
C H A P T E R
6
How IPsec Complements MPLS
When the idea of MPLS VPNs was first discussed, there was a strong notion of competition
between MPLS VPNs and IPsec VPNs. Many people voiced concern that MPLS VPN
technology does not add significant advantages over IPsec VPNs and, indeed, that it is
inferior in some respects: by default, MPLS VPNs do not provide confidentiality on the
network, for example.
Today, there is at least a strong market perception that MPLS VPNs are useful. Indeed, both
MPLS VPNs and IPsec VPNs have significant deployments, and that suggests that both
types have their benefits, albeit in different scenarios. The benefits of MPLS ...