Putting gear to the test

Network Optimization This newsletter is sponsored by Riverbed Technology Accelerating your mobile enterprise For mobile workers, corporate applications are slowed when accessed remotely. Join a live discussion August 23 at 11am PDT with Jess Leroy, Riverbed's Director of Product Management and Travis Klasna of JEO Consulting and learn about Riverbed's Steelhead Mobile product, which is designed to address mobile worker performance issues. Network World's Network Optimization Newsletter, 08/21/07 Putting gear to the test By Ann Bednarz We all know grocery shopping on an empty stomach and without a list in hand is dangerous if you expect to satisfy more than your immediate cravings. Likewise, shopping for network acceleration gear requires a clear understanding of current requirements as well as future expectations if you want to make a wise decision. To lend a hand, Network World last week published results of a seven-month test of WAN acceleration gear. I read the review by David Newman, president of Network Test in West Lake Village, Calif., and was reminded, once again, of the importance of knowing what it is you need before making a purchasing decision. While one product was named winner of our Clear Choice award -- Riverbed Technology’s Steelhead appliances -- for its top performance and reporting features, Newman singled out a number of products for excelling in particular areas. Network World LAN/WAN Buyer's Guide Find the right LAN/WAN products for your enterprise - fast. Our extensive database of detailed product information will help you quickly pinpoint what you need. With the side-by-side comparison tool you can evaluate product features and make the best decision for your enterprise. Click here to go to the Buyer's Guide now. For example, Blue Coat Systems’ SG appliances delivered solid HTTP and SSL optimization, while Cisco's Wide Area Application System (WAAS) provided excellent compression, traffic transparency and interoperability with other devices, according to Newman. Silver Peak Systems’ NX appliances, meanwhile, stood out for strong scalability and intuitive traffic reporting tools. “…all these devices deserve serious consideration,” Newman said. To decide which appliance could be a fit for your company, start by considering what’s most important in your network setting. The ability to speed bulk transfers might be critical if you’re conducting backups and disaster recovery processes over the WAN. Or, improving response time for revenue-generating applications might be a key priority. And don’t forget about interoperability. Acceleration devices need to coexist with firewalls, bandwidth mangers and routers performing QoS -- which may need to examine traffic contents. If an acceleration device alters or hides packet contents in order to speed up delivery, it can hamper other traffic-inspecting gear. Newman’s advice? “Grill vendors on whether or not their products will ‘blind’ other devices, such as firewalls or bandwidth mangers, that need to see packet contents,” he said. In a podcast interview with Network World’s Keith Shaw, Newman also offered some advice for enterprises that want to test WAN acceleration gear on their own. It’s no easy feat -- it took Newman and his team a great deal of effort to create an enterprise-caliber test bed representing a multiple-site WAN. (He explains the process in the podcast.) “I would encourage anyone testing in this area to try to model as closely as possible some of the following factors: How many links do you have? What speed are those links? What kind of delay and loss do you have on those links? Above all, what is your application mix?” Newman said. Lastly, for more information about choosing the right WAN acceleration gear, check out some tips in our buyer’s checklist.   What do you think? Post a comment on this newsletter

TODAY'S MOST-READ STORIES: 1. Skype outage continues, business users affected 2. The CD turns 25 and I'm getting old 3. Google/Viacom lawsuit takes hilarious turn 4. Aruba puts the squeeze on Cisco 5. 1.6M records stolen from Monster.com 6. Enterasys package secures VoIP systems 7. Could onshoring become the new offshoring? 8. Verizon turns another hose on fire flap 9. 10 claims that scare security pros 10. Cisco: Video, P2P use will double IP traffic MOST E-MAILED STORY: VoIP of the people

Contact the author: Ann Bednarz is an associate news editor at Network World responsible for editing daily news content. She previously covered enterprise applications, e-commerce and telework trends for Network World. E-mail Ann. This newsletter is sponsored by Riverbed Technology Accelerating your mobile enterprise For mobile workers, corporate applications are slowed when accessed remotely. Join a live discussion August 23 at 11am PDT with Jess Leroy, Riverbed's Director of Product Management and Travis Klasna of JEO Consulting and learn about Riverbed's Steelhead Mobile product, which is designed to address mobile worker performance issues. ARCHIVE Archive of the Network Optimization Newsletter. BONUS FEATURE IT PRODUCT RESEARCH AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Get detailed information on thousands of products, conduct side-by-side comparisons and read product test and review results with Network World’s IT Buyer’s Guides. Find the best solution faster than ever with over 100 distinct categories across the security, storage, management, wireless, infrastructure and convergence markets. Click here for details. PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE You've got the technology snapshot of your choice delivered to your inbox each day. Extend your knowledge with a print subscription to the Network World newsweekly, Apply here today. International subscribers, click here. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES To subscribe or unsubscribe to any Network World newsletter, change your e-mail address or contact us, click here. This message was sent to: networking.world@gmail.com. Please use this address when modifying your subscription. Advertising information: Write to Associate Publisher Online Susan Cardoza Network World, Inc., 118 Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772 Copyright Network World, Inc., 2007