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An in-road into WAN optimization

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CIOL Bureau
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BALI, INDONESIA: As the cloud pushes more of the data load on to the wide area infrastructure, WAN optimization technologies are becoming crucial components of enterprise infrastructure.

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The question is how to implement the most effective optimization platform at the lowest cost and with the least disruption to legacy platforms. Mark Urban, senior director, product marketing, BlueCoat Systems talk to CIOL about the transition in WAN optimization, BlueCoat's WAN optimization platform, challenges and future trends. Excerpts:

What will desktop virtualization mean for WAN optimization?

Mark: Desktop virtualization, as a concept, separates a personal computer desktop environment from a physical machine using a client—server model of computing. It is a real continuation of thin client. Yesterday's thin client is tomorrow's virtual desktop. Desktop virtualization presents two challenges for the wide area network. First, when the entire desktop is stored centrally and then transferred to the remote user upon logging in, there is a sizable amount of data that must be transferred. It is not uncommon for it to take 20 or 30 minutes each morning to get one’s desktop loaded and running.

WAN optimization can dramatically change this to, perhaps, less than a minute. Most of the data can be cached locally in the branch office.

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The second area of impact involves a real-time extension of the desktop from a central server. Rather than downloading the desktop locally, interactions are done in real-time. In this case, the real-time session must be protected to ensure that it is highly responsive and interactive. If not, each mouse click or keyboard entry will meet with a considerable delay that may render the technology useless.

Where does Blue Coat go beyond WAN optimization? How do you expand the scope of this business?

Mark: WAN optimization has changed in a fundamental way since its beginnings, and it continues to change. Originally, WAN optimization focused on accelerating branch office access to centrally stored files and email. Now the challenge also includes centrally run business-critical applications, 'Web-ified' applications, video, cloud-based services and applications and other Web content.

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It also involves managing everything else that consumes WAN bandwidth and creates contention or bottlenecks for mission-critical processes and communication. The Blue Coat solution for WAN optimization is architected from the ground up to meet the broader challenges of the WAN — from Oracle and SAP applications to live streaming video to email and file access.

Can you brief about your new protocol IPv6 WAN optimization solution?

Mark: Over the next decade, businesses and service providers will begin transitioning to IPv6 networks, since the last large blocks of IPv4 addresses have now been depleted. The transition will most likely occur in pieces — an office in one country that has to move to IPv6, a sub-network for wireless access within a large regional office and then an entire country, the transition.

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The most fundamental issue that they will face is how to access content, applications and services across IPv4 and IPv6 networks. Right now, a person on an IPv4 network cannot access IPv6 content or applications. The reverse is also true.

Blue Coat uniquely solves that issue transparently and automatically and eliminates the problem. Additionally, WAN optimization technologies do not work when they encounter IPv6 applications. Blue Coat has the only solution that enables those WAN optimization technologies to continue to work.

What are some of the ways WO can help enterprises leverage their investment in these kinds of advanced architectures?

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Mark: Now, WAN optimization is being seen as a strategic part of network architecture. Initially, WAN optimization was more of a bandage to address the performance consequences of removing file and email servers from branch offices and locating them centrally.

Now WAN optimization is the key to managing those lifelines between branch offices and data centers or headquarters. WAN optimization can be the means to enabling and scaling the use of video across the enterprise. It can be the key to embracing new Web-based applications and services. It even allows companies to use the Internet as the WAN.

As more applications are ported over to the cloud, will that put more pressure on optimization providers like BlueCoat, Cisco, Juniper to build greater interoperability between their platforms?

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Mark: The real issue with the cloud is the public cloud where it is impossible or unfeasible to place a WAN optimization appliance. Here, a company’s WAN optimization appliance must be able to accelerate content and applications asymmetrically, with just that single appliance. Blue Coat is the only solution that can provide this capability.



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What are the true challenges faced in WAN optimization sector and how is BlueCoat addressing them?

Mark: The true challenges for WAN optimization exist between layers 5-7 of the network stack. Other networking equipment operate at the lower layers and focus on routing or transporting packets. It is not realistic to see these things come together.

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We have seen other WAN optimization vendors open up 'real estate' on their appliance to run other applications. It is a crazy model that is incredibly expensive and presents excessive management headaches and is highly inflexible.

Blue Coat has incorporated video, Web and security features at the architectural level, so that it is all the same system that is managed in an integrated fashion, with the same policy environment and understanding of its hardware environment.

For instance, our WAN optimization appliance caches on-demand video and can stream-split live video. It is not a separate product or module, but something that is fully integrated.

In addition, Blue Coat took the approach of virtualizing our hardware appliance so that it can run on an industry-standard server in a branch office along with whatever else the customer needs to run there - Windows server, local applications, etc.

What new applications are being offered in network application delivery?

Mark: Applications continue to evolve and new ones come up all the time. Some of the biggest trends we have seen are the movement towards a web-based file system. Also the use of live and on-demand video is growing quickly.

What key challenges are your customers facing in the area of application delivery?

Mark: The essential challenge is how to ensure that business processes and communication run effectively regardless of location. The WAN is under tremendous pressure. There is a lot of Internet traffic coming across each WAN link with increasing amounts of video and other rich media. Web applications and other things pose challenges. Companies need to be able to manage their WAN and make sure business-critical traffic is fast, safe and responsive.

What will be the key areas in enterprise application in future?

Mark: We will continue to see a lot more emphasis on cloud-based applications, services and lot more adoption of video applications.

(The author was hosted by BlueCoat in Bali, Indonesia).

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