A key reason for the widespread adoption of the Riverbed wide-area data services (WDS) solution is that it is the easiest to deploy and manage. In the broad sense, this is a transparent solution to your existing network infrastructure. While other solutions try to focus on the narrow issue of network address transparency, Riverbed focuses on the issues of usability, deployability, and manageability.
In addition, Riverbed is the only WDS vendor to offer multiple network address visibility modes allowing customers to decide what mode is right for their deployment: Correct Addressing (default mode), Correct Addressing + Port Visibility, Full IP Address and Port Visibility.
Using this approach, Riverbed has been able to create an incredibly flexible integration path that is compatible with any routing infrastructure, any IP transport mechanism, and is completely cross-functional with existing Quality of Service (QoS) and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) implementations.
When users talk about transparency and application acceleration devices they are actually talking about a number of different feature sets at once:
- User transparency: Do I need to change anything on client machines to achieve application acceleration? Do I have to change user behavior?
- Deployment transparency: Do I have to change anything in my network to deploy this product? Will I have to configure tunnels? Set up additional switching or modify my routers? Change how I manage QoS?
- Visibility: Will I be able to report on traffic both on my LAN and my WAN once this product is in place?
- Port transparency: Will I have to change the ports used to transmit data over the WAN?
- Address transparency: Will I retain visibility to client and server IP addresses? If so, what are the impacts on my network?
Riverbed enables IT managers to deploy a WDS solution to branch offices and mobile workers in 15 minutes or less. It does so by eliminating much of the tedious configuration required by other solutions, while at the same time eliminating the need to reconfigure other components of the IT infrastructure.
The end result is fast, reliable acceleration of applications with no workflow changes to end-users and minimal changes to IT processes.
To learn more about transparency and the major issues IT adminstrators should consider while exploring WDS solutions, download Riverbed Raises the Ante Again in WDS with RiOS 5.0
