Chapter 2. Assessing Service Provider WAN Offerings

This chapter covers the following topics:

• Evaluating service provider VPN solutions to make them fit enterprise needs

• What to watch out for when reviewing service-level agreements

• Nontechnical issues to consider when comparing different service providers

• Services to consider for future use that may not be part of the initial deployment

This chapter advises and assists the enterprise network administrator in assessing and selecting service providers while matching their offerings to the enterprise's requirements. Appendix A, "Questions to Ask Your Provider Regarding Layer 3 IP/MPLS VPN Capability," lists a set of specific questions that you should ask providers competing for your WAN business. These broad concepts are the topic of this chapter.