Buying Tips arise from the App Acceleration testing trenches

Product Test and Buyer's Guide This newsletter is sponsored by Juniper Networks Balancing network access and security The more users accessing the network, the more dangerous the network neighborhood becomes. Find out how to strike a balance between network access and security for internal and external users quickly. Click here to download this analyst whitepaper now. Product Test and Buyer's Guide, 08/16/07 By Christine Burns Network Lab Alliance partner David Newman has finally come up for air after seven grueling months in the lab testing application acceleration wares from Blue Coat, Cisco, Riverbed and SilverPeak. You can read all about it in the detailed review article. However, in this newsletter I’d like to note that from the embers of the burning questions addressed by those test results, also comes a wealth of information about this class of products that we just found too worthwhile to leave on the cutting room floor. Newman used his in-depth, hands-on experience with these products to come up with several guidelines on how to go about purchasing the right one depending on your network’s requirements. Here is his list: Network World Storage Buyer's Guide Find the right products for your enterprise - fast. From a tape library to an on-line backup service to a complete, drop-it-in-place SAN Solution, check out this Buyer's guide. With over 200 products divided into specific categories, you can conduct side-by-side comparisons and make the best decision for your enterprise. Click here to go to the Storage Buyer's Guide now. 1. What are my goals for application acceleration? 2. What’s the difference between caching and application acceleration? 3. How do application-acceleration devices operate with the rest of my network? 4. What are the security implications for application acceleration? 5. What’s my application mix? 6. Where are my users? You can read the rationale behind each bullet point here. Got thoughts on the App Acceleration market? Speak up! We’ve always pitched the Network World Buyer’s Guides as “living” beasts, meaning that vendors at any time can add new products to our listings and detail any improvements in existing entries so that our readers have access to the most up-to-date product information possible. To that end, Network World editors must periodically update the questions we ask vendors in every category to reflect new technology trends in those markets. I’m in the process of revamping the Application Acceleration Buyer’s Guide this week, and am interested in gathering your thoughts on new questions we can ask of every vendor in this space. Please drop me a line if you’ve got a burning question for these vendors about their products. Thanks in advance for your help.

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Contact the author: Christine Burns is the Executive Editor of Testing. She can be reached at cburns@nww.com This newsletter is sponsored by Juniper Networks Balancing network access and security The more users accessing the network, the more dangerous the network neighborhood becomes. Find out how to strike a balance between network access and security for internal and external users quickly. Click here to download this analyst whitepaper now. BONUS FEATURE IT PRODUCT RESEARCH AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Get detailed information on thousands of products, conduct side-by-side comparisons and read product test and review results with Network World’s IT Buyer’s Guides. Find the best solution faster than ever with over 100 distinct categories across the security, storage, management, wireless, infrastructure and convergence markets. Click here for details. PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE You've got the technology snapshot of your choice delivered to your inbox each day. Extend your knowledge with a print subscription to the Network World newsweekly, Apply here today. International subscribers, click here. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES To subscribe or unsubscribe to any Network World newsletter, change your e-mail address or contact us, click here. This message was sent to: security.world@gmail.com. Please use this address when modifying your subscription. Advertising information: Write to Associate Publisher Online Susan Cardoza Network World, Inc., 118 Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772 Copyright Network World, Inc., 2007