Are WANs increasingly shifting away from switched services?

The assertion that WANs are not increasingly shifting away from switched services is supported by the continued value and reliability that switched services provide for many organizations. Switched services, such as those utilizing technologies like MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching), still offer benefits like efficient bandwidth utilization, low latency, and enhanced performance for critical applications. These services are often preferred in enterprise environments where there are substantial demands for network quality and stability.

While there is a growing interest in alternative technologies, such as SD-WAN and Internet-based connections for WAN implementations, it does not indicate a wholesale departure from traditional switched services. Many businesses still find that switched services effectively meet their needs for secure, consistent, and managed data transmission. Consequently, the trend is not solely toward moving away from traditional switched services; rather, there is a landscape where both switched services and newer technologies coexist and serve different purposes depending on an organization’s specific requirements.