MPLS is a sturdy and proven IP networking solution, and while MPLS networks are not going to disappear anytime soon, software-defined WANs are steadily replacing MPLS extensions with more agile, less expensive approaches.

SD-WAN Doesn’t Go Far Enough

SD-WANs are taking off for all the right reasons. Management and security can be controlled centrally, operational complexity is dramatically reduced with centralized policy management, and the time to engineer, set up, and manage software defined networks is far less, particularly for new applications being introduced into enterprise environments.

But do SD-WANs go far enough when they do supplement then eventually replace MPLS and VPN networks?

The NetFoundry team believes enterprises can literally go farther – extending their networks to the application edge, leveraging the Internet to broaden connectivity in ways that private networks have been unable to achieve, whether MPLS, VPN or SD-WAN.

How does our platform turn the Internet into the foundation for fully private, fully secure, high performance networks, including networks built to support the exploding IoT industry?

With our patent-pending Internet overlay software that treats data in motion in a very new way, protecting that data while at the same time improving the speed and reliability of each session.

But more exciting that the technology are the natural benefits associated with “spinning up” private networks over the biggest and most resilient network in the world – the Internet!

How Our Customers & Partners Are Getting to the Benefits

First, our multicloud solution eliminates the time and pain of extending MPLS (directly or via ExpressRoute, Direct Connect, and so forth) to support new locations or new applications. One specific example is a project underway connecting contact centers to data centers for a real time natural voice application supporting AI and bots. A specific, tailor made network makes it possible to support this application specifically, unimpeded by other traffic, for crystal clear sound quality and super-fast processing. For compliance, because this same network is extremely secure, healthcare, financial services and other “regulated conversations” go through audits with flying colors.

Second, a certain large percentage of the market, especially for IoT, will never even consider MPLS. To this segment, the only economic choice is VPN over Internet, which carries with it its own complications. While VPNs may work fine for non-mission-critical applications, for any IoT solution which cannot survive a DDoS attack or which cannot survive without 99.99999% uptime, NetFoundry networks out perform both MPLS and VPNs.

Third, developers and IT teams are increasingly recognizing that the success of applications depends on the quality, survivability, and security of the networks connecting them. Our very smart technology partners have discovered the value of developing IoT ecosystem stacks, for example, with NetFoundry at the bottom secure connectivity to anywhere layer.

“The network” can no longer be an afterthought! Instead of “defaulting” to MPLS or VPNs to secure the connections, it’s now possible to embed the network with the applications which, done well, dramatically enhances the user experience and overall value of that application.

Finally, NetFoundry is combining our technology for spinning up private networks over the Internet with a rich set of developer tools – API integrations that integrate seamlessy into solution stacks. This is not even remotely possibly in an MPLS or VPN environment. Over time, with the right UX, adapters, and APIs for these stacks, especially in developing ecosystems such as IoT, AR, and AI, this becomes even more important.

The industry is continuing to define the evolution and convergence of OT, IoT/IT, AI, and mobility, all which together are creating end to end flows and integrations which don’t exist today.

To look forward, think forward. Old network approaches simply cannot support new world solutions.

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