Load Balancing: Making of an Efficient Corporate Network

Technological innovations has paved for the globalized organizations to be well connected through the Internet. With offices located across geographical locations and working during different time zones, these closely networked organizations communicates and uses a number of applications through their corporate network The Internet thus is the vital link for business continuity. However, the development of technologically sound applications to stand out in a competitive business world, tend to overload the corporate network.

To evenly distribute the workload of processing and service requests across the devices in the network, IT and networking professionals make use of a load balancer. These are dedicated software, hardware, or servers such as a multilayer switch or DNS server, form the critical components of a network, and carry out the load balancing. Wikipedia defines Load balancing as ‘a computer networking methodology to distribute workload across multiple computers or a computer cluster, network links, central processing units, disk drives, or other resources, to achieve optimal resource utilization, maximize throughput, minimize response time, and avoid overload.’ Besides, optimal distribution of load across servers in the network is necessary for maintaining a stable network.

For the fast recovery of data and information across the corporate network, enterprises tend to use two ISP links one as the primary one and another as backup. However, technological innovations have helped design link load balancing solution, which facilitates simultaneous use of multiple links, thus increasing bandwidth availability, performance and reliability while reducing costs. Through an intelligent traffic management system, the link load balancer handles the inbound and outbound network traffic. The link load balancing appliances performs real-time monitoring of wide area network connections and leverages this for efficient management of the bandwidth.

Load balancing is commonly used to spread out the Internet service from multiple servers, and commonly includes, web sites, large chat networks, and File Transfer Protocol sites, NNTP and DNS servers. The server load balancers are strategically placed to ensure availability, control, security and performance of enterprise applications, data services as well as the data center equipment. Enumerating the benefits of using server load balancers showcases applicant ready and advanced network traffic management ensuring best possible delivery of business critical applications and internet protocol services. Further, this facilitates to offload the web and application servers paving way for increased capacity and efficient performance. This also paves way for multiplexing of integrated TCP connection and HTTP processing leading to great improvement in application performance.

Other Links

Android Remote Desktop

RDP Access

Understanding the Importance of a Load Balancing Appliance

Being a vital part of a network, load balancing appliances leverage parallel multi-core processing in order to cost-effectively drive high-end performance across a high quality application acceleration. Load balancing solutions are essential to maintain a standard process of network performance. It allows a network to enhance its consistency and performance, with solutions that include both hardware and software balancing devices. It adds redundancy, intelligence and resilience to your network, and enables users to have access to applications and data that keep your business running.

Organizations of all sizes can secure, optimize and scale their network edge and perimeter by managing bandwidth and traffic with user and application visibility. With the consolidation of multiple WAN bandwidth management functions into an optimized management platform, many organizations can not only simplify their management of edge services, but can also  increase performance and reliability for applications. There are renowned service providers that specialize in Application Delivery Networking, and they have come up with innovative load balancing appliances. In addition to that, you can even monitor the data center devices as well as IP data services. These service providers also offer solutions for application delivery controller and SSL VPN solutions. With a load balancing appliance, the application performance and the return on investment is enhanced, in small enterprises as well as large enterprises.

Although based on your network requirements and preferences you can always have your load balancing solution customized from the selected service provider. Some of the attributes of a load balancing appliance are as follows:

* A load balancing appliance has good application-fluent traffic management for the best delivery of business critical applications and IP services.

* Load balancing appliances have offloading of web application servers for better efficiency and capacity.

* The global and local server load balancing is done using multi-unit clustering for maximum application uptime and data center scalability.

* It has Reverse-proxy architecture with packet-inspection firewall for guarding applications without impacting performance.

* Application-specific certifications and configuration guides for rapid deployment of optimized configurations.

Load balancers can astutely analyze the wide area connections and accordingly allocate bandwidth, and enable seamless fail over for business-critical applications. Both load balancing appliances and load balancing software have the potential to handle more than one function. They provide benefits concerning certain network levels. Owing to the fact that two IT architectures are never same, it is essential to assess the performance of each network levels before selecting on a single solution.

Other Links

RDP 

Android Remote Desktop

Create Consistent Networks with Link Load Balancing Appliances

The business environment today is extremely tech savvy with advanced internet applications and various software usages. Every organization today largely depends on internet to connect to other network offices globally. Hence, internet is the crucial element of every business activity and requires being easily accessible and consistently assuring business continuity. This is where link load balancing becomes important, as it offers a cost-efficient manageable links to cater to business requirements.

Load balancing is the process that helps in evenly disseminating service or processing requests across numerous devices within a network. Dedicated hardware, software and servers carry on the load balancing; hence load balancers are an important element in a network. In order to have a stable network an organization requires dynamic load balancing solution. Another aspect that requires attention is assuring that there is optimum resources dissemination throughout the servers. Organizations utilize at least two ISP links nowadays to link the internal network with the internet. Out of these two links one is used and the second one is kept as a back up. In order to weed out the needless ISP blocking, service providers of Application Delivery Networking have come with link load balancing solutions.

Link load balancing appliances utilizes technology that is effectively executed with every network. Apart from catering to basic requirements, these devices help to maximize the performance and consistency and lead to cost reduction. In addition to that, they also enable to optimize the internet bandwidth by using ongoing proximity measures and service response time. This in turn enables in identifying feasible links to service given application transaction. Using all accessible ISP links and intelligence traffic management helps the link load balancer manage the outbound and inbound network traffic efficiently.

Benefits of link load balancing appliances
There are numerous benefits of link load balancing appliances. Some of them are listed below:-

* The devices have high reliability as they automatically switches from one service provider to the other whenever there is a network failure
* If there is a WAN network problem, then the link load balancer helps to redirect the network traffic by promising business continuity
* These devices have the capacity to analyze intelligently a broader area of connections and locate the bandwidth accordingly.

Few other advantages of link load balancing appliances consist of real-time monitoring of WAN links. They enable in leveraging bandwidth management and compression resulting in efficient utilization of WAN bandwidth.  Furthermore, these devices smooth the progress of global server load balancers for crucial business applications and enhance the end-user experience simultaneously reducing bandwidth expenses and data center complexity.

Other Links

Remote Desktop
iPad Remote Desktop

Application Delivery Networking: Functions of application delivery controller

In this technology driven business environment, data centers have become the lifeline of every organization, irrespective of its size. The concept of electronic data storage and transfer has been prevalent since the birth of the computers. However, with the advent of technology, the size of the machines reduced drastically with an increase in computing powers. These developments like a chain reaction led to the wider use of the technology in the everyday functioning of large business houses and global organization, leading to use of technology driven machines in a networked environment.

Data centers, with their efficient computing services in a networked environment and a safe and secure storage system for the mission critical data were made up of large rooms or multiple floors of a building and housed servers, storage devices, telecom and application delivery networking systems. The application delivery network is nothing but a suit of technologies that ensures application availability, security and visibility throughout the network, irrespective of the location or device. Prevalent in most data centers catering to a global organization, such networking systems are a combination of wide area networking and application delivery controllers.

Application delivery controller also known as web switch or a content switch is loaded with a number of useful functions. As an advanced traffic management device in a networked environment, this helps to distribute specific applications to a number of geographically distant servers and sites. Being placed between the router or firewall and a web farm it also facilitates load balancing of the website traffic at times when there is a mix of applications over a wider network. Having evolved from layer 4-7 switches, the application delivery controllers facilitates content manipulation, advanced routing strategies and also monitors the configurable server health.

Though application delivery controller in all networking systems offer a number of features like compression, cache, connection multiplexing, application layer security, SSL offload, content switching along with server load balancing, the application delivery networking is being separated for a general network optimization and application specific optimization. Other functions that the ADC’s are capable of are TCP offload and acceleration capabilities in branch networks and integration of malware and DDOS protection on web application through firewall protection.

Other Links

Access Control

SSL VPNs

Secure Remote Access Can Benefit the Mobile Workers

Even a decade back the phenomena of secure remote access were not as popular as it is today. It has become a very essential aspect of our everyday professional life today. Due to the more reliable and quick internet connections available these days remote access solutions are easier to deliver. At the same time, with regards to the cost factor, irrespective of the fact if there are one or numerous users, the cost is radically much lesser than the traditional systems. Furthermore, it offers disaster recovery advantages too.

  

Secure Remote Access leading to Cost Savings

When you opt in for an innovative secure remote access solution, you are going to witness a certain amount of expense saving benefits. As soon as the IT system is remotely delivered in secure data centers, the IT hardware, infrastructure, and support expenses are reduced considerably. Otherwise, it tends to become a past thing, because it depends on the remote hosting company to ensure that the users can avail their, system, files and data to promised service standards.

Simultaneously secure remote access enables the home workers, mobile employees, extranet partners, and other approved users to avail crucial business applications and resources that results in increasing the productivity. In addition to that, as a business continuity solution it enables an enterprise to carry on work even in situation when any particular employee is not able to be at office due to unwarranted conditions.

Today eminent service providers have introduced multiple software applications that offers secure remote access. An essential one is SSL VPN remote access that enables users to access their workstation from anywhere and anytime. This is more helpful for the mobile employees and other home based workers. Few other advantages are as listed below:

* Provides controlled access for both managed and un-managed equipments comprising laptops, desktops, PDA's and mobiles
* Provides a diverse range access methods that consists of Layer-3, Web, and other mentioned client-server and thin-client applications
* Offers a cross-platform assistance for a diverse range of browsers, operating systems, client-side security scans
* Has a dynamic end-point security that includes adaptive policies, host-checking, cache-cleaning, and secure virtual desktop
* Has a granular identity-based access control for files, URLs, applications and networks
* There is no network traversal or pre-installed clients issues and needs just a common Web browser for users to have access
* Superior end-user experience through integrated application acceleration and 256 virtual portals tunable to the preferences of multiple communities of interest
* Unmatched performance and scalability for remote access SSL VPN

Hence, one can be at home and continue with their professional \assignments, balancing home and work. These apart, eminent service providers of secure remote access also specialize in innovative load balancing appliances that help in balancing the load of a browser.

Other Links

Load Balancer

Link Load Balancing 

Intelligent Load Balancing For Enhancing Network Efficiency in SMBs

In SMBs and distributed enterprise organizations, the need for greater bandwidth and reliable access is very important. While dependable internet connectivity has become imperative, it is load balancing that helps in achieving a greater bandwidth.WAN intelligence eliminates downtime and improves bandwidth efficiency in SMBs and distributed enterprises that need a worry trouble-free network.

An intelligent and effective load balancing solution

The significant components of an effective load balancing solution has to include a virus resistant real time O.S. and efficient software modules that reacts to a failed Internet connection, provide WAN bonding using adaptive load balancing algorithms, and dynamically manage bandwidth tasks. Once configured, the WAN management activities of the intelligent load balancer should be transparent to the end user’s experience. The result is an Internet infrastructure investment that quickly pays for itself through improved customer relationships and the allocation of bandwidth to support prioritizing of internal data communications.

The need for load balancing in SMBs

A number of SMBs and distributed enterprises are adapting intelligent load balancers to their networks in order to improve business productivity and decrease the risk of Internet service disruptions. With an innovative WAN solution, any congestion encountered during peak demands are managed efficiently and a single point of failure for Internet service is eliminated. The real efficiency experienced when implementing intelligent load balancing. It comes from the ability to combine the right service link mix to meet the demands projected by the business continuity, especially for SMBs where cost is a cost concern. A business may find their peak demands requiring only the incremental addition of bandwidth instead of adding a second leased line.

As the difference in cost between adding a standard T3 and a 1.5Mbps ADSL line can be considerable in SMBs, with the intelligent load balancer, there can be further business harvest the benefits of bandwidth management to increase productivity. This is particularly when the multiple WAN connections are aggregated. By facilitating network administrators to set the priority and amount of bandwidth for different user groups and for specific applications including FTP, Instant Messaging, and http, this can be achieved.

An intelligent load balancer needs to be a part of the Internet infrastructure for businesses that rely on their web based services as a critical component.

Other Links

SSL VPN

Cloud Computing

 

Choosing the Right SSL VPN Solution

SSL is gaining popularity as a remote access tool with the remote connectivity being crucial for the productivity of the enterprise. Many client side issues associated with remote access can be eliminated with SSL VPNs as a technology.  With an easy migration, SSL VPNs also offer a more cost-effective, easier to deploy remote access solution than IPSec. Its blend of flexibility and function makes it extremely competitive. There is a wide rage of solutions available in today’s growing SSL VPN market, and it is therefore necessary to consider many factors before making a choice to purchase the best SSL VPN product.  

Security and user experience are the two aspects that SSL VPNs have to be evaluated against. A successful deployment of a secured solution can be achieved only by taking into consideration security and user experience. As a SSL VPN needs to serve the organization’s long term needs, it has to integrate with the network architecture seamlessly and also provide powerful management tools.    

Security   
As SSL itself does not make a VPN, encryption is not enough to provide the security required for today’s applications. An ideal SSL VPN solution needs to have a combination of different levels of protection like SSL VPN Firewall, Hardened OS, Network Gapping, Client Side Security, AAA, Reducing Network Exposure (Various Access Modes), Application Level Filtering, Virtualization and Network Separation. It is also important that an SSL VPN appliance provide client side security facilities as it allows anywhere and anytime access. This introduces the risk of unsecured devices getting into secured network locations. It is necessary for a user to securely download any required content during a session knowing that this content will be wiped automatically when the session is terminated.   

User experience   
There are a number of factors that determine the end user experience like performance, user interface customization, and high availability. An important component in a good user experience is the overall user interface, which is also greatly significant for user productivity. Any access solution with a poor user interface, be it a design or lack of custom business logic integration, adversely affect the productivity of its users. As the different options can create confusion for end users, it becomes crucial that the use of these different modes to be intuitive and have minimal user interaction as possible. A consistent experience with minimum downtime can ensure the best user experience.    

With an understanding of today’s and future needs, as well as careful evaluation of the capabilities of the different devices under consideration, a proper selection of a SSL VPN device can be made. It is therefore important learn more about the existing SSL VPN solution and be updated about the future developments. This is the best way to make an informed decision regarding your company’s secure remote access requirements.   

Other Links

Load Balancing

SSL Acceleration

Benefits of Link load Balancing Made Simple

Link Load Balancing looks at balancing out the critical resources on data networks with unpredictable requests issued to a server. It is also concerned with communications channels themselves to better distribute processing and communications demands more evenhandedly across the network so that no single a computer is beleaguered by the demand. The main purpose of link load balancing is to have a load-balancing failover between the two links at connection level. Some of the benefits of link load balancing include:

Increase in Reliability
Most networks and organizations prefer to implement link load balancing due to increased reliability. The failure of a network even for a few hours can cost an organization dearly in productivity and business. High uptime reliability can be achieved with link load balancing, and if a problem does occur and one of your providers does fail, switching from one provider to another is automated and immediate. In the event of a WAN link outage, link load balancing can redirect your network traffic to ensure continuous uptime for all parties that depends on your network and servers.

Cut down Costs
There are numerous reasons why an organization can cut down costs with link load balancing. The biggest advantage, however, is that link load balancing works with any type of broadband connection. All that is requited is a simple Ethernet handoff which establishes your WAN link. It is possible to keep non critical, economical broadband connections and more critical application on your more reliable connections, by being able to utilize various forms of inexpensive broadband connections.

Enhance Performance
By using link load balancers your organization can benefit with enhanced performance. The network can balance your incoming requests across your multiple WAN links, in most cases. This is can be achieved with an Active DNS module, that easily serves traffic between your broadband connections based on the best path available along with network metrics.

Manage Your Network’s Routing
Networking information routing can be easily managed with link load balancing. Most link load balancing solutions have software that offers advanced routing capabilities. Applications can be routed efficiently, when the organizations determine the critical and non critical applications. It is quite easy to split up your organizations network traffic by importance or application with link load balancing.

Link load balancing is the perfect technology for today’s organizations and can be implemented effectively with almost any network. It brings about an increase in reliability, a reduction in costs and added performance and management.

Also read on:
Remote desktop
Load balancer

Secure Remote Access - Need for Secure Remote Access Solutions

Today with high-technological solutions at one end and increased work opportunities on the other, the economy is certainly waking up to the concept of mobile workforce or mobile employees. As a result, to provide this group with adequate resources a strong and consistent technological back up and support services needs to be provided. Welcome to secure remote access solutions that allow home workers, customers, mobile employees, extranet partners and approved users to avail crucial business resources and applications as and when required. This helps in maximizing the overall productivity. Simultaneously, this is an excellent business continuity solution that helps a person to combat any emergency or unforeseen problems, because of which an employee might not be able to reach office.

Today the percentage of mobile workforce has increased. As a result, more employees are using business applications across a wider mix of equipments. Hence, it is imperative to choose secure remote access solution that addresses various key considerations. Some of them are listed below-

* Employees do not always have or own the access to corporate managed equipments. Therefore, they should be able to securely avail all Web-enabled equipment that is required to carry on operations. Hence, a secure remote access solution should assure that irrespective of the end-point, safety is guaranteed. At the same time, care should be taken that crucial business resources are not hampered.

* Certain applications are Web-enabled while others are not. Similarly, certain users can be trusted with total network connectivity, while others cannot. Hence, the modern day secure remote access solutions must be capable of assisting any combination of native, thin or web client applications.

* Legacy IPSec solutions need certain client software. They initiate major IT administrative overhead. Furthermore, IPSec just offers encryption and has no provisions for implementing access control policies. Comprehensive secure remote access solutions will address all these limitations.

Time is crucial. We all are aware that applications operate fast in an office. However, the same application over the WAN is not the same. Today there are eminent IT companies that have come up with solutions that introduce no latency, and comprise application acceleration technology. Furthermore, they also have the ability to assist a huge percentage of users. Hence, the user demands and business objectives are fulfilled.

Top service providers in secure remote access solutions address all these considerations with their specialized SSL VPN solutions. It offers an innovative mix of ease-of-deployment, ease-of-use, scalability and performance, device support and multi-layer security.

Also read on:  

Load Balancer

Link Load Balancing