The answer, according to many experts, is not a simple yes or no. There are caveats, but generally speaking, SD-WAN is a better all-around solution for your WAN connections. Here are a few reasons:

1. Increased performance – SD-WAN provides the ability to throttle lower-priority traffic and regulate traffic to ensure the fastest route possible. MPLS is static – you cannot adjust speed at will because there is usually only one connection.

2. Increased bandwidth – if you need more than 100M in bandwidth with MPLS, your bills will have the potential to skyrocket. The benefit of SD-WAN is you can aggregate multiple connections to experience fast Internet at a lower cost.

3. Increased uptime – Since you are aggregating ISP Internet and WAN connections at a single site, you can also set yourself up for proper redundancy planning across multiple circuits and service providers. MPLS is severely limited in this capacity, offering secondary failover only in certain circumstances.

4. Increased remote-site performance – Multi-location organizations are an ideal fit for SD-WAN simply because of their remoteness. Service providers will not service certain areas. With SD-WAN, you will not have to sacrifice service since it is agnostic to providers and delivers the same benefits regardless. This also means, in general, you are no longer limited by a specific Internet service provider. You can add or remove ISPs with ease, based on your service satisfaction.

5. Strength with users of the Cloud – If you are using cloud apps like Office 365, AWS or Azure, SD-WAN can help by keeping your apps connected even if you lose primary Internet connections. Other cloud benefits include reduced latency, packet loss, and more.

SD-WAN is objectively a more advanced networking solution for many modern IT organizations. If you think it’s time to make changes to your WAN setup, consider SD-WAN as a viable option. If you have multiple locations spread around the country (or world), SD-WAN is a no-brainer! Contact us for more information about how we approach and implement SD-WAN for your networks.