As a company grows in scale and operations, it reaches a point where it becomes a multi-location business. At this point, it is faced with technological challenges that are quite different from issues it faced when it was a smaller, centralized business.
One of these new problems is how to move information from one office quickly and securely through a Wide Area Network (WAN).
Adding to the complexity of this problem is the fact that this information-transference is not simply data, but data that converges with voice and video networks. What’s more, these networks must also offer Quality of Service. (QoS)--high quality calls and videos that don’t skip.
Why Ethernet Is Secure
Ethernet that traverses a metropolitan-wide local area network–called an Ethernet WAN--does not rely on routers for networking. Instead, it is a much more basic transport layer, one that creates point-to-point pathways using switches. Essentially what this means in plain English is that Ethernet technology is simply a long network cable. It can connect one office to another because a company’s Internet technology department builds its own Internet protocol network on top of the existing Ethernet network.
3 Advantages of Ethernet Platforms
There are three primary advantages of having a switch-based infrastructure rather than router-based ones like VPNs and MPLS.
First, an Ethernet network offers lower latency. Latency means the time a packet takes to travel from one point to another one in a network. It is a measurement of the speed of transmission. Since Ethernet is based on copper wire, the packets travel at a fast speed. Essentially, the lower the latency, the faster and more efficient the network when it comes to transmitting data. In real time business operations, where, say, financial transactions are being communicated, milliseconds do make a difference.
Second, a point-to-point architecture means that the information is secure. It is not transferred across the Internet where data could be intercepted.
Third, this type of network also offers dedicated bandwidth. The amount of bandwidth can even be customized to meet the demands of a specific task.
According to Dan Foster, President of Business Markets at MegaPath, a leading provider of managed data, voice, and security services in North America, "The SMB and enterprise markets are demanding more affordable ways to get high bandwidth and Ethernet is delivering a reliable and secure solution at a breakneck pace."
Conclusion
When considering what type of technology to use to connect one office to another across a wide area, a company has to ensure high-speed communication. One solution that has worked very well for innumerable companies, both medium and large, is Ethernet. While it is not the only platform—a WAN can also be supported by Virtual Private Network (VPN) or MultiProtocol Label Switching (MPLS) – Ethernet offers a higher level of security than the other two platforms. While VPN tunneling is often favored by multi-location companies, this is an economic decision rather than one based on maximizing security and efficacy. A VPN platform is lower in cost, but it does not offer the same level of security, quality of service, and speed as Ethernet.
Written by Jane Brown
