Adding services onto a company’s expenses can be a hard sell when the economy’s tight and every penny counts toward the bottom line. But, some services are so important to the grand scheme of operations that not adding them can cost more. For multi-site companies, managed WAN optimization can prove to be one of those services.
A Look at WAN
WAN stands for wide area network in computer terms. Unlike a local area network that connects computers in a single office together for easier drive, data, file and application sharing, a WAN can span miles and miles and multiple locations. That means a company set up with dozens of office locations can use a WAN to essentially have every employee on the same network, using the same applications at the same time. Essentially, this creates consistency across a multisite business and can enhance productivity, as well.
What is Managed WAN Optimization?
When a WAN service provider offers managed WAN optimization, this is a handy little feature that can even further enhance productivity beyond just simply sharing the same access. This type of optimization involves the use of aggregated Internet connections and link bonding technology to actually enhance speeds across the network. Essentially, this type of service can help a company ensure faster Internet speeds, faster download times and faster use of cloud-based applications across all connected locations. This can enhance operations by:
- Cutting the time involved in using apps or waiting for downloads
- Making it more efficient for employees to tackle projects
- Increasing the number of tasks employees can handle due to the overall enhanced speed.
When managed WAN optimization is put into action, companies enjoy their own private, multi-site Internet and networking connections only better.
Other Reasons to Consider WAN
When a good third-party WAN application is put to use, companies can benefit from a number of other perks. They can include:
- Internet redundancy – Rather than rely on a single Internet connection or ISP to deliver connectivity to the network, this type of setup can draw on several. That means if there’s an outage with one, the redundancies can kick in to assure no downtime.
- Security – Some of the best providers ensure WAN configuration security, which is important for business operations.
- Monitoring – The best WAN management services also provide system wide monitoring and alerts to ensure networks keep running seamlessly even when issues arise in one location or another.
