Many years ago when SD-WAN first came on the scene, many people believed that these solutions would quickly overtake MPLS as the leading technology serving small and medium-sized businesses as well as multi-site enterprises. While the transition was initially slow yet steady, in the last few years we’ve seen a meteoric rise in the popularity of this solution.
While there are many factors to consider in weighing the benefits of SD-WAN versus MPLS, the most important consideration should always be its impact on your staff, customers, and long-term company infrastructure.
IT leaders and other decision-makers can simplify their IT and create an easier and more productive environment for their staff by transitioning from MPLS to SD-WAN. Here’s how:
The Rise of SD-WAN
Although SD-WAN has been a known quantity for many years, it is skyrocketing in popularity right now due in large part to the shift from standard internet lines to fiber optic and 5G.1 These newer, faster, and more efficient internet lines offer more options than MPLS lines, allowing for the creation of custom architecture to help with connectivity, which in turn can spur on company-wide growth.
Globally, we’re seeing a huge rise in investments in digital transformation overall, with nearly $7 trillion2 expected to be spent between 2020 and 2023 to help companies prepare their technology for the new normal. While SD-WAN is just one aspect of this expected investment, it’s clear that many leaders are gravitating towards it as a central part of their technology strategy.
How SD-WAN Can Help Your Business
Over the past two years, we’ve seen time and again the benefits of agility and flexibility when it comes to network infrastructure. When your IT can scale with your business, it spurs productivity, boosting overall business growth. Not being able to support a remote workforce or having old and outdated network architecture can set you back and leave you vulnerable to ever-increasing network and bandwidth costs.
Fortunately, SD-WAN solves all these issues while ensuring overall cost savings that will help you maximize your IT budget. By decentralizing traffic management over a variety of network links, you can ensure that your system is both reliable and fail-safe, even when you operate multiple sites. It’s also easier to upgrade, which helps free up your IT team from ongoing, costly maintenance.
SD-WAN is also prized for its provider agnosticism, allowing you to choose the most convenient ISP instead of being limited to only a few options.
Migrating From MPLS to SD-WAN
Companies that are most successful with their SD-WAN integration are those that have worked to customize it to their needs, including security. While you can integrate basic security functionality into your SD-WAN after installation, it’s most effective when security is built into every level from day one.
Instead of putting this monumental task on your already overloaded IT team, get in touch with a company like TailWind which specializes in wireless network solutions designed for the unique needs of your business. We have more than 15 years of experience working in this field and can step in to help you manage every step of this process from design to installation.
Contact TailWind today to get help from our experts in making the important decision between SD-WAN and MPLS.