Cogent SD WAN & Cybersecurity Solutions

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Cogent is known for their on-net 17 day SLA delivery of circuits.

Summary

Cogent SD WAN and Cybersecurity Solution: Comparisons, Review, Benefits, Use Cases, Pros & Cons

Author: Netify Research Team

If you have questions about Cogent and how their capability is aligned to your needs, email the Netify research team. UK: uk@netify.co.uk North America: northamerica@netify.com

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Review

Netify Review

Cogent’s solution is ideally suited for single to large multi-site enterprises that require global, dedicated bandwidth backed by strong SLAs. As an ethernet-based solution, per bit/byte costs, remain competitive whilst maintaining high bandwidth speeds. Cogent’s high-capacity IP network allows high-speed (up to 100Gbps) connectivity to extensive bandwidth connections whilst staying at a competitive price. Cogent provides services for corporate and net-centric businesses with a facilities-based network spanning: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa.

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About

About Cogent

Founded in 1999, Cogent is a network service provider headquartered in Washington, North America. They leverage their global Tier-1 optical IP backbone, which provides connectivity to over 48 countries with over 3,000 PoPs. Their offices are in North America, Canada, The Netherlands, Germany, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Spain, France, Sweden and Singapore. The company can cater for small-medium enterprises (SMEs) and large global corporations, as well as net-centric companies such as service providers. Cogent has been consistently ranked as one of the top 5 networks in the world. Cogent’s clients currently include 80 percent of the top 100 US law firms, top financial institutions and major stock exchanges. Cogent was ranked №1 amongst US competitive providers for Ethernet services in concurrent years between 2017 and 2020.

Cogent has announced a definitive agreement to acquire T-Mobile’s Wireline Business. The acquisition of the Wireline Business will allow Cogent to leverage the legacy Sprint US long-haul network as an owned network asset. It will complement and eventually function as a replacement for Cogent’s current leased network. This network change will allow Cogent to offer a broader product set to new and existing customers, expanding its product portfolio to include optical wave transport services. This acquisition will consist of more than 40 data centres and is expected to close in the second half of 2023.

Vendors

Who does Cogent use for SD WAN?

Netify have listed the SD WAN and SASE security vendors used by Cogent.

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EuropeAsiaAustraliaSouth AfricaUKNorth AmericaAfricaSD WANCo-managed SD WAN servicesInternet leased lineManaged SD WAN servicesMPLSSecurity and complianceIntegrationsWAN Edge infrastructureReporting and statistics (SD WAN)On-premises/Private cloudCompliance reportingDedicated Internet Access

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See all Cogent SD WAN & Cybersecurity Solutions Vendors

Pros & Cons

What are the pros and cons of Cogent SD WAN & Cybersecurity?

List of the pros and cons associated with Cogent SD WAN and cybersecurity.

Pros

  • Global Tier 1 Optical IP Backbone: Cogent offers high-quality services worldwide whilst keeping costs low. 
  • Fiber Optic connectivity: Direct fiber connection from the premises into Cogent’s network, providing high speeds. 
  • Reviews from customers addressing the level of support from IT services are consistently positive.

Cons

  • Cogent’s focus on fiber optic services means that other underlay options are often perceived as limited. 
  • Possible poor connectivity in non-metro areas, as Cogent’s backbone is focused in large cities.
Comparison

Comparison: Cogent vs Lumen SD WAN & security

Consider the points below to compare Cogent vs Lumen SD WAN and SASE security.

Cogent

  • Suited to single to large multi-site enterprises that require global, dedicated bandwidth backed by strong SLAs.
  • Global Tier 1 Optical IP Backbone.
  • 1,187 PoPs worldwide.
  • Cogent does not offer a SASE security solution. Instead, it is available via one of their vendor partners, such as Cisco Meraki.
  • Cogent leverages DIA and ethernet VPLS, to support their Global MPLS-enabled Tier-1 Optical IP Backbone.

Lumen

  • Lumen delivers SD WAN via partnerships with Versa Networks, VMware, VeloCloud, Cisco Meraki and Cisco Viptela.
  • Offer a large global network underlay infrastructure, making Lumen a viable option for large global enterprises.
  • Over 100 PoPs worldwide, thousands of Edges, and over 2,000 cloud gateways.
  • Lumen does not offer SASE; however, SASE security can be acquired through a third-party provider.

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Top 3 similar SD WAN Service Providers

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SD WAN

What is the Cogent SD WAN Solution?

Cogent’s SD WAN solution is primarily fiber optic and focuses on DIA and data transport via their Global Tier-1 Optical IP Backbone. However, they also offer connectivity to AWS via their partnership with CloudHelix (see: How does Cogent access Cloud vendors?) In addition to fiber optic DIA and cloud, Cogent offers VPLS connectivity using ethernet ports. Colocation services are available with 54 internet data centres plus 1,309 carrier-neutral data centres worldwide. They have 1,187 PoPs worldwide, which can connect to cloud services such as AWS (see: How does Cogent access Cloud vendors?). SD WAN overlay is available via Cogent vendor partners. There are several key features: 

Configuration-Based Key Features:

  • Integrated VPN and Internet/Cloud: Cogent route VPN, internet and cloud traffic via a common pipe, which is available with three classes of service.
  • Local Loop: Dedicated connection to the nearest Cogent PoP.
  • Cloud-Native: Clients can store data in the cloud, accessible via Cogent’s network.
  • Off-Net services: Cogent offers services to off-net premises (those without fiber installed).
  • Flexible Topology: Includes options for full mesh VPN, hub and spoke, or split tunnel.
  • Ethernet Port: Cogent will deliver an ethernet port to customer suites, creating a fiber optic connection direct into Cogent’s network. 

Security-Based Key Features:

  • IPsec: Cogent’s offering is fully encrypted with IPsec tunnelling (AES 128-bit). VPLS is optional, adding an encapsulation layer. 

Performance-Based Key Features:

  • High Speeds: 85% of line speed is available via Cogent DIA and Ethernet VPLS.
  • End-to-End Monitoring: offers constant monitoring via a cloud-based Portal to identify blackouts or brownouts before they happen. It also provides traffic analysis.
SASE

What is the Cogent SASE security solution?

Currently Cogent do not offer a SASE security solution, it is instead available via one of their vendor partners, such as Cisco Meraki.

Funding

Funding Rounds

02/2000$26M
07/2000$90M
2001$62M
2003$41M
Cloud Vendors

How does Cogent access cloud vendors?

Cogent provides the connection between CloudHelix and AWS, creating a hybrid cloud solution ideal for clients looking to replicate data between two private networks without the complexity of a VPN.

Cloud Access

Cloud Access

Amazon Web Services50
Cloudhelix50
WAN Acceleration and Optimization

Does Cogent offer WAN acceleration and optimization?

Cogent’s offering has multiple service classes and can support a throughput of 85% of total line speed. This solution leverages 1,309 carrier-neutral data centres to provide a symmetrical fiber internet connection. WAN is optimized and secured through IPSec/AES 128-bit encryption and VPLS encapsulation. VPN and Internet traffic are divided locally or via a hub due to split tunnel topology. The SD WAN topology is flexible and utilizes full mesh, hub and spoke or split tunnelling. Cogent’s ethernet services handle speeds from 100mbps to 1Gbps and offer support for electrical and optical ethernet ports.

Remote Users

How does Cogent support remote users?

Support for remote users is provisioned via third-party vendors, who often also provide an overlay solution to Cogent’s offering.

Managed, co-managed & DIY services

What is the Cogent managed, co-managed and DIY services solution? 

Cogent primarily provides internet access, data transport services, and colocation at their global data centres. The ability to offer DIY or Co-managed SD WAN should be discussed with a Cogent account manager, as this may require a third-party solution.

Services

Services

Managed30
Co-managed35
DIY35
Portal

What Reporting and Management is available via the Cogent Portal?

End-to-end network monitoring and traffic analysis are available via Cogent’s cloud-based monitoring portal.

Points of presence

Number of PoPs

Cogent1187
Lumen100
Service Level Agreement

What is the Cogent SLA?

Below is a table displaying the main focus points of the Cogent Service Level Agreement (SLA). 

Metric

Threshold

Network Availability 

100%

Installation Guarantee

 

On-Net

17 business days

Colocation

17 business days

Off-Net

90 business days

Notification of Outage

Within 15 minutes 

Network Latency

 

Intra-North America 

<45ms

Intra-Europe

<35ms

New York to London (Transatlantic)

<85ms

Los Angeles to Tokyo (Transpacific)

<140ms

Packet Delivery

99.9%

Frequently Asked Questions
Who does Cogent use for SD WAN?
What is the Cogent SD WAN architecture?
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Deployments

Deployment Region

Europe, Middle East and Africa40%
North America30%
Asia/Pacific20%
Latin America10%
Proposition Focus

Proposition Focus

Features2.2
SASE/Security2
Cloud2.1
SD WAN3
Focus

Other Focus

Remote users2
Simplicity10
Complex requirements6
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Geographic

Geographic Focus

EMEA40
APAC20
Americas40

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