If You Are Still on MPLS, You Are Paying Too Much!

April 18th, 2022 by admin

Two hands out-stretched, one on the left and another on the right, holding things made up of gears, one in the shape of a head a with a missing puzzle piece section and the other hand holding out the missing piece.

Does your organization have a vast network of computers or an IT department that needs to ensure all your company's computer networks run smoothly? Then there is a high chance you are using or have considered using a (Multi-Protocol Label Switching) MPLS system.

MPLS allows organizations that work on a large scale to improve their speed and efficiency. For example, previously, when people wanted to send a data packet from one place to another, their router first analyzed the data packet and then made complex decisions on how to send it to the other router. Upon receiving the data packet, the other router makes more complex calculations; therefore, the process of sending a data packet was time-consuming and tiring. However, when the MPLS technology arrived, it changed the game by providing shortest paths through labels instead of network addresses and made sure data packets were sent as fast as possible.

The MPLS technology indeed was fast and was a significant improvement for the IT industry; organizations large and small all started using it. However, after many years of its release, the technology, like all other past technology, isn't as effective as it used to be and has many disadvantages; moreover, it now has better, low cost, and outperforming alternatives.

What Exactly is an MPLS?

Designed to make the data transfer more effortless, the MPLS is a network layer that assigns labels to data packets and allows them to find the shortest way to the receiving end. In the seven-layer hierarchy of the OSI model, the MPLS is layer 2.5, which means that it lies exactly in between the data link and network link.

Lying in between the data and the network link, the MPLS works with both of them and carries IP packets between them using different IP protocols. With the MPLS, the data transfer between these two layers is much faster and more effective than traditional IP routing.

Disadvantages of the MPLS Technology:

While the MPLS technology for the longest time was the most effective and fastest way for data transfer in a network, with the arrival of more modern technologies such as the cloud, the MPLS has become outdated. In addition, it has many disadvantages that we have listed below.

Costly:

The MPLS can often be significantly costlier, especially when used on a large scale; the costs are high due to limited flexibility and the MPLS's geography limitations.
Late Deployment:

The MPLS, unlike modern network technologies, requires a lot of expertise and time to install correctly. Waiting time for multinational companies can sometimes go up to as much as 6 to 7 months.
Back Hauling Through Head Quarters:

While most modern network technologies are easily linked to the cloud, the MPLS is not built to be cloud-friendly; this means that while using MPLS, you will have to first backhaul the MPLS to your headquarters and then link it to the cloud instead of directly connecting to the cloud.
Increased Demand for Bandwidth:

As companies start to expand, they want to increase the capacity of their network, and for that, they have to increase their bandwidth; however, when using MPLS, increasing the bandwidth is quite costly and difficult.

A Cost-Effective Alternative for The MPLS Technology:

Now that you have understood that the MPLS is a technology of the past and has many significant disadvantages, ProTelesis, a leading internet technology company, has an excellent alternative, which allows you to switch and improve the efficiency of your organization easily.

This alternative is SD-WAN, which allows for the best end-to-end networking and even works effectively over large distances. In addition, the SD-WAN contains a large number of WAN links that will enable workers to be remote and work regardless of their location. With remote working being a trend, SD-WAN is an excellent investment for any organization.

Apart from providing an effective end-to-end network, SD-WAN also can track and monitor its WAN connections. Once the SD-WAN monitors its connections, it starts filtering and distributing traffic based on the capacity of the connections, thus increasing the overall speed and connectivity.

The SD-WAN, unlike the MPLS, simplifies configuring the network and provides an easier way for cloud-based management while also not requiring any additional costs and bandwidth, thus largely reducing costs.

Conclusion:

While the MPLS indeed was a great technology, it is a technology of the past. ProTelesis can offer a better and more cost-effective alternative with more complex operations and requirements at hand. Having worked with many leading companies, ProTelesis believes that an investment in increasing the speed of your network is an investment that will help your organization reach new heights, which is why the company has a dedicated team of individuals that will give you a network system that's going to outwork all others.

Tags: cloud, data networking, managed services