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Today, the majority of Enterprise WAN’s are based on MPLS (Multi-Protocol Label Switching) connections. However, with the growing number of applications being delivered from the cloud combined with the need to enable direct-to-cloud communications, MPLS is no longer sufficiently performant or cost-effective. The need to increase streamline WAN infrastructure, combined with the interest for cheaper and simpler WAN, is driving SD-WAN adoption. The SD-WAN market is set to at least double in the next 3 years with 70% of companies interviewed planning to adopt SD-WAN in some form in the next 18 months, IDC reports. SD-WAN over DIA (Direct Internet Access) can fully replace existing MPLS, or a hybrid of MPLS and DIA can be leveraged. The leading motives cited driving the adoption for enterprises are price, security, visibility and reduced complexity. Couple these advantages with the other benefits SD-WAN can bring to your business and it becomes clear why MPLS networks are in decline year on year. Here are the top 4 reasons why SD-WAN will replace legacy MPLS connections: SD-WAN improves application and network performance Before the advent of the cloud, organisations needed only to be concerned with the performance of the applications hosted on their private networks and centralised data centres. Now that applications are moving to the cloud and are relying on the Internet to carry them to offices, MPLS can no longer deliver, which is turning businesses away. The Internet is a much better scaled network than it was a decade or even 5 years ago. Business-class high-speed Internet bandwidth with speeds up to and beyond 1Gbps are available and can be used for enterprise networks. Leveraging broadband Internet as an alternative to MPLS ensures network-wide predictable performance regardless of where the applications are hosted. SD-WAN ensures high availability with minimum downtime. When running over pure Internet bandwidth, the best way to maintain 99.99% availability is to utilise 2 links from 2 different providers in case of link failure. Additionally, SD-WAN enables you to measure jitter, latency and packet loss, routeing traffic to the best path available with the least amount of loss. If loss is still present on both links, solutions such as Silver Peak’s Path Conditioning will address the problem, ensuring exceptional performance, reliability and private-line-like performance over the public Internet. MPLS has a complex infrastructure It’s the management and orchestration of SD-WAN which gives it its competitive edge and differentiates it from other solutions. Legacy MPLS has a multitude of single-function devices and appliances connecting via different WAN links. This complex infrastructure proved to be prohibitively expensive and complex, both to implement and maintain. In contrast, broadband internet links are much quicker to provision and deploy. The plug-n-play concept and point-and-click provisioning of SD-WAN are its biggest unique selling points. Additionally, everything is GUI based which means that large and complex WAN’s can be managed more simply the ever before. Savings are substantial One of the biggest drivers of SD-WAN adoption, which accounts for 35% of all deployments, is the cost savings that can be derived. MPLS circuits are not only expensive to install and scale, but the cost of MPLS per Mbps can be up to 100 times the cost of Internet bandwidth. MPLS is priced anywhere between £30 and £60 per megabit per month compared to as little as £2 for broadband Internet. Companies surveyed in a recent IDC survey reported an estimate of at least 20% cost savings with SD-WAN. Security is improved Another motive accounting for a big part of SD-WAN deployments is the network security it provides. Historically MPLS has been considered a secure form of network connectivity as it uses private links and does not require encryption. However, the data travelling through the node is exposed and if anyone gains access to the wire outside the building, the data can be tapped. Similarly, recent events have called MPLS security into question and revealed that governments can easily tap and monitor these networks. On the other hand, SD-WAN predominantly uses DIA and since the Internet is a public and shared medium it represents an opportunity for attackers. However, security across the Internet can be ensured by utilising encryption and firewall level packet inspection used for security, reporting, and traffic prioritisation. Conclusion Substantial cost savings, improved performance, full network visibility, simplified management and consistent security are the top drivers for enterprises considering SD-WAN. Aside from these advantages there are other smaller benefits that SD-WAN has over MPLS including wider geographic availability, unmatched QoS as well as the fact that it is not datacentre-dependent. Due to the myriad of benefits it provides to businesses, SD-WAN has started to replace legacy MPLS networks and the trend is set to scale dramatically over the next few years. We hope this article has been of interest. If your company is considering ripping out and replacing your current MPLS network architecture, contact Solar Communications to find out more about how SD-WAN can support your needs.

With so much information coming out about the cloud and hosted business telephony it is easy to get inundated, but with the market showing the move is inevitable it is understandable for you to be asking yourself “How do I get on to the cloud?”

What is a disaster?

Disaster can strike in a number of ways:

Recent winter storms in the UK mean that many businesses have been caught out due to a lack of adequate disaster recovery planning. So what’s the lesson? Be prepared. Every year severe disruption caused by extreme weather events is becoming increasingly common, so it’s vital to plan accordingly. Reliable disaster recovery solutions can be affordable and easy to implement, so there’s no reason not to.

As organizations grow, they amass tons of tribal knowledge that often sits within documents, SharePoint sites and FAQ manuals. Not everyone is interested in everything and it becomes tricky to find the information quickly. This forces employees to switch context between applications or deal with the specialists / subject matter experts directly which causes frustration for both.

In Safe Hands with Wavenet – the Risktec Story. Risktec is a serious business. It’s a global, specialist, risk management and training company, and is part of the TÜV Rheinland Group. Working with major hazard industries such as the nuclear and gas and oil sectors. Its consultants assist clients in major hazard industries as well as commercial and public sectors to manage health, safety, security, environmental and business risk, and it does this all over the world. This includes the UK, the Middle East and North America. In fact, it works with some of the world’s most impressive companies; managing more than 3500 projects with more than 500 clients in 50 countries. We are proud to say it has chosen to work with Wavenet. A very challenging environment. As part of its role, the company has to develop a detailed reports to support its’ customers. It needs to create and deliver these efficiently and quickly, in various locations, across the globe. Its office technology must be as mobile as its consultants, allowing reports to be delivered and easy communications and collaborations between consultants and clients. Here’s the solution. ‘Wavenet provides a service which supports the technology that we use and meets the company’s needs allowing us flexibility and mobility,’ said Mel Davies IT Manager. ‘As a company that is growing and dynamic and mobile, the service that we needed was something that didn’t tie us down to something we constantly have to replace. There is no need to do that with Wavenet.’ Ricktec chose Wavenet based on a trusted relationship Mel had formed over many years with members of the Wavenet team. He had seen them forge a long and successful career working in the industry and, had proven to him before, that they could deliver on their promises. ‘No matter where I’ve been, these have always been the people that I could rely on,’ said Mel. ‘These people work at Wavenet.’ Working as a Risktec consultant himself, he has used the technology in the field and couldn’t be happier with his decision. ‘Wavenet has proven that it can meet those dynamic needs, can support us, and look after us,’ he said. ‘They deliver the service where we need it.’ IT Manager Mel Davis also works as a consultant so has first-hand knowledge of the benefits provided by working with Wavenet both as a consultant and delivering the services provided by them.

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