Expand Networks takes application traffic management to the next level

Expand Networks SA, the Southern African distributor for Expand Networks Inc., today announced that its new generation of Accelerator appliances will employ a unique plug-in architecture that improves response times of e-business and communications applications by 400+%, out-of-the-box. The application-centric approach automatically removes well-known network inefficiencies, minimising the complex and painstaking tasks associated with policy setting of application traffic management solutions. The benefits of the Expand solutions accrue immediately - increased productivity from application performance, unprecedented visibility and control over network resources and most importantly, a 3 to 9 month ROI when compared to bandwidth upgrades.

Taking the Complexity out Application Traffic Management

In a recent survey, `The Shifting Branch Office Network Environment` conducted by Ashton Metzler and Associates, a leading and reputable networking consultancy organisation, 69% of the respondents cited, `complexity, time and overhead` as the primary obstacles in deploying a traffic management system. "Network managers of resource starved branch offices are naturally sceptical of testing complex network products that require on-going management to realise application performance gains," commented Dr. Jim Metzler of Ashton, Metzler and Associates. "Traditional traffic management solutions require hands-on policy setting, which is complicated, time consuming and lends to corporate politics when decisions have to be made on `who or what application gets more bandwidth`.

Expand`s new architecture automatically adapts to changes in traffic to maximise the performance of distributed enterprise applications. The breakthrough architecture accomplishes this through application plug-ins and by leveraging the company`s leading next-generation compression algorithms to eliminate the initial system set-up thus providing for immediate application performance improvements while giving the administrator the flexibility and the tools to fine tune the traffic mix when needed.

Expand`s new application plug-ins will intuitively improve response times for some of the fastest growing applications in the enterprise such as Web-based and encrypted transactions. "With the emergence of multi-tier Web-based architectures, it is increasingly important for network managers to understand the relationship between the network and its impact on application performance," noted Lawrence Orans, Principal Analyst at Gartner.

Trek to the summit

00Days

:

00Hrs

:

00Min

:

00Sec

This group of plug-ins accelerate all Web-based applications including ERP, CRM, Web services and e-commerce applications.

* HTTP - HTTP is the basis of all Web applications. The HTTP acceleration plug-in eliminates chatty HTTP transactions and repetitive downloads of large frequently accessed objects for faster Web application response times.

* HTTPS - HTTPS is the de-facto standard in end-to-end encrypted applications. The HTTPS acceleration plug-in reduces bandwidth consumption and accelerates encrypted traffic for faster response times from secure application servers.

* DNS - DNS is the basis of all applications for address resolution. The DNS acceleration plug-in reduces DNS latency and eliminates frequent DNS transactions for faster response times.

* TCP - TCP is the basis for most data communication. The TCP acceleration plug-in is based on NASA-developed SCPS protocol (Space Communications Protocol Standards) and eliminates the dramatic negative effects of network latency and packet loss on TCP-based applications. The TCP acceleration plug-in provides for faster transactions in small branch offices such as opening e-mail attachments and network back-ups. The plug-in also provides dramatic performance improvements over satellite networks

* FTP - FTP is the basis for many file distribution applications. The FTP acceleration plug-in eliminates long FTP transactions by keeping local copies of frequently accessed objects and it speeds up file transfers between computers such as software development projects or anti-virus software distribution.

In addition to providing out-of-the-box application performance increases, Expand`s new Application Traffic Management architecture enables more granular alignment of network priorities with business goals through comprehensive Layer 7 application visibility for enterprise applications. Layer 7 visibility and control is an important complementary strategy to enable network managers to pinpoint application performance pain spots and correct them by stopping bandwidth abuse or slowing down non-critical applications.

"Application traffic management is becoming critical in controlling recurring bandwidth costs and application performance as more applications are being distributed over the WAN and are becoming Web-based," added Cliff Marais, Managing Director of Expand Networks South Africa. "Expand`s new architecture removes the complexity and provides enterprises with a flexible and extensible platform that can adapt easily to dynamic changes in their application environment."

Next-generation compression, all application accelerator plug-ins, and Layer 7 visibility and control are available with Expand`s award winning Accelerator platforms.

For further information, please contact Ismail Bagus, Expand Systems SA: tel (012) 665 5990, fax (012) 665 2918, e-mail ibagus@expand.com.