By: John Shepler

Traditionally, businesses have faced a trade-off between expensive, high-performance WAN bandwidth and affordable, but unreliable, low-performance options. While cable or DSL internet offers cost savings, their inconsistent performance can be problematic. Conversely, dedicated private lines or MPLS networks deliver reliability and performance at a premium cost. If only there were a solution to make the internet perform like an MPLS network at a fraction of the cost. Thanks to SDN, there is.

What SDN is All About

SDN, which stands for Software Defined Network, represents the forefront of telecommunications connectivity. You might also come across terms like Hybrid SDN or SDN-WAN, which highlight its ability to combine different network types. Let’s explore what these acronyms signify and how they can benefit you.

SDN distinguishes itself from conventional hardware-based networks, like those used for telephone systems and the internet backbone, by using software to control network behavior. Traditional IP networks rely on routers and switches to determine data paths, while MPLS networks utilize specialized label switches to create a fixed network structure.

In contrast, SDN shifts network intelligence from inflexible hardware to software. This software program dynamically manages the hardware components, determining how they route traffic in real-time. SDN-WAN specifically refers to a Wide Area Network managed by SDN principles. It can integrate internet connections, private lines, and MPLS networks into a single, virtual WAN.

What’s Holding Back The Internet?

The internet’s allure as a low-cost connectivity solution has been hard to resist, but it’s crucial to remember that it was never designed to replace dedicated circuit-switched networks. The internet’s strength lies in its ability to reliably deliver data packets, regardless of network hiccups. TCP/IP ensures data integrity but doesn’t guarantee delivery speed.

As a result, internet users often experience performance fluctuations that, while merely inconvenient for casual browsing, can severely impact businesses running cloud-based applications. Voice and video communication, in particular, suffer from network neutrality, which treats all data equally. This lack of prioritization means VoIP packets compete with large file transfers, leading to choppy conversations and dropped calls.

Making The Internet Great For Business

A closer examination reveals that most internet performance bottlenecks occur in “the last mile” connections, not the core network. Compromises made to keep connection costs down are often the culprit. For example, DSL and Cable, the most affordable broadband options, utilize shared bandwidth with varying upload and download speeds. This means users have little control over bandwidth availability, latency, packet loss, or overall reliability.

Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) offers a step up in reliability. Options like T1 lines, DS3 bandwidth, OCx SONET, Ethernet over Copper, and Fiber Optic Carrier Ethernet provide a more robust connection. However, this stability comes at a cost, often ranging from two to ten times that of basic broadband.

Where Do Private Lines and MPLS Fit In?

Building a private internet network using dedicated private lines offers the pinnacle of performance, with high bandwidth, low latency, minimal jitter and packet loss, and maximum availability. However, this approach becomes prohibitively expensive as distance and the number of locations increase. MPLS networks provide a cost-effective alternative by creating a private network between designated locations, offering better performance than the public internet at a lower cost than dedicated private lines.

Businesses often choose MPLS for communication between headquarters, branch offices, and data centers where performance is critical.

How SDN Mimics MPLS at Lower Cost

The performance of Cable Broadband solutions has drastically improved in recent years, with speeds of 100 Mbps or even 1 Gbps now available at affordable prices. However, the inherent variability of Cable, DSL, 4G Wireless, and the internet itself remains a concern.

SDN controllers address this issue by actively managing available connectivity resources. By utilizing multiple connection types, such as Cable broadband, DSL, 4G, Dedicated Internet access, private lines, and even satellite, SDN can dynamically route traffic based on real-time network conditions. It can even distribute traffic across multiple paths if a single optimal route isn’t available.

This approach allows SDN to prioritize critical applications like VoIP and video conferencing by routing them through higher-performance connections. Essentially, SDN creates classes of service within your network, a feature absent in the public internet. This results in lower costs compared to an all-private network solution. Additionally, you gain the flexibility to connect to any location globally, including customers and suppliers, through the internet’s existing infrastructure.

If you suspect you’re overpaying for your wide area network, now is the perfect time to explore readily available, cost-effective SDN-based bandwidth solutions that align with your specific requirements.