MPLS networks have long been the gold standard for businesses looking for reliable, secure data transfer. But with the emergence of Software-Defined Wide Area Networks (SD-WANs), many organizations are considering switching from MPLS to SD-WAN for their remote and cloud connectivity needs.
Cost Savings
The apparent advantage of transitioning from MPLS to SD-WAN is cost savings. MPLS has traditionally been expensive due to its dedicated line requirement, making it a poor fit for smaller businesses with limited budgets.
Since SD-WAN does not require dedicated lines, companies can save significantly on communication costs. Furthermore, because it relies on existing internet connections, there’s no need to pay extra setup fees or schedule lengthy installation appointments.
Improved Performance and Reliability
In addition to cost savings, another key benefit of transitioning from MPLS to SD-WAN is the improved performance and reliability. Users accessing cloud applications like Office 365 or Salesforce through an SD-WAN connection experience better performance than using an MPLS connection due to increased data throughput and reduced latency times.
This improved performance also extends to real-time applications such as videoconferencing and VoIP calls-users accessing these services over a quality SD-WAN connection will experience virtually no lag or latency issues during their session.
Moreover, since an SD-WAN leverages multiple links from multiple providers, it ensures that even if one of those connections fails, the others will continue working uninterruptedly-leading to higher reliability than a single link provided by an MPLS network.
Greater Flexibility
Another great benefit of using SD-WAN compared to MPLS is greater flexibility in terms of transmission methods and capabilities like bandwidth allocation and optimization based on application traffic patterns. This aspect is thanks to powerful edge devices that allow you easily control which type of traffic goes through each pipe at any given time, depending on your business policies or preferences.
Furthermore, as traffic patterns change over time, you can adjust individual link usage accordingly without having a technician come out and reconfigure things manually. This benefit also results in fewer outages due to manual errors or misconfigurations since all changes are managed right at the edge devices themselves.
Additionally, you can scale with ease when needed since provisioning new devices take minutes rather than weeks or months, like with traditional enterprise WANs.
Greater Security Protection
Finally, transitioning from an MPLS network to an SD-WAN provides greater security protection against malicious intrusions since most modern solutions come bundled with features such as Zero Trust Security frameworks that can detect suspicious activity.
This helps ensure that only legitimate traffic is allowed into your network, thus reducing the risk of attack and data loss due to unauthorized access attempts. Additionally, most solutions include built-in encryption technologies that protect confidential information.
At the same time, it gets transferred across the WAN, so you don’t have to worry about sensitive documents being leaked out accidentally or maliciously when traveling over public networks like the Internet, which may contain potential threats lurking around every corner just waiting for an opportunity to strike.
Conclusion
In conclusion, transitioning from an MPLS network to an SD-WAN offers cost savings thanks to lower monthly bills and improved performance and reliability. Its ability to leverage multiple simultaneous links for ultimate uptime ensures mission-critical applications continue running smoothly even in case one link fails.
Greater flexibility means you can quickly adjust bandwidth allocations according to changing user demands while also scaling up quickly when needed. The state-of-the-art security features help protect sensitive information during transit over public networks and private ones, which helps keep your company’s data safe from prying eyes.
All these advantages combined make switching from traditional enterprise WANS like MPLS towards more modern alternatives like Software Defined Networks such as SD-WAN more attractive than ever before.
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