Optimizing the branch network

Network-optimization tools have become a necessity in most organizations, and particularly those with a virtual workforce that relies heavily on the network to maintain employee productivity.

There is no shortage of products to help with everything from enterprise-application acceleration, Web acceleration, bandwidth optimization, latency reduction, and route optimization.

Often, I talk to companies who run side-by-side trials of two or three vendor products for one to three months. The decision is clear: Whichever one performs best gets the business.

But there is another way to determine which product has superior performance for the issue you’re trying to solve. Take a look at WAN-emulation tools, such as those from Apposite Technologies, PacketStorm Networks, or Shunra, among several others. Basically, these tools let you create a network environment that addresses the problems you’re trying to solve with optimization.

For example, let’s say you’re planning to install a VoIP network. You can create a test environment that mirrors your network, and then injects the amount of voice traffic that your company would generate if it were using VoIP.

First, you can see where the problems exist: Where is circuit capacity too low, for example? Where do you need to upgrade or downgrade circuits? Then, you can test the network-optimization products to determine which one solves your main issue or issues. For example, if latency reduction is your biggest concern, you may select one vendor. But if bandwidth optimization is of paramount concern, you may select another vendor.

By using the testing tool, you’re getting a more realistic view of how network-optimization products will improve traffic not only based on today’s traffic, but more importantly based on applications you’re planning to add in the future. And that will go a long way in keeping the branch-office employees productive, using a top-performing network with predictable response times.