Taking stock of network conditions

Could you use a little help figuring out exactly what is going on in your network? Are you wondering why certain applications behave the way they do?

For companies just getting started on the WAN optimization path, a key first step is determining which application delivery issues are most pressing.

To help shed some light on the issue, Packeteer offers a free WAN performance evaluation. The evaluation makes use of Packeteer’s PacketShaper visibility and monitoring tools, which can discover network applications, identify “top talkers,” and reveal response time characteristics. For example, the evaluation will highlight the Top 10 applications running on a network, how much bandwidth each application is consuming, and how efficiently the network is performing.

“There are over 200 applications on the average enterprise network, and there are no silver bullet technologies that solve all problems,” says Mark Urban, director of product marketing at Packeteer. “The free WAN assessment lets us go in and figure out what’s happening on your network, and that provides you with information you can use in order to more effectively manage your network and application environment.”

In addition, the evaluation can help companies that are planning a significant infrastructure change, such as moving from an IP telephony pilot to a broad-scale rollout, Urban says. “Take a look at the pilot and see how it’s performing so you can plan for the broader set of issues you might encounter when you go from two sites to 100 sites,” he says. “You can anticipate how a change will impact the network rather than being caught flat-footed.”

Sounds useful to me. Sure, there’s obviously something in it for Packeteer and its resellers – namely access to companies with WAN performance concerns and to whom they can direct sales pitches. But there’s also value to IT executives who are looking to investigate network performance issues and possible remedies without breaking the bank.

Companies can register for Packeteer’s free WAN performance evaluation here.

Meanwhile, do you know about other WAN optimization-related freebies out there? I’d like to compile a list of free services or trial offerings to share with newsletter readers, so please send me any you know about. Thanks in advance for your help.