Array releases architecture for WAN Optimization Controllers

Array Networks has announced the release of the WAN Series WAN optimization controllers, featuring a completely redesigned architecture. Formerly called a Celera, the WAN Series now offers IT managers a robust, intuitive and easy-to-manage solution to speed data transfers and reduce application response times over wide area networks.

The WAN Series utilizes stream-based differencing, application blueprints, single instance store, traffic prioritization and network, application and TCP optimizations to mitigate the effects of limited bandwidth, high latency, packet loss and network congestion. Through Array WAN optimization controllers, enterprises and other organizations can achieve LAN-like performance for remote and branch offices, and meet data backup and replication goals.

Available as physical or virtual appliances, and for popular cloud platforms, the WAN Series improves application response times by up to 50X while reducing bandwidth utilization by up to 95 per cent. The newly-redesigned architecture adds a number of key enhancements, including –

· DHCP for zero configuration deployment: A peer auto-discovery mechanism detects remote WAN Series appliances, sets up the connection and automatically accelerates traffic

· Added support for Array's AVX Series Network Functions Platform, Hyper-V and KVM hypervisors, as well as support for cloud environments such as Amazon Web Services and Azure

· New routing protocols including RIP, BGP and OSPF for multiple WAN routers support, and new compression algorithms including LZ4 and Z standard

In addition, the WAN Series CMS (Central Management System) has been updated to provide central management functions from a single WebUI window for thousands of remote WAN optimization devices with zero-touch deployment, configuration, and monitoring.

"As organizations become ever more data-driven and distributed, it has become imperative that all employees, everywhere, are able to access corporate applications and data without undue delay," said Roland Hsu, Director of Product Management, Array Networks. "The redesigned WAN Series gives organizations the tools to make this happen, as well as to ensure that data replication and backup meets recovery time objective (RTO) and recovery point objective (RPO) goals."