WAN optimization technology makes waves at Interop New York

Network Optimization This newsletter is sponsored by Symantec Stay ahead of stealth security threats Reduce the propagation of malicious code, lower your risk profile, provide greater network availability and much more with Symantec Network Access Control. Network World's Network Optimization Newsletter, 10/25/07 WAN optimization technology makes waves at Interop New York By Ann Bednarz WAN optimization players flocked to the East Coast this week for Interop New York, which wraps up Friday. Executives from companies including Blue Coat Systems, Cisco, Exinda Networks, Expand Networks, Ipanema Technologies, Packeteer, Riverbed Technology and Strangeloop Networks took part in the conference, sharing insights about emerging technologies and strategies for improving application performance over the wide area. The exposition floor at Interop New York -- which is about half the size of the flagship Las Vegas version of Interop -- also provided a backdrop for a slew of product unveilings. Here are some of the highlights: Executive Guide:Virtualization Meets Reality Virtualization is being used to make the most out of everything from applications and servers to desktops and storage. But as companies expand their reliance on the technology, challenges mount. Read this guide authored by a host of Network World editors and review this timely topic. Click Here for More Information * Riverbed tunes devices for disaster recovery jobs New software and hardware upgrades from Riverbed are aimed at enterprises that need to replicate large data loads between data centers (as opposed to between a branch office and data center). On the software side, Riverbed unveiled a new version of its RiOS software that includes features tailored for disaster recovery. For example, RiOS 4.1 can analyze the size and type of data to be transferred and tailor its acceleration techniques when it recognizes disaster recovery operations, such as data replication and backup jobs. On the hardware front, Riverbed announced a new Steelhead appliance geared for large-scale data transfers. With a raw capacity of seven terabytes and a three terabyte data store, the Steelhead appliance model 6120 has more than double the storage of previous Steelheads. * Coyote Point bolsters SMB offerings Coyote Point Systems unveiled new software for its Equalizer Series load balancing and acceleration appliances, which are designed to appeal in price and user-friendliness to small and midsize businesses, in particular. New features in Equalizer Series V8.0 include: availability improvements such as surge protection for servers and clusters, downed-server alerts, and software diagnosis capabilities; HTTP compression via Coyote Point’s Express HTTP content compression card, which is said to speed downloads fivefold; SSL encryption, offloading and acceleration via the XCEL II SSL accelerator card for Coyote Point’s x50si systems; greater support for Microsoft Outlook Web Access; and improved Web performance management via compatibility with Akamai-powered content distribution networks. The products also feature a revamped GUI, support for fine-grained permissions and new tools for configuring complex routing rules -- all aimed at making it easier for IT administrators to install, configure and maintain Equalizer systems. * Avistar demos hosted videoconferencing service Want employees to be able to make desktop videoconferencing calls without bringing the corporate network to its knees? Avistar Communications is positioning its new Hosted Video Services as an option for enterprises in need of a fast way to deploy desktop video communications and data sharing without having to install on-site video infrastructure. The subscription-based service includes bandwidth management and call routing capabilities to ensure that video traffic doesn’t impact other networked applications, Avistar says. For network connectivity, companies can link to an Avistar hosting center using a private line that supports encryption; an encrypted VPN tunnel over a partner IP network; or a company’s existing Internet connection combined with an Avistar-managed VPN gateway at the customer site. In the next newsletter I’ll cover another vendor that made headlines from Interop New York: Juniper Networks, which upgraded the security and management features in its WX and WXC application acceleration platforms.   What do you think? Post a comment on this newsletter

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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 Symantec Stay ahead of stealth security threats Reduce the propagation of malicious code, lower your risk profile, provide greater network availability and much more with Symantec Network Access Control. 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