MPLS has rewritten data networking as we know it. MPLS allows businesses of all sizes to realize the very significant benefits of network convergence and security while reducing inter-office/location networking costs. It is now a widely accepted networking standard and carrier service.
So what is MPLS?
PLS or “Multi-Protocol Label Switching” is a Wide Area Networking (WAN) protocol allowing the transfer of multiple different file types or traffic (voice, data, internet and video) over a secure, single or “converged” virtual private network. MPLS enables carriers to offer businesses the ability to control the quality of transmission and the prioritization of their different types of traffic. Furthermore MPLS provides carriers the ability to provide secure virtual private networks for each of their business customers at a fraction of the price of old ATM/Frame Relay networks and introduces extra layers of network redundancy that can be shared by all their business customers.
Carriers manage the quality of transmissions by establishing and maintaining “QoS” or Quality of Service targets for each of their business clients. Equally, through MPLS businesses are able to prioritize different types of traffic, for example, prioritize voice traffic over video, video over data and data over internet, or email traffic by assigning a different “CoS” or Class of Service for the different types of traffic.
Which businesses should be looking at MPLS?
Any business which currently maintains multiple separate networks for their voice, data and video needs, or any business with multiple locations are good candidates (particularly those whose locations are in different geographies).
Businesses maintaining multiple separate networks for their voice, data and video needs can now collapse all their networks together in a single converged network and use MPLS to then manage their traffic, both from location to location within the business and externally either to the internet or public switched telephone network. Reducing the number of networks naturally reduces the cost of cabling, but also significantly reduces the cost of managing and securing the multiple networks. Furthermore as larger bandwidth connectivity continues to fall in price, then relative to purchasing multitudes of lower bandwidth circuits, purchasing one larger circuit and then splitting the bandwidth dynamically across locations for multiple applications using MPLS, QoS and CoS reinforces a business’ savings to an even greater degree.
Businesses with multiple locations that have expensive “Many-to-Many” dedicated point-to-point networking connections between each location can now just make each location an MPLS “node”. By leveraging their carriers’ MPLS network they are then meshed “One-to-Many” with each of their other locations or MPLS nodes into their own private network. Networking costs can be dramatically reduced, particularly for those businesses with a large number of locations or for those businesses with locations very distant from one another, where using traditional ATM/Frame Relay circuits the mileage costs of point-to-point circuits become more significant.
In summary, MPLS is the new standard for business Wide Area Networking. It provides businesses of all sizes the ability to replace their multitude of different networks with a consolidated and much more cost effective and robust converged private network, while at the same time significantly reducing their networking costs. Businesses with multiple locations and/or multiple different networks should immediately look into the benefits of implementing MPLS across their entire organization.
Are you wanting to securely connect your offices or perhaps replace a clunky and unmanaged remote VPN arrangement currently connecting them? If you would like to explore what an MPLS network could do for your business then contact USA Voice & Data. By leveraging our free brokering services you can ensure you get the best rates for your MPLS network services. As an independent telecom services broker, USA Voice & Data not only guarantee the best prices, we can also help answer any questions you may have about the providers offering the service. Call us today at 312-604-3070, or email us at info@usavoicedata.com to get started.
