- Simplifying Multi-Site IT with Bigleaf Centralized Monitoring
- Go Beyond the Connection on Captivate
- Subscribe to the LinkedIn Newsletter
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