Tag Archives: WAN Connectivity

05 Apr

Empowering County Connectivity: A Journey to 10 Gig Bandwidth Deployment with FatPipe WARP

In an era where connectivity is integral for operations, counties face increasing demands for robust network infrastructure. The deployment of two High Availability 10 gig standard WARPs by FatPipe represents a significant technological milestone for a purpose-led county.

Unlike traditional solutions, FatPipe is uniquely capable of seamlessly failover VoIP, video, VPN, and data from one line to another in a sub-second without dropping calls or disrupting services. This unparalleled capability ensures uninterrupted communication and data access, even during emergencies or network disruptions. One of the distinguishing features of FatPipe technology is its ability to avoid duplication, thereby ensuring optimal bandwidth utilization. This becomes particularly crucial in the context of a 10 Gig deployment, where efficient resource allocation is crucial for meeting the county’s diverse needs.

FatPipe Helps Fulfill the Objectives of the County Effectively

The transition to a 10 gig network leads to a new era of efficiency and capability for the county. With a mandate encompassing the maintenance of peace, tax collection, and infrastructure management, the county relies heavily on seamless connectivity. Bandwidth limitations impeded the county’s critical operations, particularly for the Emergency Management Agency. Time-critical situations demanded swift access to information, underscoring the urgency for robust connectivity.

The 10 gig network not only meets current demands but also lays the foundation for future growth, enabling the county to leverage advanced technologies and streamline operations effectively.

Additional Benefit to the County Thanks to FatPipe’s Site Load Balancing

FatPipe’s add-on feature, Site Load Balancing, augments the county’s network with enhanced redundancy and availability. Facilitating failover between multiple locations and distributing traffic intelligently, this feature ensures uninterrupted connectivity even in the face of disruptions. FatPipe products emerge as the sole solution capable of automating failover processes seamlessly, regardless of carrier specifications, thereby enhancing network resilience and reliability.

FatPipe recognizes the mission-critical nature of county WAN connectivity and is committed to delivering unparalleled customer service and satisfaction. Backed by a team of talented technical and support engineers, FatPipe ensures that county operations remain uninterrupted, with a level of expertise and dedication that is truly “Best of Breed.”

The journey towards 10 gig bandwidth deployment with FatPipe’s solution demonstrates the county’s commitment to embracing innovation and enhancing operational efficiency. By leveraging the unmatched capabilities of FatPipe technology, the county can effectively address its diverse needs while ensuring reliability, efficiency, and affordability in its network operations. As technology continues to evolve, FatPipe remains dedicated to supporting the county’s mission-critical objectives with innovative solutions and unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction These words by the county’s IT department’s Co-Director, “FatPipe is a cost-effective, easy to set up and maintain, solution that we can count on. FatPipe makes a rare ISP failure unknowable to our users unless I tell them it happened” precisely summarizes the impact of the deployment on the county.

08 Nov

SD-WAN is now SD-WAN TM

SD-WAN is evolving to SD-WAN TM

Many SD-WAN solutions promise adopters a software/hardware solution that will ultimately solve their traffic routing issues and improve network performance.   But research has shown that this is not the case.   Over 60% of SD-WAN installs are retooled or worse, uninstalled, simply because they just do not meet the needs of today’s modern wide area network.

Let’s be honest, SD-WAN has got a rap, not necessarily “bad” but perhaps has been touted, incorrectly, as a panacea to solve a multitude of issues faced by today’s WAN administrators.

So why the confusion and lack of understanding?   Perhaps it is marketing hype, where vendors in this market claim to have solutions that meet most customer’s needs, only to find far more is required than what is advertised.   Perhaps customers are too quick to jump on the bandwagon, with administrators installing “SD-WAN” simply to appease management that they now have the latest and greatest, or to try something and see if and how it works.

SD-WAN (Software-Defined WAN) is cool, and can be a very effective, cost saving solution for almost ANY WAN of any size or configuration.   After research with well over 100 SD-WAN users, both large and small, the clear differentiator in this discussion is undoubtedly, the “S”.  The Software.   It is well known that the hardware is no longer the focus for a successful, high speed WAN, it is how the software manages the traffic.    

It is all about network traffic management

Perhaps SD-WAN should be changed to SD-WAN-TM – WAN Traffic Management, because at the end of the day, it really is about traffic management, knowing what the traffic type is, where it originates, the destination and of course, how it gets there.

Modern WANs are becoming more and more complex, especially with the adoption of cloud and hybrid cloud services and solutions, better bandwidth offerings, faster cell networks (5G is blisteringly quick) and of course, the need to access information and data from anywhere at any time, using a multitude of devices.

Users are driving the change.   Instant access is imperative, demanded, and critical to the success of today’s fast paced on line business to consumer economy.     Businesses are adapting to this change requiring more connectivity to aligned organizations, such as healthcare institutions connecting to insurance companies, financial institutions connecting to regulatory bodies, mortgage and insurance companies, and large on line retailers managing inventory, deliveries, and billing.   We are becoming more and more connected, and with that brings the number 1 fear for any network administrator, the security of their data.

Security is undoubtedly the one issue keeping the WAN administrator awake at night.   With the massive increase in network traffic on multiple and different link types, especially broadband, from multiple devices, the question must now be, how do you manage this traffic effectively, efficiently and most importantly, easily?

In order to have a reliable, secure and effective WAN, it is imperative that administrators take control of traffic across the network.    Knowing how traffic is being routed and most importantly, being able to control it, is without question the most important factor affecting the modern WAN.  Managing this traffic across multiple links using multiple formats is key.   This is the promise of SD-WAN.

5 Necessities for a cost effective SD-WAN solution

To get the best “S” for your SD-WAN needs, there are a few easy steps any business should take.   Here are 5 key questions you MUST ask your SD-WAN vendor:

  1. Will your SD-WAN solution work with existing routers and network protocols?
  2. Will your SD-WAN solution work with multiple links in one device, even if those links are different types and speeds, including copper, fiber, 3G,4G,5G LTE, broadband and satellite?
  3. Will your Software-Defined WAN (SD-WAN) solution securely load balance and failover BOTH inbound and outbound traffic, even if this is VoIP or Video resulting in zero dropped calls?
  4. Does your SD-WAN solution allow setting of thresholds for any traffic type, including application specific, protocol specific, line specific, or interface specific?
  5. Will your SD-WAN solution be capable of managing traffic securely to and from any cloud or hybrid cloud application or service and can you do this all from a single screen view of the entire network?

If you answered yes to ALL of these questions, you have a very good SD-WAN solution, or even better, best of breed WAN traffic management.

Traffic management is already the most important factor affecting networks today.  It will become even more important and critical as more and more devices connect.    Multiple research predicts up to 50 Billion devices connected to the Internet by 2025.

To be sure you have the right “S” to manage your traffic, check to see how your network is designed, the links you have in place, the firewalls, routers, the current traffic management system, and ask yourself what is possible and what will be required to ensure reliability, security, redundancy, efficiency and, perhaps often overlooked, how simple will it be to configure and manage?

FatPipe Networks have been designing and developing best of breed SD-WAN solutions for over 17 years, are the holder of 12 seminal patents and are FIPS 140-2 certified.   With the capability of managing up to 16 different links, with multiple speeds, sub second failover, stateful firewall, inbound redundancy and security, best WAN Optimization options, and scalable up to 40Gb, FatPipe can meet all of the customer SD-WAN requirements.   FatPipe’s traffic management is second to none.   Offering both capex and managed service solutions, FatPipe is unique in the market.   Can you afford not to check out FatPipe’s WAN traffic management capabilities?

Call FatPipe today at 801-683-5656 x 1224.   www.fatpipeinc.com

 

29 Oct

SD-WAN Growing Use Cases for the Cloud

SD-WAN: Growing Use Cases for the Cloud

It’s remarkable how fast software-defined wide-area networking (SD-WAN) has gained momentum. Many people ask why. The answer is: SD-WAN is expanding the functionality of automating and management access to cloud applications.

The primary trigger for the growth and interest in SD-WAN is the shift, over the past decade, of a massive amount of applications to the cloud (both private and public). Networks in the client-server era were built to access applications that were housed either at an enterprise site or, more rarely, in a private data center. But the cloud shifted the game — creating the need for fast access to applications wherever they reside, including the cloud when accessed across the Internet.

Cloud Connection Challenges

From the CIO or CTO’s perspective, cloud has many benefits but also presents many challenges from the network and security point of view. Cloud applications can speed the velocity and agility of IT, enabling your workforce to connect and build on new applications on demand.

But the challenge is that you need to build a new infrastructure to support these cloud applications. There are several challenges to connecting your workforce to this new world of agile cloud applications. Here are a few:

Application Performance: Cloud means there are many routes for workers to connect – and generally they do so using the network, not always under control of the corporate network. They could be using Internet broadband to connect to a cloud application or they might be on a corporate WAN. SD-WAN technology can add network intelligence to the corporate WAN to recognize which applications are being accessed and connect them in the most efficient, cost effective way. It can provide Internet breakout to make sure that general Internet traffic is not routed through expensive private data-center connections (such as MPLS). And furthermore, SD-WAN technology can be used to connect directly to recognize the most common cloud applications (Microsoft Office 365, Salesforce), and connect to application-specific gateways that speed up applications access.

Security: With the increased use of the Internet and cloud technologies, it’s harder for IT staff to assure security when employees are using the network to connect to the cloud. SD-WAN can enable additional network visibility and security functions that assure that cloud applications are being accessed in a secure way. More importantly, by enabling network branches and endpoints with SD-WAN, IT staff can gain more insight into how the networks are being used and implement security policies.

Agility and Automation: In the hardware-based WAN world, networks were connected with complicated hardware configurations and leased lines, making changes to the network topology and architecture difficult. In order to connect to the cloud, a more responsive network is needed to gain control and visibility over cloud connections. With SD-WAN, networks can be more quickly orchestrated and changed using software, increasing the speed with which IT and networking staff can respond to changing business demand. In addition, SD-WAN deployments can often be set up using software-based automation tools such as templates.

End-User Attraction: Making Life Easier

What’s most powerful about SD-WAN is that it has the potential to solve several of these challenges at once, by providing an integrated, software-driven platform for automating network policy and applications.

Cloud applications mean that traffic flows within the network have drastically changed and become inefficient. The technology to handle these new traffic flows is embedded in many SD-WAN platforms.

SD-WAN emerged with a few use cases anchored to the need for fast cloud access, but those use cases are now expanding, according to Futuriom research.  That is because the WAN is a key enabler — and also possibly stumbling block — for cloud applications.

So how exactly does SD-WAN do that? The MEF, a global industry alliance comprised of more than 150 networking technology and service-provider organizations, is working to reduce the confusion surrounding SD-WAN technologies and solutions. As part of their work the MEF has identified the following as being fundamental capabilities of SD-WAN managed services:

  • Secure, IP-based virtual overlay network
  • Transport-independence of underlay network
  • Service assurance of each SD-WAN tunnel
  • Application-driven packet forwarding
  • High availability through multiple WAN links
  • Policy-based packet forwarding
  • Service automation via centralized management, control and orchestration
  • The MEF also identified some value-added services that are beyond the fundamental SD-WAN service offering. This includes WAN optimization and advanced security services.

These expanding capabilities of SD-WAN show why it’s growing so fast – it’s become the Swiss army knife of WAN automation and management. This is why IT and network managers have taken a liking to the approach is that streamlines the management of many of challenges posed to given users a better experience in connecting to the cloud.

FatPipe Networks has been developing and delivering traffic management solutions for over 17 years and was “SD-WAN before SD-WAN was cool”- Gartner.   With 12 seminal patents and a comprehensive suite that addresses any SD-WAN need, FatPipe Networks is a must for any WAN administrator considering or updating their WAN traffic management needs

31 Jan

Make your Cloud Strategy YOUR Cloud Strategy

cloud strategy

There is no question that the move to the cloud is in full swing.  When you read any technical publication, the cloud is all they can talk about.  While cloud computing continues to see incredible growth, there are some facts that seem to missed.  According to research done by Morgan Stanley, 79% of the computing workload is done on premise.  While the number is expected to drop to 56% in 2021, premise-based data centers still carry the bulk of compute workload.

There are some reasons companies keep applications on-premise.  These can be security concerns, latency concerns, regulatory concerns or even corporate culture reasons.  For whatever reason, it is clear that premise-based computing with continue to be a critical component of the IT infrastructure for the foreseeable future.

While premise-based computing will continue to be part of the equation, it is important to develop your cloud IT strategy.  Most companies are adopting a hybrid IT strategy with portions of the compute workload remaining in the promise data center and other portions being outsources to a public cloud.  When adopting your hybrid IT strategy, you must customize it to your company to be successful.  Consider which applications are most latency sensitive, or have critical security components and strongly consider leaving them on premise. It is important to make your cloud strategy your cloud strategy.

Of course, connectivity is crucial to any cloud or hybrid IT strategy. FatPipe is the expert at hybrid WAN and can help with your hybrid IT strategy. FatPipe has spent nearly two decades developing solutions that are simple, efficient, dynamic & adaptable connections between users, applications, and their data.

These innovations have continued with the announcement of general availability of FatPipe for Azure.  FatPipe for Azure allows customers to seamlessly integrate an Azure cloud site into their MPSec/SD-WAN overlay and get the same benefits of MPSec that they get from a premise-based data center.  FatPipe ensures that your cloud applications, whether it is Salesforce, Office 365, or Google docs don’t have the quality issues during download, screen refresh, or when the line drops. Latency and jiiter as well as application prioritization is managed by your FatPipe ensuring a better quality experience.

11 Sep

Top 100 Furniture Retailer Chooses FatPipe SD-WAN to Ensure Business Continuity

SALT LAKE CITY, UT– One of America’s top 100 furniture retailers* has chosen FatPipe SD-WAN technology for multi-line network redundancy and fail-over. Processing orders and general office communications are supported by a site-to-site VPN infrastructure directly connected to its headquarters. “Computer automation is a key element to our overall business process,” said the Network Engineer. A stable VPN is essential to the furniture outlet’s ability to conduct business.

The company realized how mission critical its VPN was when communications to one of its warehouses was cut off for one entire business day due to a downed line. The line was physically cut, accidentally, on account of construction in the area. The data stream was stopped and productivity was significantly affected. They experienced delays in putting through orders because they had to revert to manual processes. Their inventory control was difficult to maintain and had to be reconciled from paper records once the data line was available again.

“Our entire business process for that location was affected when our VPN went down,” said the Network Engineer. Other applications, including email, accounting, inventory software, and warehouse management software all were run over the VPN. “We hit the point where downtime is unacceptable,” said the Network Engineer.

He and his team researched ways to mitigate the effects of WAN downtime. They first considered BGP. According to the Network Engineer, it was a hassle. “We started the ball rolling on implementing BGP and the more we got into it, the more difficult it was becoming, so we looked for an easier solution that was just as effective, but less expensive and time consuming. We chose FatPipe SD-WAN.”

Not only can FatPipe’s SD-WAN conduct line failover automatically, it is dynamic and works with the company’s diverse combination of data lines including DSL – something BGP simply cannot do. The company uses FatPipe to aggregate a mixed breed of DSL, T1, wireless, and Metro-Ethernet rings at the various sites. Data is automatically failed over to available lines if a connection, component, or service fails.

The company also enjoys the added benefit of FatPipe’s patented security overlay technology, MPSec, which provides an additional layer of security.

The Network Engineering teams are implementing other mission critical applications, including VoIP, over its VPN, where IP data route control and QoS will come into play. These features are integrated into FatPipe’s SD-WAN solution.

ABOUT FATPIPE

FatPipe® Networks founders Dr. Ragula Bhaskar and Sanchaita Datta invented the concept of software defined wide area networking and hybrid WANs that eliminate the need for hardware and software, or cooperation from ISPs and allows companies to control WAN traffic. FatPipe currently has 11 U.S. patents and over 180 technology claims related to multipath, software defined networking. FatPipe technology provides the world’s best intra-corporate wide area network solutions that transcend Internet and other network failures to maintain business continuity and high transmission security. FatPipe, with several thousand customers, has offices in the United States, and around the world, with over 700 resellers worldwide including almost all national resellers in the US.

*FatPipe does not release the names of its customers as a general policy of confidentiality.

 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Hayley Doehler

(801)281-3434 ext. 2221

E-mail hayley@fatpipeinc.com