A Framework for Adoption of Software Defined Wide Area Networks (Sd-wan) Within the Enterprises in Kenya.

Abstract

The primary goal of this study is to formulating a framework that will assist Kenyan enterprises adopt the SD-WAN technology. To achieve this the study was guided by the following specific objectives: To investigate the influence of technology on the adoption of SD-WAN at the enterprise organizations in Kenya; To investigate the organizational issues on the adoption of SDWAN at the enterprise organization in Kenya; To investigate the environmental issues on adoption of SD-WAN at the enterprise organizations in Kenya and to formulate a framework that can be used as guideline for Kenyan enterprises to adopt SD-WAN technology. This study reviews four models that have been developed and used in earlier research to explain technology usage and behavior. These models are: Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Innovation Diffusion Theory (DOI), Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) Model and Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). A descriptive research design was used to obtain information concerning the current status of the problem. The target population of this study was the 64 enterprises listed on Nairobi Stock Exchange (NSE). The researcher used a questionnaire as the primary data collection instrument. After data collection, a thorough check will be done on the questionnaires before coding and entering the data in software (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) for analysis. The analysis of the respondent’s data showed that indeed technological factors do influence the adoption of SDWAN. These factors technological factors constituted, security concerns within their environment, the challenges they face with the current WAN, service reliability, network reliability, bandwidth limitations and the current network management. The study analyzed organizational factors to assess the influence of organizational factors on the adoption of SDWAN. These specific factors included support from top management by providing support in key decision making, size of the firm/organization and the change process in the firm. The most emphasized factors were the size of their organization and support from top management. The study concluded that there is a significant relationship between existing internal technologies within the organizations and the SDWAN technology and the existing internal technology influences adoption of SDWAN technology in organizations. The study finally concluded that competitive pressure significantly contributes the adoption of new technologies including SDWAN adoption and that there is a statistically significant relationship between external support and adoption of the SDWAN technology.