'With ADN, CIOs Can Convert The Network Into A Business Enabler'

One of the key challenges that CIOs are facing today is that of connectivity. They are constantly figuring out how to manage branch office connectivity and handle increased demands from end users. Jeff Barker, VP, Corporate Systems Engineering, Bluecoat, gives us a perspective on Application Delivery Networks, which could be the answer to the CIO dilemma of connectivity.

Do you think that the knowledge of ADN (Application Delivery Networks) is in short supply? How are CIOs handling this issue?

IT buyers and network administrators do not have enough knowledge about ADNs. We continue to see customers buying certain applications in a volume without understanding the functioning of the same. There is a lot of interest in network assessments to highlight and identify applications on their network. CIOs are relying on their management team and technology specialists to help them make informed business decisions. There is a demand that decisions be made on the basis of real data and not on guesswork. They are really pushing and relying on network tasks to get access to real information to justify their decisions.

More from Biztech

Future Group - Reliance Retail Deal approved by CCI RBI ban on cryptocurrencies takes effect; prohibition could force investors to tap the black market

How mature are networks today as far as the ability to deliver applications is concerned?

Network delivery packets are quite mature these days. Networks are becoming increasing reliable and resilient. Bluecoat from the past 10-15 years has been working on building reliable support packets. The gap that exists is the intelligence in the network that helps to deliver applications reliably. Bluecoat focuses on providing this layer of intelligence, which helps enhancement of the network delivery function.

How difficult is it to manage business critical applications on today’s networks?

If the right infrastructure and visibility and control capabilities are not in place, it can be quite challenging to manage applications on today’s networks. Outsourcing has increased a lot and there is a need to deliver those applications as well. There are a lot of challenges being faced when it comes to this area, the first one being a lack of visibility. Due to this, it becomes difficult to understand an organisation’s current challenges, the type of applications running on the network, the amount of resources being used etc. Most enterprises go and look for a solution without knowing the problem fully.

The other issue being faced is latency in networks, which can be quite severe for distributed workers. Certain applications are not designed to run over long-latency connections and this often hampers user productivity. A lot of acceleration technology is really architected to resolve this issue.

The final challenge witnessed is leveraging of Web technologies to deliver business applications. We are increasingly turning to ‘http’ to deliver applications. This medium offers more value with the ability to give access to more users than ever before for applications. However, there are some security challenges coupled with these benefits. The most prevailing security challenge today is in the form of malware. Thus, the by-product of moving applications to the Net is being exposed to greater risk.

How can CIOs improve the effectiveness of critical enterprise processes, while controlling networking costs and keeping security in mind?

If a CIO implements some or all of the technologies that make up the Application Delivery Network, they can gain visibility and improve application performance by overcoming application limitations like reducing the size of the content through caching, compressing algorithms and reducing the risk of Web malware and other Web security exploits.

Organisations are increasingly looking at SaaS and cloud computing models. What role can Bluecoat play in delivering these services?

Organisations are looking at these technologies to reduce costs and improve productivity. Bluecoat can not only help in delivering cloud-based services and enhancing the performance of cloud-based services but also help with the acceleration of application delivery, performance improvement and prevention of security risks.

How can CIOs convert the network into a business enabler?

Any investment in Application Delivery Networks will reduce costs and improve productivity and through our technology we can reduce costs by reducing the load on the network. If a CIO is looking at rolling out a new application or a new service, they don’t have to add bandwidth to network resources. They can support the new initiative by retracting resources that are not used by the business. That is a big part of delivering an acceptable RoI. With the right technology, CIOs can make sure that the network is first used for business purposes and then for recreational purposes.