The Benefits of WAN Optimization (WAN OP) as a Service

WAN optimization (WAN OP) is a process that endeavors to improve the performance of a wide area network (WAN). WAN OP typically involves improving access to applications hosted on the WAN's data center and accessed by remote users in branch offices. Using an application or WAN accelerator, these connections are made more efficient than traditional network connections. While it's possible to optimize a wide area network at the data center, a new option has arrived: WAN OP as a service.

Cloud-based WAN OP solutions are much like other "as a service" models in that customers purchase services from a provider rather than investing in their own assets. The benefits of moving to a cloud-based solution are numerous and include the following:

1. Lower capital expenses - By choosing an "as a service" model for WAN optimization, you do not need to invest in the latest datacenter equipment in order to take advantage of the latest performance and reliability innovations. Instead, your service provider provides the network resources on a "pay as you go" basis. Service providers offering WAN accelerator and optimization services make the required investments and then recoup their money by selling access to these resources to customers. This model is commonly used for hosting software, websites, platforms, and networks. With WAN optimization as a service, users connect to an optimized WAN in the cloud rather than on-premises. Though the provider's resources are shared among numerous clients, they are kept private.

2. Reduced IT support requirements - Since the service provider maintains, updates, monitors, troubleshoots, and supports its datacenters, your associated IT support costs go down. This doesn't necessarily mean eliminating your IT team or neglecting WAN issues; it means that your IT personnel can spend less time maintaining and updating the network and more time working on more important initiatives.

3. Lower operational expenses - In addition to either reducing or reassigning IT staff, other operational costs associated with running your own data center can be slashed or eliminated completely including energy consumption and square footage.

4. Faster Deployments - Deploying WAN optimization as a service is much faster than building and optimizing a WAN from the ground up. In addition to ease of deployment, routine management is generally simple.

5. Improved performance - Not only can moving to a cloud-based solution improve your company's bottom line, it can improve network performance. With a WAN accelerator, the connections between client computers and your private, cloud-based WAN are optimized for performance. In addition to improving network connections, applications can be hosted the optimized WAN allowing for faster network and file access. Depending on the WAN OP solution you choose, it's possible to accelerate connectivity between branch offices, data centers, headquarters, and cloud-based applications.

Is a cloud-based WAN optimization solution right for your organization? It could be. Voice, video, and applications power modern businesses, and all of these technologies require significant amounts of bandwidth. At the same time, cloud computing and WAN optimization as a service make it possible to increase capacity, run networks more efficiently, and lower the total cost of ownership.