WAN Optimization Technology
Technology has grown tremendously in the recent few decades with its offshoots in all fields of business. Internet or Wide Area Network (WAN) has revolutionized the business scenario by facilitating a secure and flexible method for business operations. The increasing dependence on WANs necessitates a stable and redundant WAN infrastructure, which can be achieved through WAN optimization technology. Optimizing the Wide Area Networks can accelerate application performance and increase throughput levels. Employing WAN optimization technology over any type of access technology offers unmatched network and bandwidth scalability, application performance, and high availability.
Business productivity depends on application performance, making the latter a crucial aspect. There are frequent constraints due to WAN communication barriers, which are triggered by latency, inadequate bandwidth, application difference and limited WAN resources. WAN optimization and acceleration technologies are strategic tools that are focused on accelerating a broad range of protocols and applications across the WAN/Internet. Through using acceleration techniques that include specific protocol optimization, low level and intelligent bit wise compression, the network infrastructure is substantially accelerated. Enterprises that require faster and efficient WAN end user experience and optimal use of their network implement WAN optimization technology and related technologies. This ensures them with accelerated end user experience across the network, optimized bandwidth, faster connectivity to remote locations, and consolidation of resources and applications.
Companies are faced with many bottlenecks in operating business continuity and disaster recovery systems since data is transmitted through the WAN, where it is necessary to replicate the data from the currently functioning system and maintaining it in a backup system. Oftentimes it is challenging to ensure the communications or adequate bandwidth speed through the Wide Area Network that connects the currently operating and backup systems. These kinds of difficulties can be overcome by employing WAN optimization systems, which improves the WAN connections. Enterprise users use this technology to accelerate a wide range of applications through elimination of redundant transmissions, data compression, data prioritization, staging data in local caches, and streamlining data protocols such as Common Internet File System (CIFS).
The use of optimization technology in shared wide area network environments such as Internet Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) enables to avoid packet delivery issues. This is crucial to businesses that are transmitting business-critical data over the public network. WAN optimization technology encompasses component techniques including deduplication, CIFS proxy, Wide Area File Services (WAFS), Hypertext Transfer Protocol over SSL (HTTPS) Proxy, bandwidth management, Web caching, multicasting, and Forward Error Correction (FEC). The unique functions of these WAN optimization techniques would give an insight of what companies expect and how Corporate organizations implement them for efficient and continued operations.
Deduplication is the technique of eliminating redundant data transfer over the Wide Area Network, which is effected by sending references rather than the actual data. This is useful for IP applications as it works on the byte level. Compression is mostly suited for point-to-point leased lines. It depends on data patterns, which can be efficiently represented. Caching/Proxy will access the same data repeatedly and is reliant on human behavior. It is most suitable for point-to-point leased lines but can also be applicable for VPN tunnels and Internet connections. Connection Limits helps routers and access points to access through IP traffic that is caused due to denial of service. This is most suitable for open Internet access links, but can also be used on WAN links. Simple Rate Limits allows a single user to receive only a specified amount of data. It is beneficial for avoiding gridlocks in Internet connections or WAN links. The WAN optimization technique Protocol Spoofing is used for clustering multiple requests from communicative (chatty) applications into a single component. It is most suitable for point-to-point WAN links. Traffic Shaping is a technique where data usage is controlled and specific traffic is allowed or disallowed based on identifying specific data patterns. This is best suited for both Internet connections and point-to-point leased lines. Another good WAN optimization technology is Equalizing, where the immediate priority is determined based on data usage and estimating from the same. This is best suited for clogged VPN tunnels and wide open unregulated Internet connections.
Wide Area Network optimization technology is widely used by companies as they provide multifaceted benefits. It is capable of delivering centralized applications with the speed of Local Area Networks (LANs) to remote users, and also maintaining transparency and security in branch locations. Bandwidth usage can be optimized along with consolidation of expensive remote (branch) office servers, backup infrastructure, and storage into data centers. Through application of WAN optimization techniques, branch storage can be consolidated, thereby maximizing regulatory compliance and data protection. The branch or remote office backup applications can also be accelerated. In the network, application data flow visibility is increased.
This technology includes in scope traffic management methods (for prioritizing mission-critical applications during traffic peaks), TCP and protocol-specific acceleration algorithms (for minimizing network latency), Pre-fetch mechanism in file and object caching (for accelerating response time), Data reduction combined with protocol redundancy removal and compression (for improving network throughput). Data Redundancy Elimination (DRE) and Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) Flow Optimization (TFO) are two major benefits provided by using WAN optimization technology. DRE and compression together improve efficiency and eliminate unnecessary consumption of bandwidth. TFO technique improves performance level and efficiency in WAN environments through optimization of TCP.
The WAN marketplace is booming with technologies and technology gadgets of all kinds and suited for diverse specifications. WAN optimization solution suites are offered by premier technology vendors, which enable a stable WAN infrastructure. Basic constraints such as WAN latency can be substantially reduced once data is streamlines and supporting techniques are implemented. The future of WAN optimization management is one of integration of technologies with business policies, pattern-matching potentiality, automatic and correlated protocol analysis. As technology advances, the management complexities can be overcome easily and yield high performance in networks. The evolving technology market is also looking at integration of routing and WAN optimization technologies. IT managers are seeking to advance network capabilities through aggregation of different technologies, which is bound to boost network performance.
