How AI will affect enterprise networks is a big subject that we’re tackling in a multi-part sequence. In these posts, we’re evaluating the overall price of possession (TCO) of a legacy MPLS community—one that also represents many multinationals’ WANs in 2025—to numerous hybrid or internet-first options designed to accommodate adjustments introduced by AI and cloud.
The community fashions we’re utilizing are powered by information yow will discover in our WAN Value Benchmark —a personalized platform that makes it simple to mannequin and monitor your WAN community prices. Stand up-to-speed with this deep-dive sequence within the earlier posts:
On this put up we’ll take a look at an enterprise that has taken the plunge to a full internet-first community. SD-WAN and particularly SASE have pushed many enterprises to maneuver fully or principally away from non-public networks and totally embrace the web for its price effectivity, cloud-directness, and best-in-region or best-in-breed-sourcing. Particularly as NaaS and on-demand community sourcing develop into a actuality, web will more and more be the primary selection of connectivity for a lot of enterprises.
This state of affairs removes MPLS in any respect websites aside from these in China and totally embraces DIA and enterprise broadband for the underlay. This permits the enterprise to spice up bandwidth considerably whereas making the most of the decrease price of web providers by way of SD-WAN administration of the community. These are the adjustments at every WAN website tier:
- DCs—Twin DIA ports.
- Tier 1—Twin active-active DIA ports with redundant entry the place relevant.
- Tier 2—Twin active-active DIA ports with redundant entry the place relevant, one DIA port and one enterprise broadband connection within the U.S., Western Europe, and some different aggressive ISP markets.
- Tier 3—Twin active-active DIA ports in most world markets, however one DIA port and one enterprise broadband connection within the U.S., Western Europe, and some different aggressive ISP markets.
- China is an exception to the principles, as we have now saved twin MPLS at these websites.
- All tiers—Primary Managed SD-WAN for the overall encrypted throughput of all underlay providers at every website.
This community continues to be considerably conservative within the sense that no workplace, even at Tier 3, is related solely by an ISP-direct enterprise broadband connection, however somewhat all places of work have at the very least one DIA port. We’ve got discovered that the majority enterprises are cautious of going all-broadband besides in areas with FTTx and really dependable ISPs.
Common Whole Bandwidth per Website in Every Subregion—Twin MPLS WAN vs. Web-First WAN
Be aware: Every bar represents the typical whole website bandwidth, together with a number of ports or underlay providers, throughout all websites within the listed subregion.
- We boosted bandwidth by a mean of 63% per website, which is on par with the rise within the excessive capability MPLS community.
Distribution of Whole Website Speeds—Web-First WAN
Be aware: Every part represents the share of whole website bandwidths that fall inside every bandwidth vary.
- Greater than half of the websites on this community have a complete website bandwidth above GigE (1,000 Mbps).
- Solely 6% are under FastE (100 Mbps).
Unique Twin MPLS and Web-First WAN Situation TCOs
Be aware: Every column represents the overall annual price of possession for that WAN state of affairs, damaged out by product in every coloration part. Our enterprise broadband costs are ISP-direct, so for this train we have now doubled them representing the markup for having a provider or aggregator supply them for the enterprise.
- After growing the typical obtainable bandwidth by 63%, the price of this community is about the identical as the unique Twin MPLS, going up solely about 5.5%.
- Native entry is the plurality of the price of the community at 39%, with DIA at 26%.
- The price of Primary Managed SD-WAN is pretty vital for this state of affairs–28%, given the big bandwidths for every workplace.
This state of affairs solutions the questions a lot of our WAN Value Benchmark prospects come to us with. “How can I:
- Modernize my community
- Undertake SD-WAN/SSE
- Enhance my bandwidth, and
- Enhance my cloud connectivity
. . . with out considerably growing my finances?”
Some enterprises prioritize chopping prices, however we extra generally see enterprise prospects use TeleGeography’s WAN Value Benchmark platform to arrange a extra resilient and higher performing, AI-ready community with out having to ask the c-suite for extra money. You possibly can get extra particulars and a video tour right here.
