Secure Your Enterprise Edge with Graphene Networks Solutions

Welcome to the Comprehensive Evaluation Guide for Graphene Networks. In an era where the traditional corporate perimeter has dissolved, Graphene Networks provides a next-generation approach to Cloud-Native Networking and Security. This guide is designed for IT Directors, CISOs, and Network Architects who are tasked with simplifying their global connectivity while enhancing their security posture.

Graphene Networks specializes in converging SD-WAN, Global Private Backbones, and SASE into a unified 'Network-as-a-Service' (NaaS). As you navigate this guide, you will learn how Graphene addresses the latency issues of the public internet, the complexity of multi-cloud routing, and the necessity of Zero Trust architecture. By the end of this document, you will have the criteria needed to determine if Graphene is the right partner to modernize your enterprise infrastructure.

Graphene Networks delivers value through three core pillars:

1. Global Private Backbone (Performance)

• SLA-Backed Core: Bypasses the volatile public internet using a private, high-speed global middle mile.
• TCP Optimization: Built-in WAN optimization that accelerates application delivery, particularly for latency-sensitive SaaS like M365 and Salesforce.
• Dynamic Path Selection: Real-time steering of traffic based on jitter, packet loss, and latency across multiple transport links.

2. Converged Security (SASE)

• Cloud Firewall (FWaaS): Enterprise-grade, Layer 7 application-aware firewalling integrated into the network fabric.
• Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA): Replaces traditional VPNs with identity-aware access controls that verify every user and device.
• Secure Web Gateway (SWG): Protects users from web-based threats with URL filtering and SSL inspection at the edge.

3. Unified Orchestration (Agility)

• Single Pane of Glass: A centralized management console for configuring both networking and security policies globally.
• Real-Time Analytics: Deep visibility into application performance and security threats across the entire global estate.
• Zero-Touch Provisioning (ZTP): Ship hardware to remote sites and have them online in minutes without on-site IT expertise.

• Manufacturing Global Expansion: A mid-sized manufacturer used Graphene to connect new plants in Vietnam and Mexico to their US headquarters. By replacing MPLS with Graphene’s global backbone, they reduced latency by 40% and cut telecommunications costs by half.
• Financial Services ZTNA Adoption: A regional bank replaced their aging VPN infrastructure with Graphene’s ZTNA. This allowed their remote workforce to access internal applications securely without exposing the entire network, significantly reducing their attack surface.
• Retail Cloud-First Initiative: A national retail chain migrated their POS system to Azure. Graphene provided the high-availability cloud on-ramp, ensuring that even if a local ISP failed at a store, the POS remained connected via secondary LTE links with seamless failover.
• Professional Services Security Consolidation: A law firm with 15 offices used Graphene to consolidate fragmented firewalls into a single Cloud Firewall, simplifying compliance auditing and ensuring uniform security policies for all employees.

Graphene Networks typically utilizes a subscription-based 'As-a-Service' model. Key cost drivers include:

• Site-Based Licensing: Monthly recurring charges based on the number of physical locations (HQs, Branches, Data Centers).
• Bandwidth Tiers: Pricing scales based on the throughput required at each site (e.g., 100Mbps, 1Gbps, 10Gbps).
• Cloud Connectors: Flat fees for virtual instances within AWS/Azure/GCP.
• User Licenses: For ZTNA and remote access features, pricing is typically per-user, per-month.
• One-Time Costs: Includes hardware edge appliances (if not leased) and professional services for initial architectural design.
• Note: Significant cost offsets are often found by decommissioning legacy MPLS circuits and standalone security appliances.

To deploy Graphene Networks, the following technical environment is required:

• Edge Connectivity: At least one (ideally two for redundancy) commodity internet link (Fiber, Broadband, or LTE/5G) per site.
• Virtualization: For cloud or virtual deployments, support for VMware ESXi, KVM, or Hyper-V is required.
• Hardware: Graphene-branded edge appliances or certified white-box hardware for on-premise locations.
• Browser: Modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge) for access to the Graphene Orchestrator.
• MTU Considerations: Ability to support jumbo frames or adjust MTU settings on existing switches to accommodate tunnel encapsulation.

To successfully adopt Graphene Networks, organizations should meet the following prerequisites:

• Strategic Shift to Cloud: A clear organizational mandate to move workloads to the cloud or adopt hybrid-cloud architectures.
• Network Governance: A designated internal stakeholder (NetOps or SecOps lead) who can define global policy requirements, even if Graphene manages the execution.
• Change Management: Readiness to transition from legacy hardware-centric management (CLI-based) to policy-based orchestration via a centralized dashboard.
• Training: While Graphene is managed, internal IT staff should undergo 'Admin Training' to understand how to monitor the dashboard and interpret analytics for internal reporting.

A typical Graphene Networks implementation follows a 10-14 week trajectory:

• Phase 1: Discovery & Design (Weeks 1-3): Audit of existing network topology, application mapping, and security policy definition.
• Phase 2: Pilot/POC (Weeks 4-6): Deployment of Graphene edges at 2-3 representative sites (e.g., one HQ, one branch, one cloud VPC) to validate performance.
• Phase 3: Global Backbone Setup (Weeks 7-8): Configuration of the Graphene private core and cloud interconnects.
• Phase 4: Phased Migration (Weeks 9-12): Site-by-site rollout. Legacy circuits are typically kept in parallel for 2 weeks per site to ensure zero downtime.
• Phase 5: Optimization & Handover (Weeks 13-14): Fine-tuning of application steering policies and final training for the customer’s IT team.

Graphene offers tiered support packages tailored to enterprise needs:

• Standard Support: 8x5 technical assistance with access to the knowledge base and email support.
• Enterprise Support: 24/7/365 'Follow-the-Sun' support with guaranteed 1-hour response times for P1 incidents.
• Technical Account Manager (TAM): Available for premium tiers to provide quarterly business reviews, architectural guidance, and proactive optimization.
• Managed Services: A fully co-managed or fully-managed option where Graphene engineers handle all policy changes and monitoring.

Graphene Networks is designed for a 'plug-and-play' ecosystem:

• Cloud Connectors: Native API integrations with AWS Transit Gateway, Azure Virtual WAN, and Google Cloud Platform.
• Identity Providers (IdP): Deep integration with SAML 2.0 and OIDC providers like Okta, Azure AD, and Ping Identity for ZTNA enforcement.
• SIEM/SOAR: Export capabilities for NetFlow and security logs to Splunk, Datadog, or IBM QRadar via standard Syslog or API hooks.
• Legacy Interop: Support for standard BGP/OSPF routing protocols to ensure seamless communication with existing on-premise routers and switches during and after migration.

Security is foundational to Graphene's architecture:

• Certifications: SOC 2 Type II compliant; supports environments requiring HIPAA and PCI-DSS compliance.
• Encryption: All data in transit is encrypted using AES-256 with automated key rotation.
• Micro-segmentation: Ability to isolate network segments (e.g., Guest Wi-Fi vs. IOT vs. Production) at the software layer.
• Data Sovereignty: Granular control over where traffic is inspected and where logs are stored to comply with GDPR and local data residency laws.
• DDoS Protection: Built-in volumetric and protocol-based DDoS mitigation across the global backbone.