What Does MPLS Stand For?
MPLS stands for Multi-Protocol Switching Network. MPLS networks are privately owned "cloud" networks that use special tag switches and routers rather than IP addressing to determine source and destination. The multi-protocol aspect means that nearly any data protocol can be transported, making MPLS networks highly versatile.
What is a Service Level Agreement?
An SLA or Service Level Agreement is often part of the contract
between a business and telecom carrier for line or network services.The SLA spells out the expected availability
of the service and what penalties the carrier is liable for downtime or parameters out of spec.
When Should You Use VPLS?
VPLS might be the right service for your company or organization if you need to connect anywhere from a few to a few dozen locations as if they were on a single Local Area Network. Advantages of this approach, compared to a private network arrangement with individual point to point connections back to headquarters, include lower latency, higher efficiency, and lower cost... perhaps much lower cost.
Can MPLS Offer VPN Services?
MPLS networks are inherently virtually private because they are a privately operated network that can only be accessed by network customers. Security is enhanced by proprietary tag switching routers that don't use standard IP routing. Encryption can be added to further improve data security.
Why is QoS Important?
MPLS service providers offer QoS or quality of service to meet your business needs. That ensures that VoIP telephone and video streaming will get the bandwidth, latency and jitter characteristics they need for optimum performance.