Load Balancers for the New Age Corporate Environment

The business world today makes use of every available technology to withstand the aggressive competition prevalent in the environment.  With the growth in the use of various applications, across corporate environment, the IT departments have explored the possibilities of using dedicated servers. These are computer systems which are part of the corporate network and are kept apart for specific jobs so as to fasten the access and processing time. However, with the increasing demands on the part of the customers and business, every application adds up to more loading of the servers.

As technology moved ahead to provide the globalized business world anytime anywhere access to the corporate network through BYOD options, the possibility of the servers being overloaded only increased.  Such overloading of the servers would lead to  network getting clogged leading to reduced  speed in  performing the functions with a reduced access rate to the entire systems in the network.  This calls for the need of load balancers with a specific significance for busy Internet services wherein a software program helps tracking the clients access services and forwards requests to the "back-end" servers thus enhancing the performance of the website.

Wikipedia defines load balancing as "a computer networking methodology that distributes workload across multiple computers or computer clusters, network links, central processing units, disk drives, or other resources, to achieve optimal resource utilization, maximize throughput, minimize response time, and avoid overload. This increases the performance of servers and  leads to optimal utilization while  ensuring  that no particular server is burdened. Corporate networks of global enterprises, with vast data and application storage and data transfer activity,  small and medium business enterprises  and e-commerce websites resort to  load balancers.

In an era of technological innovation with remote desktop access available to increase the mobility of the workforce,  load balancers are an important element in a network and helps in evenly disseminating service or processing requests across numerous devices within the  network. Dedicated hardware, software and servers carry on these functions.

Depending on the factors such as speed of the network and server response time, load balancers requires work distribution between two or more dedicated servers. The new age load balancing solutions offered by leading service providers helps organizations leverage on the parallel multi-core processing with cost-efficient performance. Further these appliances offer the client organization a number of advantages which include :

• Aids in global and local server load balancing with  datacenter scalability.
• Facilitates swift implementation of optimized arrangements with application specific configurations and certifications guidelines
• Provides a  high-end application compatible  traffic management while catering for optimized delivery IP services and crucial business applications
• Safeguards applications without influencing performance with the help of firewalls and proxy designs.

The new age server load balancing appliances  which are designed for the modern data center, cloud and virtual environments help to boost application performance for both small and medium enterprises as well as large service providers.

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Business continuity through remote desktop access solutions

Our modern day business world is evolving and is becoming much more advanced and globalized, with multiple teams working across various time zones. As a result of which, the traditional 9am to 5pm job set up is becoming or rather has become obsolete. That is not all. The customary meeting taking place in boardrooms or conference room too are being replaced by online collaborations and conversations that today is an easy task with the help of remote access solutions and SSL VPN tools. Remote access through VPN solutions helps business persons to manage their business anytime from anywhere.

Business continuity is an essential element of every corporate set up. As business continuity planning today is a crucial aspect of every business, it is imperative that companies invest in enterprise class remote desktop solutions that assist in leveraging technologies that are secure and scalable. Compliance too is an important factor as to why government agencies mandate sensible BCP Government mandates. Also the regulatory compliance needs several organizations to have auditable, secure admission to critical data even when there are unforeseen events taking place.

Unplanned PTO is one of the many kinds of business hindrances. There are a few employees who opt in for PTO when there is no other choice to be away from the office and yet continue their work. The other reason that can be listed that, employees are required to handle some household issues as well. Hence, an employer might as well consider that opting in for a PTO day is the best possible solution to keep the work on. On the other hand, unplanned PTO might also impact on a company’s bottom line.

Therefore, when employees take an unplanned PTO it practically might not be possible to cover up an entire day’s work responsibilities. The outcome could be in the form of accumulated tasks that are neglected for an entire day and might also delay in critical business processes. Planned PTO is accountable for the budget, whereas unplanned PTO impacts the company revenues. It is estimated based on the yearly productivity, total employee count and the average count of the PTO’s taken by each employee per year.

Today leading solution providers have come up with business continuity through remote desktop access solutions. Regardless of the type of solution that you might choose, you need to ensure that it results in increasing the overall productivity and helps in file access. Advanced remote desktop solutions help to resolve business bottlenecks and helps in business continuity planning with its secure remote access to office desktops and computing devices. It provides a secure and simple access to the desktop platform and has a simple-to-use architecture. The solution is perfect for workers who need to attend their personal and professional tasks without neglecting either of them.

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Application Delivery Controller

Why Do You Need An Application Delivery Controller?

IT enterprises are constantly under pressure to offer efficient performing services at an inexpensive rate. Therefore, a continuous series of small incremental IT enhancement is not going to be adequate enough for making IT services to be agile and cost-efficient. What is therefore needed is a radically new approach on how IT services needs to be offered aiming towards incremental improvements. 

An approach that has been most IT organizations have adopted is that of server virtualization. The main benefit of this is that it enables IT enterprises to consolidate the servers. The outcome generally is a minimization of expenses and agility. For instance, the moment a server has been virtualized, it is possible to provision virtual machines (VM) dynamically and to shift these VM’s amidst the physical servers. This is possible both within disparate data centers or a given data center without any service interruption. However, though VM’s can be shifted between physical servers within a few seconds/minutes it can take a couple of days to reconfigure the assisting architecture. IT enterprises are not able to leverage the complete value of server virtualization unless the infrastructure elements that assist a VM can be reconfigured or shifted to assist the VM once shifted. 

An essential component of the infrastructure that assists a VM is the application delivery controller (ADC). Numerous IT enterprises have successfully implemented ADC’s in an attempt to enhance application performance. An ADC enhances application performance by remaining in front of a server and offering service requests to the members of the server farm.

This is done based on the criteria for instance the load that a single server is processing presently. Another way by which an ADC enhances application performance is by conducting computationally intensive tasks, like TCP or SSL processing by freeing up by server resources. Furthermore, an ADC has the capacity to accelerate the application performance offered through the wide area network (WAN) by deploying optimization methods such as reverse caching and compression.

Today eminent service providers specializing in load balancers have introduced high-end ADC’s that offer the following benefits:

* Minimize the single points of failure

* Enhance performance by disseminating traffic amidst numerous servers

* Enhances user experience and minimizes server overhead with SSL acceleration

* Guarantees data-access and application consistency

* Helps in optimizing resources by effectively allocating traffic depending on application types

Therefore, deploying an advanced ADC solution from a leading market player for ensuring systematic traffic management and optimizing application and web performance is an efficient way to avert server downtime issues.

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Application Performance 

Server Uptime With ADC Solutions

Regardless of the fact, whether an organization has an e-commerce web portal or offers services that are based on the information offered through optimal application performance, web applications is essential for partners, employees and consumers. However, as soon as the user traffic spikes and the servers gets bogged down by compute-intensive SSL transactions, memory overloads, huge data file requests and hackers, third party intruders trying to flood servers, the application and site functionality can either slow, grind or altogether crash down. Similarly, when end users are not able to access an enterprise application or are experiencing network downtime, experiencing long waits it can literally have a detrimental impact on the business. 

Though it appears to be way simpler to throw extra hardware at the concern, this however is not the apt and suggested way when the traffic is not directed properly to the best performing resource. At the same time, it is neither economical for businesses. Hence, there remains a question as to how IT managers ensure application and web uptime and speed to attain optimal performance out of a data center device, keeping the expenses less. The expense of guaranteeing high web application architecture accessibility, speed, secure operations and performance speed can be significantly minimized with the help of application delivery controllers (ADC) and server load balancers.  

Application delivery controllers help in monitoring heavy traffic loads on engaging servers and re-route the data to the servers by averting crashes and keeps the traffic flowing. Modern ADC solutions are equipped to offer performance along with scalability and are aligned with the demands of cloud and mobile computing. Furthermore, they have the agility to extract maximum ROI and efficiency from the application architecture. 

Eminent solution providers of application delivery controllers have come up with solutions that address challenges witnessed by organizations in various areas of cloud service delivery and application delivery. These solutions are available to end users as “purpose-built” appliances or in the form of software engineered for virtual platforms. These devices merge scalability with transformative features at industry leading price points, offer unparalleled value along with ROI as opposed to alternative solutions. 

Thus we see that deploying in a high-end ADC solution can help organizations in efficient traffic management and help to optimize application and web performance that gives them a competitive edge over others. Furthermore, the company can also decipher cost-efficient and creative ways for optimum speed and server uptime. 

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Business Continuity Planning

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.

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SSL VPNs

Application Delivery Controllers: Gateway To An Improved Application Performance

The business environment today is more complex than the earlier days. The success of every business even in yesteryears depended on the principle of providing the right information or product to the right people at the right time. However, today’s globalized business environment with stress on centralization, and mobilization makes it a complex one.

To be at an advantage, it becomes necessary for organizations to not only improve customer service but also ensure easy faster access and response to various application delivery and business intelligence. Besides being globally accessible also demands for effective security measures against threats to users, systems and applications. Availability of on-demand application delivery, a secure web gateway and easy access to critical business info are vital components for a successful business.

Further with expanse of applications required by the global organizations, results in increase of IT infrastructure. However, to control the expenses on IT infrastructure and related overhead cost, organizations tend to centralize the flow of data and applications from the data centers. An application delivery controller is a device placed in a data center between the firewall and one or more application servers.

The first-generation of controllers were primarily meant for application acceleration and load balancing between servers. However, the new technology based application controllers cover wider functions from widespread data centers and are capable of a more holistic method of functioning resulting in application delivery networking. This facilitates consistent availability of the applications and thus increases productivity. Other features of found in the new age application delivery controllers include, compression, cache, connection multiplexing, application layer security, SSL offload and content switching combined with fundamental server load balancing.

The application delivery controllers with its energy-efficient components, excellent ethernet connectivity and state-of-the-art multi-core processing cater to both SME’s  as well as global organizations. Further, equipped with cutting edge technologies and industry leading features such as scalability, cloud level performance, application control, optimization and security these are structured for modern data centers.

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How to Ensure a Successful Cloud application Deployment

Network performance is said to be the key to application performance for many cloud services deployments. And this is because every business service accessed over cloud infrastructure is by definition a remote, network-dependent service. With proper cloud assembly there can be smooth deployment of core business applications.

Deploying a proven set of cloud core services like include storage management controls, hypervisors, security policies and security software including firewalls, disaster recovery and governance, and database administration and replication services etc., are imperative when building out the cloud computing infrastructure. Cloud service delivery should be consistent, reliable and most importantly fast in delivering those on-demand services that their customers desperately need.

The following are significant cloud infrastructure and application deployment characteristics essential to ensure a successful cloud application deployment

* Focus on Application Delivery

The primary focus needs to be on application delivery controller rather than the cloud infrastructure. As good business outcomes are built on these core applications smooth running applications are the driving force behind cloud systems. To make this happen, it is necessary for systems resources like computing, storage, network and application resources to get the same considerations

* Application Performance is of Prime Importance

The efficiency in your cloud environment does not stand a chance without true automation. There is no chance at efficiency in your cloud environment. Customer focus and communication needs to be on applications and not on server performance. It is therefore necessary to be direct and speak about application performance, app availability, and app scalability within the capacity plan. This way the deployment can be made both rapidly and reliably.

* Install consistent version control software

For the configuration of your infrastructure, complete visibility is necessary. Without it there is the possibility of repeating deployment and version mistakes. Ensuring compliance when it is not known which version of which application was installed can be difficult. It is therefore good to maintain a complete history of all of the systems and applications. With a centralized version control and configuration management, it is possible to manage today and plan for the future with much less stress.

Today’s cloud-based services are business-critical and ensuring their availability is vital and users need the performance of cloud-based services to be at least as good as what their current infrastructure delivers. By conducting a comprehensive baseline assessment of network performance you can ensuring a successful cloud application deployment. Organizations making the move to cloud services can enjoy the many benefits that include lower startup costs, lower total cost of ownership and on-demand scalability.

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Firm Actions for Strengthening Business Performances

Improved performance of applications, reduced costs and stringent security controls have unquestionably become the salient requisites in an IT environment. Today businesses are seeking opportunities for reliable and structured network management processes so that efficiency is enhanced and expenses are reduced. Each day innovative models are being introduced to maintain business continuity irrespective of any precarious situation or natural calamity. Thus the concept of mobile workforce is gaining momentum as more businesses are modifying their standard policies for accelerated business continuity.

However these innovative modifications involve challenges and risks too. The encouragement shown in adoption of these mobile practices also entails providing remote access to business applications and desktops to the employees and users. To ensure that the employees are being provided remote access businesses have to employ virtualization solutions where on-demand access to applications is provided to the users on the cloud. Virtualization can definitely help in keeping a check on the excessive costs. Its integrating capabilities enable the business to make changes promptly as per the latest requirements.

Remote accessibility also attracts unknown entities that are forbidden but use force to enter and maliciously attack the sensitive and confidential business information stored in the IT systems. Thus it becomes necessary to implement a safe and fast acting SSL VPN solution that provides applications securely to only authorized users on the cloud using any device. The solution deploys processes for maximizing the resources available, and enhancing the performance of the applications with an enriching server load balancer.

The server load balancer provides 99.99% application uptime and unmatched data center scalability. It ensures uninterrupted delivery of critical business applications and IP services. It increases the efficiency and ROI by offloading the web and application servers. It optimizes configurations and helps in their deployment without wasting time. It fosters integration and leverages intelligent data center virtualization management and controls with excellent processes for resource allocation and reallocation.

Security breaches are rampant causing massive and irreplaceable losses to businesses. Every IT organization has to ensure a robust and competent security architecture with centralized management controls that provides powerful and supportive encryption, and prevention methods along with real-time information. The SSL VPN solution adamantly restricts all access requests that fail the SSL authorization metrics. Leveraged performance, improved business agility and a streamlined management process is what helps maintain the business continuity and the SSL VPN solution is a powerful tool that delivers precise results.

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Application Delivery Controller – Utilities of New Age ADC’s

To define in elementary terms, an application delivery controller (ADC) is primarily a network equipment within the datacenter that assists in carrying out regular tasks performed by web portals themselves in an attempt to eradicate load away from the web servers. Many of them offer load balancing as well. They are generally situated between the web farm and the router/firewall. In most cases, the ADC is best described as a new age load balancer. They end up delivering greater advanced features, for instance advanced routing strategies, high end organized server health controlling, and content manipulation. Other features that you will find in application delivery controllers are follows:-

* Compression
* Cache
* Connection multiplexing
* Application layer security
* SSL offload
* Content switching combined with fundamental server load balancing

Numerous IT companies have now introduced innovative application development controller solutions and applications today that function in order to enhance the availability, security and performance of IP data services and applications. In addition to that, the server efficiency is maximized, thereby minimizing the expense and intricacy in the data center.

The ADC devices help to leverage energy-efficient components, hardware-quickening prototypes, 10-Gigabyte Ethernet connectivity and state-of-the-art multicore processing.

These next generation appliances provide scalability, industry-leading features, and economies of scale and price performance from small-scale concerns to huge global service providers. Others benefits are listed below:-

* Ability for application control, optimization, security and cloud level performance
* Comprehensible safety for compliance and legal policies
* Improvement to a level of 500 percent in application performance
* Extensible and agile software architecture that is well aligned with quick data center transformation
* Helps in “anywhere-to-anywhere” connectivity to produce the best in revenue-generation service creation and employee productivity
* A two- way integration with monitoring and management systems for optimizing the presentation of virtualized and conventional data center technology

The new age application development controllers are designed and structured to perform their best in modern data center environments. There are equipped with cutting-edge technologies and features that are significant for enterprise application delivery, delivery of upcoming IP data services, virtualization and cloud service delivery.

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Application Availability

Secure Remote Access - The Perfect Solution for Business Continuity

Much thought has been given to workers who cannot work from an office or who find themselves in situations that make it impossible to make it to their workstations. This is where secure remote access comes into play to help home-based workers, mobile employees, customers, authorized users and extranet partners to continue to work and increase productivity. It is also a perfect solution for business continuity in any emergency in which a worker is unexpectedly unable to reach the office.

The working population today has undergone a wave of change. Work patterns, too, have undergone significant developments. Hence, users and workers are seeking a much wider combination of devices. In today’s world, it has become imperative to opt for secure remote access solutions because the following important considerations:

* Workers will not always have access to company-managed information or devices. Therefore, to carry on work it is imperative that they can securely access any Web-facilitated device.

* A few applications remain Web-enabled while others are not. Similarly, some users or workers can be trusted while others can not.

Eminent IT companies dealing in secure remote access systems have taken into account all these concerns and come up with SSL VPN solutions that are of great help to an enterprise. Some of the advantages are:

* Easy operation

* Easy use

* Efficient scalability and performance

* Device support

* Broad applications

* Multi-layer security

The application network of these remote success solutions enhances the administrator, infrastructure and end-user productivity. A secure access controller allows clients and enterprises safe and quick delivery of any function to the authorized users. This can be done over any device, in any part of the world. Sectors that reap the benefits from this technology are:

* Healthcare Industry

* Financial Firms

* Retail Enterprises

* Educational Institutions

* Service Providers

* Government Sectors

Other features that IT companies dealing in secure remote access provide for the smooth functioning of this technology are universal access, site-to-site VPN access and wireless LAN security.

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