WAN optimization What is WAN optimization?
WAN optimization uses a set of techniques to boost performance and data transfer in Wide Area Networks (WANs) to overcome the adverse effects of latency, bandwidth limitations, and packet loss. These techniques rely on TCP acceleration, data compression, data deduplication, and forward error correction.
- WAN optimization explained
- How does WAN optimization work?
- TCP protocol acceleration
- Data reduction
- Path conditioning
- Why should I consider WAN optimization?
- What are the benefits of WAN optimization?
WAN optimization explained
As the geographical distance between locations increases over the WAN, especially for remote international sites with low-speed transport services or long backhauls, the performance of applications tends to degrade. This degradation is not solely dependent on available bandwidth but is primarily influenced by factors such as the time required for data packets to travel back and forth over the WAN, the need for data receipt acknowledgements required by some protocols before sending the next segment of data, and the number of times data must be retransmitted due to packet loss.
Geographically distributed enterprises with worldwide locations may face compromised application performance, especially for critical, latency-sensitive TCP/IP applications such as transaction processing or data backup caused by excessive round-trip delays. It’s important to note that additional bandwidth alone does not represent a practical solution as network latency is primarily caused by the geographical distance between sites. To counter such challenges, enterprises deploy WAN optimization solutions.
