Radware, ICT bolster WAN acceleration wares

Opinion

Oct 23, 20083 mins

* Afore Solutions targets data-center-to-data-center backup

It has been a busy few weeks for WAN optimization and application acceleration vendors. Among the highlights is Afore Solutions’ introduction of a network acceleration appliance designed to optimize data-center-to-data-center applications, such as storage backups and live migrations of virtual machines. Intelligent Compression Technologies, meanwhile, upgraded its software-based WAN optimization product, and Radware added to its lineup of upgradeable application acceleration appliances.

Here are some of the details:

Afore looks to speed data center backupsAfore last week unveiled its ASE3300 Network Optimization Appliance, which is designed to accelerate WAN links between data centers. In particular, the ASE3300 is aimed at helping companies optimize and secure connections between data centers for storage networking, virtualization and other enterprise applications. Among the ASE3300’s features are the ability to re-sequence out-of-order frames and recover dropped packets; tools for fragmenting large frames into smaller frames at Gigabit Ethernet rates; WAN encapsulation technology for tunneling aggregated LAN and SAN traffic across Metro Ethernet and IP/MPLS networks; and AES-256 bit network encryption. (For more details, check out my colleague Tim Greene’s story.) ICT tunes software approach to acceleration unveiled AcceleNet 3.4, the latest version of its all-software WAN optimizer and application accelerator. AcceleNet combines a data compression engine and security functions with transport optimization capabilities and application-specific protocol accelerators. The software model makes it cost-effective for companies to deploy AcceleNet not only for large offices but also for mobile workers, telecommuters and smaller offices, says ICT (which is a subsidiary of ViaSat). The new release features improved performance on initial and subsequent transfers of very large files, including medical images and CAD files; expanded support for SSL VPN environments; and encryption for data while it’s at rest (on the server), in motion during a transfer, and on a client PC.

Intelligent Compression Technologies (ICT)

Radware’s ADC grows as traffic climbsRadware’s newest application delivery controller embraces a pay-as-you-grow model for companies that don’t want to spend money boosting capacity until it’s needed. The company’s upgradeable OnDemand Switch 3 appliance offers throughput between 1Gbps and 16Gbps, depending on what’s needed. The newest addition to Radware’s OnDemand Switch family lets companies scale their throughput capacity and add application acceleration services as infrastructure requirements change. Adjustable application acceleration services include caching, TCP optimization, Web compression and SSL offloading. Radware also says it upped AppDirector’s performance-per-watt to help companies save on rack space, power and cooling loads.

NetworkingWAN OptimizationWAN

by Ann Bednarz

Executive Editor

Ann Bednarz is the executive editor of Network World. Ann is a longtime IT journalist and has spent 26 years writing and editing for Network World, where she has worked as a news reporter, managed product testing and reviews, and developed features and how-to articles for an audience of network professionals and data center managers. Over the last two years, she has conceived and edited award-winning content for Network World that includes 2025 Jesse H. Neal Award finalists, 2025 Azbee Award regional winners and national finalists, and 2024 Eddie & Ozzie Award finalists.

Ann holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture and spent the early part of her journalism career writing about architectural design and construction. In her free time, she keeps those skills alive through DIY projects.