Is SD-WAN out to kill MPLS?

Undoubtedly, no network technology is surrounded by more hype. Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) And many of them are natural.

A significant number of network professionals are in the process of deploying SD-WAN or based on a short term roadmap. This is because the SD-WAN architecture is optimized for cloud computing, while the legacy WAN was designed when client-server computing was the norm.

SD-WAN adoption is accelerating as teleworking moves more apps to the cloud.

Is SD-WAN an MPLS Killer?

The simple answer is no. In reality, the two technologies are complementary, so understanding how to use them to design a network that will offer the best price or performance and the best possible price is important. is.

Nevertheless, many SD-WAN providers position SD-WAN as an MPLS killer. This is because new technologies can use multiple broadband lines to connect branch offices. Papers from many vendor communities, especially start-ups, show that companies can do without traditional MPLS networks and save significant communication fees. It’s true that broadband lines are cheaper than MPLS, but that doesn’t mean MPLS has lost its purpose in corporate WANs.

Benefits of MPLS

MPLS (abbreviation for Multiprotocol Label Switching) is a network protocol that controls the flow of traffic between two locations. An MPLS network is a dedicated private network that uses advanced routing protocols to send different types of traffic over different paths through the network. For example, video and audio require low latency routes for better performance, but latency is not such an issue and typical internet traffic can take congested routes. The advantage of MPLS is that it guarantees fast and reliable parcel delivery, making it ideal for high-performance or real-time applications.

MPLS cost

The disadvantage of MPLS is its cost. This can be important for global long-distance connections.

One of the hallmarks of traditional MPLS networks is that they use an active-passive architecture. This means that enterprise customers have to buy two links but can only send traffic over the primary link unless they knock out completely. Only then is the traffic diverted via the passive link. To increase the reliability of the network, customers are effectively buying twice bandwidth on a single connection.

SD-WAN cost advantage

SD-WAN is an overlay on existing networks that may include MPLS but mostly use broadband for the last mile and then the Internet for the middle mile. This technology enables companies to use multiple network connections in an active-active architecture and send traffic in real time over the best, designated connections. The determinants include the sensitivity of the traffic delay, the time of day, the costs and the current status of individual connections.

Using Internet and broadband connections instead of MPLS is cheaper, more reliable, and more flexible because it provides multiple paths. Flexibility is due to the software-defined nature of SD-WAN, which separates the control aspects of the network from the hardware so that routing changes in the network are centrally managed and a fraction of the time it takes all the time. You can do it with. MPLS-WAN.

The potential benefits of SD-WAN include low cost, improved network reliability, and centralized management.

Disadvantages of SD-WAN

The disadvantage of SD-WAN is that application performance can be unpredictable if the network is built on broadband internet only. Broadband Internet performance fluctuates and is unpredictable. In this scenario, the multipathing capabilities of SD-WAN improve reliability, but application performance management can be difficult.

Latency comparison

When developing SD-WANs, long-distance MPLS connections are very expensive, and transoceanic connections often cost thousands of dollars compared to local broadband.

Organizations need to wonder whether the trade-off between cost and predictability is worthwhile. There isn’t a single right answer as every business is different, but for most businesses, certain apps may not work well with the unpredictability of broadband and internet and can pose a risk to the business. Examples are trading systems, real-time CAD programs, audio and video.

Difference in response time

I recently researched the difference in performance when connecting remote cities using MPLS and an internet connection. The average response time between Dallas, Texas and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates was around 50 ms for MPLS, compared to around 600 ms for the Internet.

Even more impressive is the volatility between the best and worst of times.

With MPLS, response times in Dallas and Dubai differ by 12% compared to 153% on the Internet. Similarly, from Dubai to Mumbai, MPLS is 15% different and the Internet is 212% different. Even with the transcontinental connection, there are significant differences in connections between San Jose, California and Washington, DC. The fluctuations are 5% for MPLS and 82% for the Internet. If the link length is reduced to about half the length of the United States, the variability difference is much less and all broadband WANs are simpler.

The problem with such a big difference is that it creates a situation where some applications may work well and others may work badly. This type of inconsistency can be very confusing as it can negatively impact app performance and productivity. Small businesses and local businesses can take advantage of the all-Internet WAN, and the link length of critical traffic is short enough not to significantly affect the user experience. But that doesn’t apply to national or global companies.

For these remote businesses, optimizing cost and performance requires using SD-WAN as the architecture to combine broadband, Internet and MPLS to create the best scenarios in both worlds. There are.

This can be achieved by using broadband for last mile connections and a combination of Internet and MPLS for long distance connections. Multiple broadband connections ensure a stable connection and your app can send over either MPLS or the internet depending on the required performance. Powerful, real-time, mission-critical apps are sent over MPLS, and best-effort traffic uses the Internet. This enables organizations to reduce the amount of money they spend on MPLS by sizing these lines to provide connectivity to only a subset of business applications that require a high-performance network.

MPLS savings often result in lower investments in the SD-WAN infrastructure. Therefore, with the right planning and preparation, companies can reduce the total cost of running their network.

The rise of SD-WAN begs the question of which is better, SD-WAN or MPLS. The answer is that both are used to solve a wide variety of problems. One does not replace the other. Rather, they complement each other.

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