Advantages of Managed IP Services
Managed IP is a WAN or Wide Area Network service that is provided
and managed by a competitive carrier that owns and operates its
own IP network. A managed IP provider ensures that you have the
bandwidth and connectivity you need, without having to manage
the WAN yourself.
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.
Don't Frame Relay Networks Do The Same Thing as MPLS Networks?
They used to in a simpler way. Frame relay networks use small ATM cells rather than the modern IP network cores of MPLS networks, so they tend to be less efficient. Most carriers are shutting down their Frame Relay networks since the rise of MPLS. The newer MPLS networks tend to be designed for higher speeds to match today's business bandwidth needs.
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.
How MPLS Connections Are Defined
You specify the types of connections you want and the network provider sets up the label switching routers to provide this specific service. If you need to add locations or change the way you want to connect, there are no wiring changes that need to be made. The network provider will simply reprogram your service to meet your new specifications.