Pros and Cons Of MPLS Migration

When considering a migration to a MPLS data network from your current architecture .... plenty of info is available on the Web. Some resources are given below ... Bluntly, there is no one right answer, it depends on the requirements of your organization. A few questions you need to ask to arrive at the answer are ...

1. Do you plan to ramp up your network ... scale up the number of subscribers? If yes, this a good option. It allows optimum bandwidth usage and is flexible with T1, T3, satellite, and wireless connections. Huge networks can be managed with lesser number of labels for packet forwarding, such that they scale to corporate firm’s network expansion.

2. Cost savings? I am assuming yes for this one ... Depending on the types of applications, MPLS reduces costs by up to 25% over comparable point to point T1 links. With voice (VOIP - voice over internet protocol) and video traffic (video/web conferencing), savings can rise to as much as 40%.

3.Ensure QoS ... One of the main benefits of MPLS networks is the ability to support QoS/CoS, important for companies that run VOIP, videoconferencing, ERP, CRM, etc.

4. What is your budget ...? MPLS is not cheap. Work out your ROI

5. Security ... An improperly configured MPLS network is hard to troubleshoot and leaks user routes.

These were some random thoughts in no particular order. For more detailed discussion of the process you should go through I recommend that you read this article:

Tips on How to Migrate to a MPLS Network Architecture For Your Business