- Aryaka Networks Launches a Cloud Solution for Application Delivery to Remote Sites -

Today, Aryaka Networks came out of stealth mode and announced its cloud solution for WAN optimization. The solution is based on a number of globally distributed points of presence for WAN optimization that sit on large carrier networks around the world. Aryaka allows organizations to deploy WAN optimization capabilities by using a SaaS platform and set up WAN optimization techniques in only a few clicks, without having to deploy any additional hardware.

The biggest area of change in the WAN optimization market over the last three years has been the delivery method of these solutions. The majority of announcements that have been made by WAN optimization vendors were centered around turning their hardware solutions into virtual appliances or enabling their products to better support managed WAN optimization services. This trend has been driven by the end-users’ request to simplify the management of WAN optimization solutions, reduce the total cost of ownership, support different network topologies and make these products more appealing for organizations that are deploying virtualization and cloud computing services. Aryaka’s solution takes this a step further and provides an innovative approach for addressing some of the key concerns that end-user organizations have about deploying WAN optimization solutions.

The trend of moving WAN optimization hardware out of the branch has been resonating with end-user organizations and a majority of WAN optimization vendors have been doing a good job of trying to adjust to it. However, Aryaka is not only taking WAN optimization solutions completely out of the branch, but also moving them outside of corporate firewalls, providing an almost CDN-like infrastructure for delivering these capabilities (which should not come as a surprise if you know that the founder of Aryaka was also a founder of Speedera Networks, a CDN company that was acquired by Akamai in 2005).

This announcement should be placed into the context of a series of announcements around turning WAN optimization solutions into virtual appliances (at this point almost all major WAN optimization vendors are providing virtual appliances, with the latest announcement coming from Cisco on September 14) and a recent announcement from Virtela, who are providing a managed service for WAN optimization at $5 per branch office per day, with a full guarantee for response times of applications that are being delivered over the WAN. This solution comes in two flavors: software and cloud-based, both of which mitigates the need for deploying any dedicated WAN optimization hardware at the branch.

For years, organizations have been reporting that the inability to create a business case for deploying WAN optimization solutions is one of the biggest challenges for supporting their remote employees. Also, estimates on the growth of WAN optimization technologies in the enterprise and saturation rate of this market were based on an assumption that these capabilities come in “boxes”. Organizations that have less than ten users per branch office find it very difficult to justify putting a WAN optimization hardware appliance at each location and worry about configuring and managing it. Even though many of these organizations understand that the performance of their business-critical applications is lower than expected, traditional WAN optimization solutions are just not a viable option for many of them.

Also, many major WAN optimization vendors have been asking if these solutions are becoming a commodity in the enterprise and how are they going to find a new area for future growth. The answer to that question is: Yes, WAN optimization is becoming a commodity, but only in the markets where they have been traditionally looking for new opportunities. There are very few companies that wouldn’t benefit from WAN optimization solutions, but the way in which they are currently designed, delivered and priced, puts them out of range for even being evaluated by some of these companies. In order for WAN optimization capabilities to become a true commodity, WAN optimization vendors have to figure out a way to deliver their solutions to end-users in such a manner that would make them more appealing to a wider range of market segments. And while some WAN optimization vendors saw this trend, and used their virtual appliances and software solutions to try to address this area of the market, others used these types of products as more of a sales tool; as a way to get their foot into the door of new prospects, so they can eventually sell more hardware.

Aryaka’s announcement could be the boost that the WAN optimization industry has needed, and also the driver for other companies in this space to consider alternative ways to better serve this market. The company’s approach has a strong potential to change how organizations think about WAN optimization services, how they are deploying them and what the addressable market for these services is.