Security, reliability and quality of service named most critical factors when evaluating networking solutions providers, according to CenturyLink report conducted by Spiceworks

MONROE, La., Dec. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Reliability, security and quality of service all rank above cost when evaluating networking solutions providers, states a new report released by CenturyLink, Inc. (NYSE: CTL). 

Conducted by Spiceworks, a professional network for IT, the CenturyLink-commissioned report surveyed U.S.-based IT professionals who have influence on their organizations' Ethernet, MPLS and SD-WAN purchase decisions. The survey gathered data around the challenges, benefits and drivers of utilizing these networking technologies. Noteworthy findings include:

• Nearly half of respondents preferred purchasing networking solutions as part of a bundled offering, as opposed to a single solution.
• Nearly three out of 10 respondents believe their organizations will require significantly more bandwidth in the next three years, and more than eight out of ten respondents said their organization will require more bandwidth.
• More than 70 percent of organizations using Ethernet and MPLS, and more than 60 percent using SD-WAN, are considering or evaluating vendors to assist with technology solutions.

"As IT professionals work to meet the increasingly complex technology demands of their organizations, they are looking to deploy versatile networks that can scale with company growth," said Eric Barrett, director of marketing, CenturyLink. "Regardless of the type of networking technology being utilized, reliability, security and quality are the driving factors when selecting a solutions provider."   

What IT professionals think of Ethernet
Businesses appreciate Ethernet because it delivers higher bandwidth and capacity to better manage data growth and application performance, as well as enhanced security. The report found that a majority of respondents deploy Ethernet for either Carrier (60 percent) or Metro (46 percent) solutions. When asked how their organization plans to utilize Ethernet in the future, respondents cited business-critical applications and workloads including email, database management, cloud-hosted services, big-data analytics and development/testing. While most current Ethernet solutions are used for local coverage, other connections ? such as Point-to-Multipoint and Multipoint-to-Multipoint ? are expected to increase.

What IT professionals think of MPLS
MPLS offers an advanced networking solution to businesses that want to create private WANs which deliver high performance, security and global reach over virtually any connection type, as well as improved bandwidth efficiency with routing and application prioritization. Respondents expressed confidence in MPLS's reliability and performance: 55 percent noted they are currently deploying MPLS solutions and 45 percent say they are considering MPLS. Additional findings include:

• Wider use cases are expected ? more than six out of 10 respondents anticipate the increased use of MPLS for cloud/hosted services (66 percent), databases (64 percent) and file sharing (61 percent) applications/workloads.
• MPLS's benefits include secure connectivity ? IT professionals currently researching or evaluating MPLS solutions to help with their increasing workloads cite the private, dedicated connectivity (67 percent) and enhanced security (62 percent) as critical factors.

What IT professionals think of SD-WAN
SD-WAN has become popular with geographically dispersed businesses such as retail and financial services because it enables administrators to better control network management with software, resulting in simplified deployment, centralized management and reduced costs. Key findings include:

• IT professionals named lower costs (47 percent), improved efficiency/productivity (44 percent) and increased innovation (30 percent) as the top three advantages they hope to achieve by deploying an SD-WAN solution. 
• Nearly half of respondents (45 percent) have already deployed SD-WAN solutions and 30 percent are anticipating a migration to SD-WAN within the next two years.
• More than one in three respondents are using or considering an all SD-WAN solution, rather than a hybrid solution that incorporates MPLS and SD-WAN.

Additional Resources

• Spiceworks Report: Ethernet, MPLS and SD-WAN: What Decision Makers Really Think
• CenturyLink SD-WAN
• CenturyLink Business Ethernet
• CenturyLink MPLS

About CenturyLink
CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL) is the second largest U.S. communications provider to global enterprise customers. With customers in more than 60 countries and an intense focus on the customer experience, CenturyLink strives to be the world's best networking company by solving customers' increased demand for reliable and secure connections. The company also serves as its customers' trusted partner, helping them manage increased network and IT complexity and providing managed network and cyber security solutions that help protect their business.

SOURCE CenturyLink, Inc.