Tech Tips & Training: Enterprising MPLS

Thinking About Moving to an MPLS MAN or WAN?

Here Are Some Things to Consider.
Many enterprises that have relied on ATM or Frame Relay transport for their metropolitan-area networks (MANs), WANs, or both, are now exploring IP Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) for its flexibility and scalability. In some cases, the impetus comes from the service provider, who invites an enterprise customer to take advantage of the benefits of its core MPLS network. In other cases, the impetus is from the enterprise itself. In either instance, most IT departments report knowing less about MPLS as an enterprise tool than they would like, whether the enterprise is setting up an MPLS network itself or ensuring that an outsourced MPLS WAN meets its needs.

MPLS networks, incidentally, are just one alternative for MAN and WAN deployments. To date, most enterprises using IP across their WAN have chosen IP Security (IPSec), while others opt for multiple virtual routing and forwarding (VRF) segmentations or encrypted private connectivity. Like MPLS, each of these is a viable solution that depends on the needs of the enterprise (see sidebar, page 8).