MPLS Costing You an Arm and a Leg?

Mike Kelsen

Thinking about incorporating broadband into your company’s wide area network?

You should. Most enterprises are over-using multiprotocol lable switching (MPLS) (and therefore overpaying for connectivity). I mean, if you are running applications such as voice or video which require quality of service (QOS), then fine. But in my experience, many firms which have MPLS everywhere don’t actually need it everywhere. And if you don’t need it everywhere, then why pay the premium.

Instead, take a look at broadband. It’s always much cheaper than MPLS and may be an especially good fit for branch or small office locations which can tolerate lower service level agreements (SLA) (although cable is extremely reliable – certainly not “five 9’s” but not far behind). Plus, broadband gives you much higher bandwidth than your typical MPLS circuit and that bandwidth is uncapped.

In the end, the carriers certainly want you to roll-out MPLS everywhere. It is their flagship product and a significant driver of their earnings. Which is great for them. But do you really want to pay the price for a service in places where you may not actually need it? Check out broadband for your corporate WAN.