MPLS vs SD-WAN: Why SD-WAN is the Next Generation Solution for Modern Networks

1. Cost Efficiency

One of the most compelling reasons businesses are switching from MPLS to SD-WAN is the potential for significant cost savings.

MPLS Costs:
MPLS circuits are expensive to install and maintain, especially over long distances. They often require long-term contracts and come with high monthly costs.

SD-WAN Savings:
SD-WAN allows businesses to use a mix of internet connections, such as broadband, 4G/5G, or even satellite, instead of relying on expensive MPLS circuits. This flexibility results in lower costs, as organisations can use cheaper public internet connections while maintaining performance and security through intelligent traffic management.

2. Scalability and Flexibility

With modern networks growing in complexity, especially with the adoption of cloud services and remote working, businesses need a flexible solution.

MPLS Limitations:
MPLS is difficult to scale, as adding new sites or bandwidth requires lengthy provisioning times, hardware investments, and higher costs.

SD-WAN Scalability:
SD-WAN allows rapid deployment of new locations with minimal hardware. It’s also cloud-friendly, meaning that as your business grows, your network can adapt and scale effortlessly. SD-WAN’s centralised management makes it easy to configure, monitor, and secure even large, dispersed networks.

MPLS and the Cloud:
MPLS wasn’t designed with cloud connectivity in mind. Routing traffic from remote locations back to a centralised data centre can create latency and reduce application performance.

SD-WAN and the Cloud: :
SD-WAN optimises connectivity for cloud applications by dynamically routing traffic to the best available path, bypassing the need for backhauling to a central hub. This ensures lower latency, better application performance, and an improved end-user experience, making it ideal for businesses leveraging cloud services.

4. Enhanced Security

Security is a top priority for any organisation, and while MPLS offers private circuits, it does not inherently provide security features like encryption or firewall protection.

MPLS Security Limitations:
MPLS offers a level of security by virtue of being a private network, but it lacks integrated security features, requiring separate security appliances for encryption, firewalls, or intrusion detection.

SD-WAN Integrated Security:
SD-WAN solutions, especially those from vendors like Fortinet, come with built-in security features such as VPNs, encryption, next-generation firewalls, and advanced threat protection. This provides end-to-end security across both private and public networks, ensuring that data is protected no matter where it’s travelling.

5. Intelligent Traffic Routing

A crucial advantage of SD-WAN over MPLS is its ability to intelligently manage and route traffic based on application type, real-time network conditions, and business priorities.

MPLS Routing:
MPLS routes traffic over dedicated paths, offering predictable performance for specific applications but lacks the dynamic routing capabilities needed in today’s fast-moving environment.

SD-WAN’s Dynamic Path Selection:
SD-WAN dynamically routes traffic across multiple connections (broadband, MPLS, LTE) based on real-time network performance. It prioritises critical applications like VoIP or video conferencing to ensure smooth performance while using less expensive routes for non-critical traffic. This ensures high application performance and minimises latency, jitter, and packet loss.

6. Better Support for Remote Work

With the rise of remote and hybrid work environments, businesses require secure, high-performance connectivity for employees no matter where they are located.

MPLS and Remote Work:
MPLS is not designed to support the dynamic nature of remote work, and providing MPLS connections to remote employees is often impractical and costly.

SD-WAN for Remote Work:
SD-WAN easily extends secure, high-performance connectivity to remote workers by routing traffic over secure internet connections. Remote employees can securely access business applications from any location, improving productivity and user experience.

7. Single Pane of Glass Network Management

As networks become more complex with branch locations, cloud services, and remote users, simplifying management is crucial for IT teams.

MPLS Management:
MPLS requires manual configuration at each site, which increases the complexity of managing multiple locations, especially in global environments.

SD-WAN Centralised Control:
SD-WAN offers centralised management through a single dashboard, allowing IT teams to easily monitor and configure network traffic, implement security policies, and troubleshoot issues. This simplifies operations and reduces the need for on-site support.

8. Faster Deployment

MPLS Deployment:
Deploying MPLS circuits can be a slow process, often taking weeks or months, especially for new or remote locations.

SD-WAN Deployment:
SD-WAN is much faster to deploy, with many solutions allowing for near-instant provisioning using zero-touch configuration. This enables businesses to quickly bring new locations or remote offices online without waiting for physical infrastructure to be installed.#