Distributed networks are forcing enterprise IT shops to consider how application acceleration technologies will help them become more global in nature while still delivering applications to end users as though they were local. At least according to one industry watcher recently polled on the topic.

Juniper Networks recently sponsored a bit of research in conjunction with Gartner, which hashes out the challenges facing enterprise IT managers and perhaps the answers companies such as Juniper could provide as a result of its acquisitions of Peribit and Redline Networks.

In a recent Juniper Networks Webletter, Gartner Analyst Joe Skorupa addressed questions surrounding application acceleration. According to his responses, companies are relying more on branch offices and delivering applications via a browser rather than supporting client-server technologies in each location.

"Enterprises are moving toward secure delivery with VPN-based encrypted access, whether people are located inside or external to the company," Skorupa said during this Q&A. "There's a strong push to centralize servers and consolidate data centers - to pull servers and persistent data storage out of branch offices and centralize them in a small number of corporate data centers."

According to Skorupa, the key trends that should be driving the application acceleration market today involve consolidation of a different sort: technologies used to accelerate apps and optimize WANs need to be available in fewer products from fewer vendors.

"Point products are developed to solve a particular problem and are deployed as point solutions," Skorupa said. "Today, these technologies are being integrated, and through this integration, we get better performance, lower costs, ease of management, the ability to make the functions operate in a cooperative manner rather than fighting against each other."

What do you think? Are you waiting for more consolidated tools to invest in application acceleration? Do you think you should stick with the innovators in the market? Do you want to see your point product vendor incorporate more capabilities into their gear? Or are you hoping that your point product vendor gets acquired by the Junipers and Ciscos of the world? Let me know your thoughts at mailto:ddubie@nww.com

Ann Bednarz is associate news editor at Network World.