SD-WAN vs MPLS for multi-location businesses.
If your Ohio business has multiple locations on MPLS, you may be paying more than current quotes for the same sites would show. Here's how SD-WAN compares and whether it's the right move for you.
Rings Jonathan and the team 24x7.
400+ carriers and platforms, compared.
The short version
- MPLS was built before the cloud - your traffic still detours through headquarters.
- SD-WAN routes traffic straight to your apps over cheaper connections, with backup paths built in.
- Three or more locations and mostly cloud apps? Worth pricing out.
What MPLS Was Built For
MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching) was the gold standard for business WAN connectivity in the 2000s and early 2010s. It offered predictable performance, low latency, and reliable connections between offices. For the era, it worked well.
The problem: MPLS was built before cloud computing. All traffic had to flow back through a central hub - usually your HQ or data center - before going anywhere, including to cloud apps like Microsoft 365, Salesforce, or your ERP system.
Why That's a Problem Today
Today, most business applications are cloud-based. With MPLS, traffic from your branch office to Microsoft 365 has to travel branch to HQ data center to internet to Microsoft. That extra hop adds latency, slows performance, and adds cost for bandwidth you're paying for twice.
What SD-WAN Does Differently
SD-WAN uses software to intelligently route traffic across multiple connection types - fiber, broadband, 4G/5G - simultaneously.
Lower cost
Often less than comparable MPLS circuits. Compare against current quotes for the same sites.
Built-in redundancy
Backup paths kick in automatically if one connection drops.
Direct cloud routing
Cloud traffic goes straight to the cloud instead of detouring through HQ.
Centralized management
Manage every location's connection from one place.
Faster deployment
Live in days instead of months.
Is SD-WAN Right for Your Business?
SD-WAN is generally the right call if you have:
- 3+ locations
- Significant cloud application usage
- MPLS costs per location you have not checked against current quotes
- A need for better visibility and control across your WAN
Running MPLS and SD-WAN side by side
Most multi-site moves do not flip every location in one weekend. A safer path keeps the MPLS circuit up at each site until the SD-WAN edge has carried real traffic for a few weeks.
- Start with one small site and one large site so you see both ends of the load.
- Put voice on the SD-WAN path last, after jitter and loss have been measured during business hours.
- Check the MPLS notice period before you schedule anything, since many contracts need 60 to 90 days of written notice.
- Keep a second internet circuit from a different carrier at sites that cannot go down, so the SD-WAN has two real paths to choose from.
- Cancel MPLS site by site only after each one passes, not all at once.
Related
Why manufacturers are moving to private wireless.
Private LTE networks on the plant floor, and when they make sense.
Read →SecurityThe Cyber Threat Ohio Small Businesses Are Most Unprepared For
Ransomware gets the headlines. The threat most Ohio businesses are unprepared for is quieter: credential compr...
Read →ComplianceYour Cyber-Insurance Renewal Is Quietly Writing Your IT Roadmap
The 2026 renewal questionnaire reads like an IT project plan: MFA everywhere, EDR on every machine, tested bac...
Read →ComplianceThe 2026 HIPAA Security Rule Is a Network Problem for Ohio Medical Practices
The overhaul moving through OCR turns old addressable safeguards into hard mandates: encryption everywhere, MF...
Read →Let's scope it together.
Talk to the Buckeye team - the owner is involved in every engagement, and there's no advisory fee.
Book a call