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Scenario 3: WAN optimization for SaaS Based Solutions

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PCQ Bureau
New Update

Whenever you need an enterprise class software, such as MS Exchange for you

organization, you can either do the deployment in house or go to a service

provider who offers to host it for you. If you deploy it inhouse, then you'll

need manpower, purchase hardware servers, software license, and other costs like

the power and cooling, maintenance, space in the server room, etc. But in case

of the latter, you're not incurring any CapEx, just the OpEx.

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The latter scenario is called SAAS (Software as a Service), which can be

quite beneficial for enterprises in tough times. The software is hosted at some

service provider's data center, and is accessed over the Internet using a web

browser. A lot of business applications are available as a service today, and it

makes sense to explore them.

Alternately, an organization with enterprise-wide WAN links could also

explore web-enabling many of its core business applications and provide them to

users across all branches.

For instance, instead of having multiple databases sitting on servers in

different branch offices, the organization could host the same centrally and

provide access to it from a web browser.



Or, instead of having thick clients installed for the core insurance
application, an insurance company could host it centrally and provide browser

based access to all branches. This would save the security, maintenance, and

hardware costs incurred in data centers.

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Both scenarios would stress the organization's WAN links. So for this, WAN

accelerators could be deployed at the SaaS provider's setup or in the enterprise

data center. What's the benefit? Well, the service provider could target a wider

range of users.

For example, there is a growing set of users who access the Internet from

their mobile phones using GPRS. Currently, GPRS doesn't provide very good

bandwidth, which restricts its usage.



Hopefully things should improve with 3G getting launched, but nevertheless, if a
service provider could offer good applications over mobile phones using WAN

accelerators, then more mobile users are likely to get hooked.

Likewise, an enterprise could provide access to its applications to mobile

users. Exchange for instance could be provided on mobile phones and the

connectivity could be enhanced using WAN accelerators. There are WAN

accelerators that are specifically meant for mobile users.

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They could work with or without a client. For example, you access a site over

a bandwidth of 256 Kbps to backup some data which is around 200 MB. Now

uploading at the given bandwidth will take whole lot of time, which is

undesirable. So you will go for a higher bandwidth.

We used Network Nightmare for

simulating WAN conditions.

But if you are given a option where you pay x amount of extra charge to the

web site (which is less than what you will be giving for double bandwidth), you

get a accelerated bandwidth for uploading of data. Isn't that great for you as

you don't need to pay double for extra bandwidth.

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