If you'd like some help in designing your MPLS networks, or just have some general questions not answered here in my MPLS tutorial, take my MPLS assessment to see if an MPLS WAN may be right for your company. click here to fill out the assessment form and we’ll send you what you need to get started.
So here we go for a deep dive into E-Dude’s MPLS WAN tutorial, I promise to keep it simple.
Multi Protocol Label Switching A.K.A. MPLS
What is MPLS and an MPLS WAN (Wide Area Network)? Essentially a fast packet data transport service that uses high speed switching architecture instead of the typical routers seen in most IP networks. Switching is faster than routing and can provide security more easily based on the MPLS protocol.
A number of business advantages here to MPLS WAN in a general sense:
MPLS is used to create cost effective, private Wide Area Networks (WANs)
It’s a lot faster and more secure than regular routed “public” IP networks like the internet.
It’s more secure than the public internet, because a “virtual” private network can be built just for your organization. This will be an unfettered, unencrypted private IP backbone between your locations. It’s a beauty to behold!
Since it’s a private network, we don’t have to configure and maintain traditional encryption based Virtual Private Networking (VPN) equipment anymore, and can also avoid the latency and delay inherent in this technology.
What is MPLS? -- It’s a “fully meshed” network topology meaning that all branches or locations on the network can reach or “talk” to any other (if that’s what you want - and you do if you're gonna do VoIP or video conferencing)
It’s relatively inexpensive when compared to other “private” IP facilities like private line or other point to point circuits.
When you were looking for info on an MPLS WAN it might be because you’re thinking about doing VoIP.
So here’s where the business VoIP phone service part comes in. VoIP loves all five of the items listed above! Yeah baby!
MPLS WANs were MADE for VoIP.
Like rum and coke, like hot dogs at the ball game. I mean this stuff is exactly what we need to make sure our VoIP (and video) is working great between our company locations.
In fact we could work long and hard, and spend A LOT of money to make a private IP backbone from private lines, and we wouldn’t come close to the cost effectiveness and quality of service capabilities of a properly designed MPLS WAN.
This is the crux of why businesses are migrating from private lines and older fast packet services like frame relay to MPLS in droves.
If you'd like some help in designing your MPLS network, let me know Feel free to take my MPLS WAN survey, it will help you see if MPLS is a good fit for your firm click here for the MPLS survey.
Or you can check with a Telecom Brokerage firm, a good one is The Telecom Broker he can help design your network and understand the options as well (don't forget to tell him E-Dude sent you!)
What is MPLS and When do we use MPLS?
Anytime we are spending a bunch of money on older technology like private lines or frame relay you’re right to ask what is MPLS?
When we have bunch of older VPN equipment deployed out there and it isn’t working for us, maybe we’re trying to do VoIP over the internet or we’re simply tired of paying all that money to maintain our VPNs.
Maybe we’re unsure if our data (and VoIP?) is really secure right now across our existing WAN (especially if using Internet VPN), think HIPAA and stuff like that.
Whenever needs arise that require a private IP backbone, like we want to do VoIP or we have real time video needs like conferencing or video streaming between locations.
Whenever we have very large data transport needs and don’t want to have to encrypt and un-encrypt all that data using traditional VPN, think large CAD or radiology files.
Whenever we find ourselves with two networking technologies being used simultaneously i.e.: VPN over the internet and maybe other stuff like private line or wireless for other applications, and we want to converge it all together on one network with scalability and QOS.
And the number one reason – to do business VoIP phone service, video conferencing and converge our voice and data needs, fire the phone company and erase ALL long distance toll charges between our branches. Yay!
A good comparative pricing tool for MPLS WAN is here don't forget to tell 'em E-Dude sent you!
WAIT there’s more! We get to implement on-net “extension dialing” so now LA can call London with a four digit number, transfer calls, conference calling, check voice mail, all for free, it’s fantastic!
How about using SIP trunks for the enterprise and consolidating all those PRIs, T1s and analog lines that are all over the place? Video conferencing? Unified Communications? (UC) It all becomes faster, better and slicker as well as easier with MPLS.
Don’t you love this VoIP MPLS stuff?
Let me know if you'd like some help in designing your MPLS WAN, take my MPLS assessment to see if MPLS may be right for your company. click here to fill out the assessment form and I'll get some ideas over to you.
If we can be of additional assistance please feel free to click the button below and get a hold of us, we will help you in any way possible.
The Diagram below shows a typical MPLS WAN with VoIP deployment using a premise based PBX
