What if You Could Software-Define MPLS?

What if your MPLS could:

• Be deployed in hours or days through one single provider?
• Provide seamless access to cloud and SaaS applications, along with private connectivity to the branch office or data center?
• Include WAN Optimization within the network, so that applications run faster and save on bandwidth over the network?

You would be able then to:

• Provide much greater flexibility when expanding operations and adding more offices no matter the geographical location
• Eliminate performance issues for all your cloud, SaaS, and on-premises applications for end users around the world
• Save millions of dollars spent on additional hardware and resources to maintain your network

Unfortunately, your MPLS can’t.

MPLS is difficult to deploy and has no flexibility. Trying to establish an MPLS link at a branch office can take months. And if you already have an established connection at your current location, but intend to move offices, you’re talking about long project times to receive the same level of connectivity. This problem gets compounded as your business expands globally, as there is no single global MPLS vendor.

MPLS cannot access cloud-based and SaaS applications. As global enterprises move their data and applications to cloud and SaaS environments, MPLS becomes obsolete. MPLS links are designed to connect into direct locations, not the cloud. Therefore, businesses are forced to work around these issues by backhauling cloud and SaaS applications through the data center. Unfortunately, this does not provide the reliability and performance end-users require to be productive.

MPLS does not include WAN Optimization. In order to achieve some consistent application performance through MPLS, WAN Optimization appliances are necessary at the edge of each network. This, in turn, adds additional investments in the form of hardware purchases and the IT resources needed to maintain them.

But what if you could software define MPLS?

If you could software define MPLS, here is what it would look like:

• You could deploy a private and secure network in a matter of days, and it could be scaled in minutes, with no capital expenditure.
• You could enable users to access cloud-based and SaaS applications with the same consistency as the data in their branch offices.
• You could layer additional networking technology within the network to simplify the infrastructure, provide faster performance, and offer complete network and application visibility.

And if MPLS were being designed today. Here are the components it would have:

• A Global Private Network: This would bypass the public Internet to provide MPLS-grade connectivity to deliver a consistent and reliable user experience. One single private network would also relieve an enterprise from having to manage MPLS contracts from tens of providers to create their network.
• WAN Optimization: This would speed up application performance for end users around the world and reduce the bandwidth used throughout the network.
• SD-WAN functionality: This provides more efficient path selection through the network along with reducing complexity and cost of the WAN as a whole.
• Cloud/SaaS Connectivity: The network would be able to integrate these applications into the network, providing faster and more efficient access compared to legacy networks.
• Speed of Deployment: Businesses could setup their enterprise WAN as fast as they could log onto the Internet.

And that’s what Aryaka has done. We’ve done the equivalent of software-defining MPLS and have been providing it as a service for nearly a decade. As a result, Aryaka’s Managed SD-WAN provides flexibility, reliability, application performance, and SaaS connectivity with the click of a button.

Software-defined to connect, accelerate, and scale as a fully managed service

Aryaka’s global SD-WAN was designed from the beginning to provide globally distributed enterprises fast, reliable, secure, and scalable connectivity, while also enabling users to achieve cloud-based and SaaS application acceleration from remote geographies around the world. Our focus has always been to deliver MPLS-grade connectivity in a software-defined infrastructure, that can deploy new sites and bandwidth in hours. Because we care about our customers’ performance, we provide best-in-class support to ensure they’re up and running no matter where they are in the world.

The requirements for today’s global enterprise WAN

MPLS served its function in days past: The ability to provide a clean and direct connection from one point to another was a great advantage for many businesses. Yet, to run a global enterprise in today’s world, you need:

• Private MPLS-grade connectivity that can be accessed through a simple Internet connection
• Efficient access to all applications, including cloud and SaaS, as if they were in the enterprise data center
• The ability to scale and deploy a network in days

When you mesh all three together, you have software defined MPLS-grade connectivity. In a nutshell, you have Aryaka Managed SD-WAN.

Software define your network. Sign up for a proof of concept of Aryaka’s Managed SD-WAN.

About the author

Ashwath Nagaraj

Ashwath is the Chief Technology Officer and one of the founders of Aryaka. He is responsible for building Aryaka’s vision and technology since its inception, and holds 17 patents in storage, security, architecture, and networking.