WANs and Virtualization: A Match Made in IT Heaven?

More and more Asian businesses are finding that there are distinct benefits associated with  designing ways in which whole companies can be made to sing from the same hymn sheet when it comes to business procedures, tools (e.g. software programs) and techniques.

One of the ways in which this can be achieved (from the IT perspective at least) is virtualization.

Virtualization is an excellent way of consolidating applications, databases and servers in a single data centre. Some of the benefits of going virtual include the following:

• Improved hardware utilization and performance
• Reduced management needs leading to cost savings and a smaller IT department
• Easier backups
• Less complicated disaster recovery procedures
• Rapid deployment of new resources
• Simplified license management

The case for virtualization in one office location seems pretty straightforward, but what if your business operates across several different locations? It is at this exact point where two of the most pressing current IT priorities (namely Virtualization and WAN Optimization) interface with each other.

The central focus of Wide Area Networks (WAN's) is to deliver LAN-like access and functionality to a remote network location. It does this through employing various methods to limit the effects of the most common enemies of remote connectivity, most notably bandwidth limitations and latency. (The process of limiting the effects of these factors is often referred to as WAN Optimization) Virtualization ups the ante considerably when it comes to the need for WAN Optimization as it demands not only the optimization of the specific programs or protocols but of an entire virtual environment!

Fortunately for remote offices the world over WAN technology is keeping pace with the demands of the virtual office. This is happening to such an extent that WAN technologies can almost be seen as a kind of virtualization in itself as it brings virtual servers, operating systems and applications into dispersed locations.

Perhaps the biggest challenge in managing virtualized WAN's is the fact that you are in a sense dealing with the transfer of 'live' content. When a WAN is used mainly for the transfer of static content (e.g. backups or file transfers) super responsive 'always on' connectivity, although important, is not absolutely critical as an interrupted transfer can simply be resumed if a break in connectivity occurs. If, however, an entire desktop and its related applications are being transmitted across a WAN, a break in connectivity can be disastrous! It is therefore no surprise to find that many developers of WAN technology focus very strongly on delivering reliable connectivity. Some methods that are being used to achieve this are:

• Deduplication: This is the process whereby duplicate data is delivered from local data stores rather than by resending it across the WAN.
• Payload compression: This is where demands on bandwidth are decreased by the sending of size-optimized content.
• Limitation of packet loss and errors: Lost or damaged data packets necessitate resubmission and can lead to a considerable slowing down of a WAN. Many of the WAN technologies used to deliver virtualization make use of strategies like 'Adaptive Forward Error Correction' and 'Packet Order Correction' to eliminate the need for retransmission.
• Virtualization specific optimization: Many WAN Optimization technologies contain specific strategies for optimizing individual applications or protocols. The current trend towards using WAN for virtualization means that many companies are going beyond this by developing ways in which the technology used to optimize applications can be extended over entire virtual environments utilizing the WAN.

Concerns about security and data integrity are often raised when it comes to both virtualization and WAN's. It is for this reason that the new generation of WAN products focus heavily on the use of encryption to protect network communication sent over the WAN. Massive strides have also been taken to link WAN's and virtualization technology in a quest for more efficient and reliable disaster recovery. One of the greatest benefits of using virtualized applications over the WAN for this purpose is the fact that the same disaster recovery and backup protocols can be used across an entire organization. It can also potentially reduce the data loss risks associated with high-risk business environments.

It is clear that there are still some challenges on the road to seamless virtualization across the WAN, it is also quite clear, however, that the idea of a virtualized remote location is becoming less of a dream but a daily reality for many companies. This means that companies that are struggling with the integration and cooperation of several remote locations should seriously look at the possibilities offered by technology. They should, however, also keep in mind that not all WAN and virtualization solutions have been created equal. Care should be taken to investigate several options and to then implement proven solutions that will be suited to your specific context. Doing so could just save you a lot of money can give your business the edge in the highly decentralized Asian corporate environment.