Metro Ethernet can connect business local area networks (LANs) and individual end users to a wide area network (WAN) or to the Internet. Corporations, academic institutions and government agencies in large cities can use Metro Ethernet to connect branch campuses or offices to an intranet. A typical Metro Ethernet system has a star network or mesh network topology with individual routers or servers interconnected through cable or fiber optic media.
MPLS VPN is a family of methods for harnessing the power of Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) to create Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) on a private carrier backbone. MPLS is well suited to the task as it provides traffic isolation and differentiation without substantial overhead.
It is a highly scalable, protocol agnostic, data-carrying mechanism. In an MPLS network, data packets are assigned labels. Packet-forwarding decisions are made solely on the contents of this label, without the need to examine the packet itself.
Without a network, there is no need for equipment. And without equipment, there is no need for a network. That having been said, Network vendors recommend one solution and equipment vendors typically another. This leaves businesses having to decide which makes most sense (both operationally and economically). The answer usually is that they both do and our experience is to bring both together on your behalf and deliver the right solution that achieves your business goals and targets rather than another objective.