CATO Networks

SEPTEMBER 20, 2022

Most enterprises look at SD-WAN as an MPLS alternative , hoping to reduc e their MPLS connectivity costs. SD-WAN ROI Driver #1: Reducing MPLS Connectivity Costs Enterprises have long invested in managed MPLS services to connect locations. With SD-WAN, companies avoid consuming expensive MPLS capacity on Internet traffic.

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WAN MPLS SASE Firewall 52

CATO Networks

OCTOBER 30, 2017

The spread of massive ransomware outbreaks, such as NotPetya , made firewalling particularly important. Routers at every store directed point-of-sale (POS) traffic across the IPsec VPN to firewalls in the company’s Singapore datacenter housing its POS servers.

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WAN Firewall MPLS VPN 40

CATO Networks

MARCH 9, 2022

SD-WAN networks provide multiple benefits to organizations, especially when compared to MPLS. Last Mile Considerations SD-WAN provides organizations with flexibility and cost-efficiency compared to MPLS. Middle Mile Considerations MPLS provides predictability and stability throughout the middle mile.

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WAN MPLS SASE Firewall 52

CATO Networks

JUNE 4, 2017

As a result, SD-WAN adopters have remained chained to their MPLS services, paying exorbitant bandwidth fees just to deliver these core applications. Now a new kind of inexpensive, high-quality, SLA-backed backbone is emerging, one that allows companies to finally overcome their MPLS dependency. But that doesnt have to be the case.

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MPLS Internet Bandwidth WAN 52

CATO Networks

OCTOBER 2, 2017

SD-WAN Cost Savings Early marketing around SD-WAN technology pointed to the 90 percent cost difference between MPLS and Internet bandwidth costs. Cant Eliminate MPLS All too often, the cost savings of SD-WAN stem from the expectation of eliminating a carriers costly MPLS service. The reality is very different.

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WAN Wide Area Network MPLS Internet 52

CATO Networks

MARCH 20, 2018

MPLS networks have been the standard configuration for enterprise networks for years, providing predictability and availability. However dependable, MPLS comes with its own set of challenges, such as expensive connectivity and long deployment times. In fact with active/active configurations, SD-WAN can provide better uptime than MPLS.

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WAN MPLS Wide Area Network Network Security 52

NW Kings

JANUARY 7, 2025

In this blog, we will explore what static routes are, how they differ from dynamic routes, and how to configure them on routers like Cisco devices. This characteristic makes them efficient for routers with limited processing capabilities. NOTE : Join our Network Specialist Master’s Program today!

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Routers IP Address Protocol Topology 52

CATO Networks

MAY 16, 2018

Our 2018 survey included over 700 respondents from IT enterprises that currently run MPLS backbones. Forty-two percent said it reduced the cost of MPLS service. Anyone managing an MPLS network knows what a costly endeavor it is, and many are looking to SD-WAN to reduce the high monthly overhead MPLS presents.

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WAN MPLS Firewall Internet 52

CATO Networks

MARCH 27, 2019

Those seeing rising network costs typically purchase additional MPLS bandwidth from their existing WAN supplier(s). In this scenario, a 200-site organization using MPLS spends $3.476 million per year on network costs. They have not yet begun to deploy SD-WAN to add bandwidth, support real-time applications, and reduce WAN spend.

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WAN Bandwidth MPLS Networking 52

CATO Networks

OCTOBER 30, 2019

Routers forward these packets from source to destination and data encapsulation enables the data to traverse the TCP/IP stack. In many cases, the public Internet is too unreliable for the job and MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching) is too inflexible and expensive. Common causes of packet loss include: Routers with heavy CPU load.

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WAN Routers TCP Protocol 52

CATO Networks

FEBRUARY 27, 2017

Software-Defined Wide Area Networks (SD-WANs) promised to address the high costs, rigidity and limitations of private MPLS services. The Problem of MPLS Bandwidth costs remain the most obvious problem facing MPLS services. The Problem of MPLS Bandwidth costs remain the most obvious problem facing MPLS services.

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WAN MPLS Bandwidth Internet 52

CATO Networks

JULY 15, 2020

To achieve this Gartner outlined four characteristics an SD-WAN solution should include: The ability to replace legacy WAN routers and support multiple transport links such as MPLS, Internet, and LTE. Secure VPNs and the option to integrate additional network services such as firewall, WAN Optimization, and SWG.

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WAN SASE MPLS Network Security 52

CATO Networks

JANUARY 2, 2022

But whats particularly interesting for anyone moving away from a global MPLS network or otherwise looking at WAN transformation is the impact NaaS will have on evolving the enterprise backbone. Only by converging SASE with NaaS can companies eliminate costly, legacy MPLS services. But SASE alone cant replace MPLS.

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NaaS SASE WAN Networking 52

CATO Networks

MARCH 21, 2019

WAN transport considerations Many SD-WAN solutions are big proponents of augmenting or replacing MPLS circuits with broadband connectivity, says Kerravala. Its expensive and time-consuming for an engineer to visit branch locations around the globe to install firewalls and routers.

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WAN Firewall Internet Digital Transformation 52

CATO Networks

OCTOBER 9, 2017

It was designed for permanent, static locations connected via expensive, MPLS links. Here are some of the ways an SD-WAN can meet these mega drivers: Make the WAN more agile: SD-WAN enables IT to be more agile, deploying new locations and accommodating new business requests far faster than was possible with MPLS.

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WAN MPLS Internet Network Security 52

CATO Networks

APRIL 19, 2017

Examples include: Mission critical locations, such as datacenters or regional hubs, can be connected by active-active, dual homed fiber connections managed and monitor 24×7 by an external provider — and with a price tag that approaches MPLS. Redundant connections are whats needed.

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WAN MPLS Wide Area Network Firewall 40

CATO Networks

MARCH 19, 2018

SD-WAN isn’t built to improve security, but instead address the rigidity, capacity constraints, and high costs of MPLS. Software and cloud must form the core of the network We live in a world of appliances routers, SD-WAN, WAN optimization, and next-generation firewalls to name a few.

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WAN Network Security Firewall Internet 52

CATO Networks

AUGUST 22, 2023

Traditional WAN Overview WANs were designed to connect distributed corporate locations, traditionally, with WAN routers at each location. These WAN routers defined the network boundaries and routed traffic to the appropriate destination. Security: SD-WAN typically has basic security, so defense against advanced threats does not exist.

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WAN Bandwidth Data Centers Routers 52

CATO Networks

JANUARY 18, 2021

And 90 percent of the capabilities of routers, firewalls, and now, SD-WAN are common across vendors. SD-WAN appliances are products aimed at addressing a very particular problem the limitations of MPLS and legacy networks. The Internet is everywhere. Processing resources are ubiquitous in the cloud.

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WAN SASE Firewall Networking 52

Kentik

JULY 6, 2017

Carrier MPLS services are really expensive bandwidth. But the reality is that within most providers both MPLS VPN services and public Internet services ride on the same shared network infrastructure. This can be fairly easily solved with a firewall or SD-WAN appliance that creates IPSec tunnels between the sites.

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WAN MPLS IP Address Internet 40

CATO Networks

NOVEMBER 17, 2020

These were largely untouched by the cloud and dominated by appliance-based solutions (routers, firewalls, etc.). Customers were looking to move away from their MPLS networks and the backhauling of Internet traffic to a secure internet gateway at the datacenter.

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SASE WAN Internet Cloud 52

CATO Networks

NOVEMBER 19, 2019

Internet-based VPN gained popularity over the last decade in part as a lower-cost, albeit flawed, alternative to MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching). The upside here was simple: public Internet bandwidth is significantly cheaper than MPLS bandwidth. Enterprises can enforce policies down to the application and user level.

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VPN WAN Internet MPLS 40

CATO Networks

MARCH 5, 2017

As we discussed in our previous post, whereas with MPLS, networking teams had to wait weeks for new connections and days for bandwidth upgrades, SD-WANs use of DIA means new offices can be deployed in hours and days, and be reconfigured instantly. The secure networks performance and predictability rivals that of MPLS.

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WAN Networking Network Internet 52

CATO Networks

JULY 4, 2023

Putting this in traditional product category terms, a Cato SPACE includes the capabilities of global route optimization, WAN and cloud access acceleration, and security as a service with next-generation firewall, secure web gateway , next-gen anti-malware, and IPS.

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SASE Cloud Encryption Data Centers 52

Kentik

MAY 16, 2018

Many enterprises are replacing their fixed MPLS wide area networks (WANs) with virtualized software-defined WANs (SD-WANs) to reduce costs. Visibility -- Historically enterprise networks had a router/firewall connected to the WAN as a gateway. 5G and SDN Capabilities Intersect.

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