Best Practices for Enterprise WAN optimization

The growing number of

Enterprise data and rich media content is straining the capacity of LAN and WAN. However, it is very expensive for the WAN to accommodate these new requirements. This fact drives the emergence of a large number of new WAN optimization technologies.

These new technologies squeeze more capacity from WAN links by all means, such as eliminating redundant transmissions, segmenting data in the local cache, compressing and prioritizing data, and optimizing verbose protocols.

Market research firm IDC says these technologies can save tens of thousands of of billions of dollars per 100 users in terms of hardware, software, and bandwidth costs. At the same time, enterprises can reduce it operational costs and improve user productivity.

In use, the WAN optimization tool speeds up large amounts of data transfer to improve disaster recovery capabilities, improve response times for interactive applications such as databases, reduce bandwidth costs, and provide opportunities for centralized file storage and consolidation servers. Some analysts said the tools were able to increase link usage by 40% to 80% through caching and compression. This return on investment is obvious, coupled with the time and flexibility to choose WAN optimization instead of replacing the WAN.

users want to see the benefits of WAN optimization

for users who do not understand this technology, the benefits of WAN optimization are more pronounced. Users can experience:

• Faster file access: Because of caching technology, users who repeatedly use the same files can access those files more quickly because they need to store and extract new data instead of reloading the entire file.

• Increase the speed of multiple offices: WAN Solutions maximize the network speed of remote sites, speeding up file transfer and network-based communication, such as e-mail.

• Improve the performance of "unaffected" applications: applications that are not directly affected by a WAN optimization solution appear to run smoother or faster because the bandwidth previously used by other threads can now be used specifically for "unaffected" operations. For example, internet voice and streaming media applications will run more reliably.

• More reliable and faster data recovery: crashed servers and applications require a lot of time to recover. The ability to optimize network response time can enable users to quickly restore the ability to access critical applications, thereby improving office efficiency.

IT professionals need to understand WAN optimization

Wan optimization is only just beginning to prevail. As more it officials begin to view WAN optimization as an option, they must evaluate their current capabilities and systems to determine whether optimization is the right path for their business.

First, evaluate the network's goals and requirements to determine the composition of the traffic. Measuring the bandwidth of your network requiresAsk for and optimize whether you can release enough bandwidth to meet your needs. Determine if the network needs to store localized files, if the file cache is necessary, and to establish an acceptable redundancy. Other considerations include the need for each individual office, and the impact that optimization may have on business and growth plans over the next few years.

Once you have identified the needs of your network, you need to determine the size of the device that meets this requirement and have an upgraded choice. Optimizing equipment can meet the needs of any enterprise, from engineering companies to financial institutions to advertising agencies, whether the goal is to access large files or to have a large number of users.

Finally, implement an optimization solution. Although the WAN optimization solution is not complex, the integration of the WAN optimization solution is not as simple as a typical switch or router. They are high-end equipment that must be properly implemented to be effective. It is beneficial to seek the support of the manufacturer in the process of implementation. Many vendors offer a full installation.

You need to remember some best practices throughout the selection and implementation process:

• Determine what files and data types make up your traffic. User Datagram protocol files such as VoIP, Simple File transfer protocols, and IPTV protocols do not benefit from WAN optimization. However, TCP and universal Internet file systems, e-mail, and file transfers benefit most from WAN optimization and are the most common files.

• Test current network utilization and capabilities: Determine how long the remote office will take to download a file from the central office and whether the backup window between the data centers is too expensive. Determine if it is necessary to increase the bandwidth required to improve performance and reduce latency.

• Confirm that vendors understand network goals and requirements: This helps vendors to provide relevant and effective products and provide implementation technical support.

• Phased implementation of WAN optimization: take a phased approach to limiting the risk of the network, allowing testing and measuring the entire process. The phased approach also helps to find additional applications that may benefit from optimization.

• Develop a security policy: if there is no existing security policy, a security policy should be developed that explicitly describes the access and use rules of data and the processing of sensitive information.

Wan Optimization is an emerging technology that can help various types of enterprises improve the efficiency of their networks, improve performance, and reduce costs. Wide Area network optimization can also help enterprises enhance sustainable development capabilities, consolidate servers and data centers and reduce energy consumption and energy bills. WAN optimization is a worthwhile investment that generates the benefits of any chief information Officer endorsement.