Connecting to the cloud with MPLS VPNs

MPLS VPNs offer enterprises an option to connect their employees to cloud-based services quickly and securely. While cloud-based applications often come with a host of benefits compared to on-premises functions, ensuring employees have the connection they need is essential.

And of course, security is always a concern when it comes to anything relating to cloud services. That’s why your connections need to align with your efforts to protect your data and privacy.

Because of their private network characteristics, improved levels of connectivity, availability of infrastructure redundancy, capabilities for prioritizing traffic, and more, MPLS VPNs provide valuable speed and security upgrades to your enterprise.

MPLS VPN stands for Multiprotocol Label Switching Virtual Private Network. Rather than IP addresses, MPLS technology uses “labels” to direct network traffic more quickly. In conjunction, business VPNs provide encrypted protection when you connect to the internet.

MPLS VPN technology combines features of MPLS, such as enhanced speed, with aspects of VPNs, like improved security. The result is a diverse hybrid VPN network, often used to enhance business operations.

MPLS VPN configurations provide various benefits for businesses, from tighter privacy to enhanced functionality. While each upgrade stands on its own, the true benefits of MPLS VPNs come from combining them as part of your hybrid VPN infrastructure.

1. MPLS VPNs can offer improved performance and traffic control

MPLS VPNs help provide quality performance for cloud-based applications by enabling enterprises to prioritize certain types of traffic, a concept known as Class of Service (CoS).

This takes on added importance when you consider the sorts of applications that may be getting shifted to the cloud, everything from delay-sensitive Voice over IP (VoIP) traffic to enterprise applications like enterprise resource planning or sales force automation.

With CoS, enterprises can dictate which types of traffic are given priority, so they can avoid, for example, massive file transfers causing a hiccup in the CEO’s conference call.

2. More reliable and secure than the public internet

MPLS VPNs are carried over a single carrier’s network, not over the public internet. That sets the table for better reliability, because your business’ data transmissions won’t be subjected to competing traffic.

This function also offers an added level of network security compared to Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) VPNs. With MPLS VPNs, customers have the added assurance of knowing their traffic is never transmitted publicly. Instead, it remains within the confines of their carrier’s private virtual network.

3. Reduces bandwidth requirements

MPLS VPNs enable each site on the network to connect to every other site via a single connection to the MPLS network. This can significantly reduce the amount of bandwidth customers need, especially at their main headquarters and cloud provider sites.

Reduced bandwidth means your internet connection can handle more data at once, especially if connected to an ultra-fast fiber network designed to give you maximum speeds for videoconferencing, file-sharing, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and more.

4. Provides flexibility

Similar to how cloud services enable you to quickly add capacity on an as-needed basis, it’s far easier to add capacity to an MPLS VPN than with traditional carrier services. The combination of cloud services and MPLS VPNs can make the cloud seem like an extension of your premise-based network and services, creating what’s known as a “virtual private cloud.”

This combination of added security and capacity can prove essential when expanding your enterprise to include more cloud-based functions.

The AT&T VPN portfolio offers global networking services ranging from individual components to tailored end-to-end solutions. Don't settle for the benefits of VPNs or MPLS networks alone—combine them for upgraded performance and flexibility.

Interested in learning more? Contact your AT&T Business representative to find out how AT&T VPN Services and AT&T Cloud Services can provide the network and resources your business needs.

See how ultra-fast, reliable fiber, protected by built-in security, and 5G connectivity give you a new level of confidence in the possibilities of your network. Let our experts work with you to solve your challenges and accelerate outcomes. Your business deserves the AT&T Business difference—a new standard for networking.

This article was written by a former employee of AT&T Business. Edited by Zoya Cochran on January 14, 2026.