Architectural design is a favorite hobby of mine, and I'm always thinking about space and how to maximize the meager square footage in my Minneapolis home. In fact, as this newsletter arrives in your inbox, I'll be on vacation, working to construct some finished space in the unfinished basement.

Spatial planning is always a concern for IT pros, too. There are only so many power-guzzling and heat-generating boxes that can be fit into data centers, server rooms and IT closets. The latest product from Packeteer addresses this issue, which can be particularly challenging in remote branch office environments.

Packeteer’s new WAN optimization appliance is geared for space-constrained sites, such as those found in government, military and retail environments, the company says. The PacketShaper 900 provides the compression and acceleration features of larger PacketShaper models, but in a small form-factor, energy-efficient package.

“Even in environments where space and power consumption are a factor, businesses and organizations still require full and powerful WAN optimization tools,” said Jim Metzler, an analyst at Ashton, Metzler & Associates, in a statement. “Military organizations with vehicles in the field, oil and gas manufacturers with mobile research labs, and even chain stores with kiosk or storefront locations are all examples where performance can't be sacrificed because of space or power limitations.”

In addition, the trend is going in this direction even in locations where space isn’t scare, Metzler said. Enterprises in the future will be looking to deploy small, power-smart WAN optimization appliances at all their sites, not just those where space or power resources are most constrained, he said.

Additional features of the PacketShaper 900 include performance monitoring and troubleshooting; QoS policy enforcement; application acceleration; support for multiple WAN connections; and fail-to-wire capability on both pairs of ports to support redundant WAN connections.

Packeteer also this week introduced the PacketShaper 900 Lite, which offers the same optimization technology as the PacketShaper 900, but reduces the number of traffic classes supported and some of the performance reports. Both models are supported by Packeteer’s central management and reporting platform, called IntelligenceCenter.

The PacketShaper 900 and 900 Lite are available now. Pricing begins at $3,250 for the 900 and $2,250 for the 900 Lite.

In related news from last week, hedge fund Elliott Associates and its affiliates made an unsolicited offer to buy Packeteer for $5.50 a share in cash, which represents a 42.5% premium over last Tuesday's closing stock price of $3.86. Elliott Associates’ offer values Packeteer at about $200 million. A copy of the offer letter sent from Elliot Associates to Packeteer is available on Packeteer’s Web site. 

Ann Bednarz is associate news editor at Network World.