compression

Reading the writing on the WAN wall

One of the more vexing issues facing network managers today is how to cost effectively tweak a WAN to keep up with the rising number of remote workers and increasing reliance on branch office activities and technology capabilities.

On the one hand, companies are trying to centralize IT and network operations to maintain costs and simplify operations. On the other, there is an effort to provide more operational autonomy to branch offices, as they become the ‘frontline’ conduits for mission critical information and access to customers and suppliers.

This is an issue we continue to cover in the digital pages of SearchEnterpriseWAN.com, most recently in an article that looks at the trend to avoid costly WAN appliances in favor of WAN virtualization and software, and in profiles of major global companies like Carhartt, Inc., which is taking an “old school” but nonetheless successful approach, and deploying optimization appliances at critical branch offices.
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