Over the years I've introduced security, WAN optimization, caching, traffic shaping and numerous other technologies all jockeying for a position in the ranks of the evolving enterprise. Each technology promoting a unique spin on the same underlying value...a value that underpins every aspect of enterprise infrastructure...Business Optimization.
In simplistic terms all these technologies are basic components of a larger comprehensive traffic management solution. What's changed in recent years is the plethora of new types of traffic being managed, and with it new products and technologies. Now more sophisticated traffic analysis is required to examine everything from basic IP addresses and protocol types to signatures and even complete files. These technologies often confuse and obscure the real business objectives of traffic management which have surprisingly remained the same.
If we look at traffic through the eyes of Clint Eastwood we would loosely define traffic as Good, Bad and Ugly. Functions under our traffic management umbrella apply differently to each. Let's take it a step further and define what we mean by Good, Bad and Ugly.
Good
Good traffic is easy to define. It consists of traffic generated by applications required to run your business and includes corporate email, database, corporate IM, VoIP, intranet CMS, etc.
Ugly
Ugly traffic is equally easy to define as all traffic that is completely unnecessary on your network and in fact detrimental to your business's performance.
Bad
Bad traffic is a gray area and includes all those unmanaged applications that employees like to use and may help with their jobs but aren't officially supported by your IT department. This includes public IM, external web browsing, unmanaged VoIP and video, streaming audio, peer-to-peer, etc.
If we map our traffic management tools to this we typically want to block Ugly traffic, shape Bad traffic, and accelerate and prioritize Good traffic. Using a more comprehensive traffic management model we can see how this all fits together.
By developing a security, WAN optimization, shaping solution as part of a larger cohesive traffic management solution, organizations stand to gain value through simplicity. These systems need to work together and compliment one another. Trying to absorb each technology in a silo and integrate them later stands a much greater chance of frustration and failure.
Organizations need to develop a complete traffic management strategy, incorporating all these pillars with clearly identified goals; and in doing so, ultimately achieve their real objective...Business Optimization.
Posts
