What is involved in WAN Optimization

Find out what the related areas are that WAN Optimization connects with, associates with, correlates with or affects, and which require thought, deliberation, analysis, review and discussion. This unique checklist stands out in a sense that it is not per-se designed to give answers, but to engage the reader and lay out a WAN Optimization thinking-frame.

How far is your company on its WAN Optimization journey?

Take this short survey to gauge your organization’s progress toward WAN Optimization leadership. Learn your strongest and weakest areas, and what you can do now to create a strategy that delivers results.

To address the criteria in this checklist for your organization, extensive selected resources are provided for sources of further research and information.

Start the Checklist

Below you will find a quick checklist designed to help you think about which WAN Optimization related domains to cover and 108 essential critical questions to check off in that domain.

The following domains are covered:

WAN Optimization, Bandwidth management, Business Continuity, Data Center, Data migration, Data transfer, Disaster Recovery, Forward error correction, Gartner, HTTPS Proxy, Multicast, Proprietary software, Protocol spoofing, Server Message Block, Traffic shaping, Web cache, Web caching, Wide-area network, Wide area file services:

WAN Optimization Critical Criteria:

Investigate WAN Optimization management and arbitrate WAN Optimization techniques that enhance teamwork and productivity.

– Have you identified your WAN Optimization key performance indicators?

– How do we maintain WAN Optimizations Integrity?

Bandwidth management Critical Criteria:

Have a session on Bandwidth management issues and devote time assessing Bandwidth management and its risk.

– Do we cover the five essential competencies-Communication, Collaboration,Innovation, Adaptability, and Leadership that improve an organizations ability to leverage the new WAN Optimization in a volatile global economy?

– What business benefits will WAN Optimization goals deliver if achieved?

– What are current WAN Optimization Paradigms?

Business Continuity Critical Criteria:

Facilitate Business Continuity visions and find the ideas you already have.

– Who will be responsible for leading the various bcp teams (e.g., crisis/emergency, recovery, technology, communications, facilities, Human Resources, business units and processes, Customer Service)?

– Has specific responsibility been assigned for the execution of business continuity and disaster recovery plans (either within or outside of the information security function)?

– Has the organization established an enterprise-wide business continuity/disaster recovery program that is consistent with requirements, policy, and applicable guidelines?

– Do the response plans address damage assessment, site restoration, payroll, Human Resources, information technology, and administrative support?

– Does our business continuity and/or disaster recovery plan (bcp/drp) address the timely recovery of its it functions in the event of a disaster?

– Do our business continuity andor disaster recovery plan (bcp/drp) address the timely recovery of our it functions in the event of a disaster?

– What programs/projects/departments/groups have some or all responsibility for business continuity/Risk Management/organizational resilience?

– Will WAN Optimization have an impact on current business continuity, disaster recovery processes and/or infrastructure?

– Which data center management activity involves eliminating single points of failure to ensure business continuity?

– How will management prepare employees for a disaster, reduce the overall risks, and shorten the recovery window?

– How can you negotiate WAN Optimization successfully with a stubborn boss, an irate client, or a deceitful coworker?

– What is the role of digital document management in business continuity planning management?

– Does increasing our companys footprint add to the challenge of business continuity?

– Is the crisis management team comprised of members from Human Resources?

– Has business continuity thinking and planning become too formulaic?

– Will WAN Optimization deliverables need to be tested and, if so, by whom?

– Is there a business continuity/disaster recovery plan in place?

– Do you have any DR/business continuity plans in place?

– Do you have a tested IT disaster recovery plan?

Data Center Critical Criteria:

Revitalize Data Center strategies and finalize specific methods for Data Center acceptance.

– Determine if the data center has Service Level Agreements with the clients it serves. if so, do they measure themselves for compliance with the agreement?

– What are the specific security and integrity threats to cloud computing storage systems that do not exist in private data centers?

– Does the cloud solution offer equal or greater data security capabilities than those provided by your organizations data center?

– Do operating procedures require systems to undergo a security/vulnerability scan before being placed into production?

– Which report should an administrator use to know both historic and current utilization of storage in a data center?

– Which applications are best suited for the internal data center, and which ones make sense for the public cloud?

– Do any countries force cloud based companies to house data within that countrys data centers?

– Should the dataset be deposited in a national, international or discipline-based data center?

– What is a benefit of automated site failover capability in a data center environment?

– When a WAN Optimization manager recognizes a problem, what options are available?

– Is stuff in the cloud on the same legal footing as stuff in your data center?

– Is the priority of system restores documented in the disaster recovery plan?

– What is the best strategy going forward for data center disaster recovery?

– How many and where are located the providers data centers?

– How do you prepare your data center for Cloud?

– How many data center sites do you have?

Data migration Critical Criteria:

Rank Data migration leadership and achieve a single Data migration view and bringing data together.

– The process of conducting a data migration involves access to both the legacy source and the target source. The target source must be configured according to requirements. If youre using a contractor and provided that the contractor is under strict confidentiality, do you permit the contractor to house copies of your source data during the implementation?

– Data migration does our organization have a resource (dba, etc) who understands your current database structure and who can extract data into a pre-defined file and format?

– With the traditional approach to data migration, delays due to specification changes are an expected (and accepted) part of most projects. does this sound familiar?

– Data migration are there any external users accounts existing and will these user accounts need to be migrated to the new lms?

– How can we incorporate support to ensure safe and effective use of WAN Optimization into the services that we provide?

– To what extent does management recognize WAN Optimization as a tool to increase the results?

– Are there data migration issues?

Data transfer Critical Criteria:

Design Data transfer risks and define what do we need to start doing with Data transfer.

– The slower data transfer rate between a compute cluster and a storage array has been adversely impacting multiple cloud services. which Service Management process helps to mitigate this impact?

– Where do ideas that reach policy makers and planners as proposals for WAN Optimization strengthening and reform actually originate?

– Do the WAN Optimization decisions we make today help people and the planet tomorrow?

– Are there WAN Optimization Models?

Disaster Recovery Critical Criteria:

Study Disaster Recovery management and maintain Disaster Recovery for success.

– Has your organization ever had to invoke its disaster recovery plan which included the CRM solution and if so was the recovery time objective met and how long did it take to return to your primary solution?

– Disaster recovery planning, also called contingency planning, is the process of preparing your organizations assets and operations in case of a disaster. but what do we define as a disaster?

– Are there any promotions being done in your local area by government or others that you can take advantage of?

– How frequently, if at all, do we conduct a business impact analysis (bia) and risk assessment (ra)?

– Established a recovery team with clear responsibilities from the recovery plan?

– Are damage assessment and disaster recovery plans in place?

– What is the most competent data recovery service in the us?

– Are your needs being met by the current location?

– How do we define the disaster recovery process?

– How do we create backups for disaster recovery?

– Happy running the business before the disaster?

– How do we assess how much damage has occurred?

– How is data captured during the emergency?

– Are there On-premise it management tools?

– How could a M9.0 earthquake affect us?

– What are your chances for success?

– Can the item be replaced?

Forward error correction Critical Criteria:

Tête-à-tête about Forward error correction visions and probe using an integrated framework to make sure Forward error correction is getting what it needs.

– How is the value delivered by WAN Optimization being measured?

– How do we go about Securing WAN Optimization?

Gartner Critical Criteria:

Transcribe Gartner outcomes and point out Gartner tensions in leadership.

– How do we ensure that implementations of WAN Optimization products are done in a way that ensures safety?

– Do several people in different organizational units assist with the WAN Optimization process?

– Why is it important to have senior management support for a WAN Optimization project?

HTTPS Proxy Critical Criteria:

Transcribe HTTPS Proxy results and assess and formulate effective operational and HTTPS Proxy strategies.

– Which customers cant participate in our WAN Optimization domain because they lack skills, wealth, or convenient access to existing solutions?

– Who will be responsible for deciding whether WAN Optimization goes ahead or not after the initial investigations?

– Is Supporting WAN Optimization documentation required?

Multicast Critical Criteria:

Generalize Multicast leadership and test out new things.

– If a network is involved, what is its operational paradigm, that is, unicast (point-to-point network, such as Ethernet), multicast, or broadcast?

– Does WAN Optimization systematically track and analyze outcomes for accountability and quality improvement?

– Meeting the challenge: are missed WAN Optimization opportunities costing us money?

– How do we know that any WAN Optimization analysis is complete and comprehensive?

Proprietary software Critical Criteria:

Incorporate Proprietary software results and probe the present value of growth of Proprietary software.

– How will you measure your WAN Optimization effectiveness?

Protocol spoofing Critical Criteria:

Administer Protocol spoofing tasks and optimize Protocol spoofing leadership as a key to advancement.

– Do we monitor the WAN Optimization decisions made and fine tune them as they evolve?

– Does WAN Optimization appropriately measure and monitor risk?

– Is the scope of WAN Optimization defined?

Server Message Block Critical Criteria:

Exchange ideas about Server Message Block tactics and know what your objective is.

– Does WAN Optimization create potential expectations in other areas that need to be recognized and considered?

– What potential environmental factors impact the WAN Optimization effort?

Traffic shaping Critical Criteria:

Group Traffic shaping strategies and look at the big picture.

– How do mission and objectives affect the WAN Optimization processes of our organization?

– What will drive WAN Optimization change?

Web cache Critical Criteria:

Merge Web cache decisions and get answers.

– Can we do WAN Optimization without complex (expensive) analysis?

– What are internal and external WAN Optimization relations?

– What threat is WAN Optimization addressing?

Web caching Critical Criteria:

Audit Web caching tactics and ask questions.

– Is the WAN Optimization organization completing tasks effectively and efficiently?

– What tools and technologies are needed for a custom WAN Optimization project?

Wide-area network Critical Criteria:

Think carefully about Wide-area network projects and separate what are the business goals Wide-area network is aiming to achieve.

– At what point will vulnerability assessments be performed once WAN Optimization is put into production (e.g., ongoing Risk Management after implementation)?

– Do those selected for the WAN Optimization team have a good general understanding of what WAN Optimization is all about?

– Are accountability and ownership for WAN Optimization clearly defined?

Wide area file services Critical Criteria:

Collaborate on Wide area file services adoptions and diversify disclosure of information – dealing with confidential Wide area file services information.

– How likely is the current WAN Optimization plan to come in on schedule or on budget?

– What are the record-keeping requirements of WAN Optimization activities?

Conclusion:

This quick readiness checklist is a selected resource to help you move forward. Learn more about how to achieve comprehensive insights with the WAN Optimization Self Assessment:

store.theartofservice.com/WAN-Optimization-Complete-Self-Assessment/

Author: Gerard Blokdijk

CEO at The Art of Service | theartofservice.com

[email protected]

www.linkedin.com/in/gerardblokdijk

Gerard is the CEO at The Art of Service. He has been providing information technology insights, talks, tools and products to organizations in a wide range of industries for over 25 years. Gerard is a widely recognized and respected information expert. Gerard founded The Art of Service consulting business in 2000. Gerard has authored numerous published books to date.

External links:

To address the criteria in this checklist, these selected resources are provided for sources of further research and information:

WAN Optimization External links:

WAN Optimization & Traffic Shaping Solutions | Exinda
www.exinda.com/network-orchestrator

Symantec WAN Optimization – PacketShaper
www.symantec.com/products/wan-optimization-packetshaper

Riverbed SD-WAN, WAN Optimization, App …
www.riverbed.com/gb

Bandwidth management External links:

Bandwidth Management | Suddenlink Communications
www.suddenlink.com/bandwidth-management

ERIC – Bandwidth Management in Universities in …
eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1084130

Bandwidth management
Bandwidth management is the process of measuring and controlling the communications (traffic, packets) on a network link, to avoid filling the link to capacity or overfilling the link, which would result in network congestion and poor performance of the network. Bandwidth management is measured in bits per second (bit/s) or bytes per second (B/s).

Business Continuity External links:

Business Continuity Plan | FEMA.gov
www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/89510

Data Center External links:

Data Dashboards – Education Research and Data Center
www.erdc.wa.gov/data-dashboards

ADE Data Center – Home
adedata.arkansas.gov

Data Center Optimization Initiative (DCOI) – CIO.gov
datacenters.cio.gov

Data migration External links:

Data Migration Specialist Jobs, Employment | Indeed.com
www.indeed.com/q-Data-Migration-Specialist-jobs.html

Download Intel® Data Migration Software
downloadcenter.intel.com/download/19324

What is Data Migration? Webopedia Definition
www.webopedia.com/TERM/D/data_migration.html

Data transfer External links:

[DOC]Data Transfer Agreement – Atlanta VA Medical Center
www.atlanta.va.gov/Docs/ATTACHMENT_C_DTA_WITHIN_VHA.doc

Data Transfer via Human Body | Transmission Medium – …
www.scribd.com/document/360841843/Data-Transfer-via-Human-Body

IHS Secure Data Transfer Service
securedata.ihs.gov

Disaster Recovery External links:

Recovers – Community-Powered Disaster Recovery
recovers.org

SCDRO – South Carolina Disaster Recovery Office
www.scdr.sc.gov

Cloud Migration and Disaster Recovery
www.cloudendure.com

Forward error correction External links:

[PDF]Forward error correction – mars.merhot.dk
mars.merhot.dk/mediawiki/images/8/83/Forward_error_correction.pdf

AHA Products Group – Forward Error Correction
www.aha.com/forward-error-correction

Gartner External links:

Gartner Studios – Official Site
www.gartnerstudios.com

Working at Gartner
jobs.gartner.com

Gartner Events On Demand
eod.gartner.com

HTTPS Proxy External links:

Proxee – SOCKS5 & HTTPS proxy servers
proxee.net

Multicast External links:

Basic Multicast Troubleshooting Tools – Cisco
www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/ip/ip-multicast/13726-57.html

Performing Multicast Deployments – technet.microsoft.com
technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd637994(v=ws.10).aspx

Enabling Multicast Support | Knowledge Base | SonicWall
www.sonicwall.com/en-us/support/knowledge-base/170505657227589

Proprietary software External links:

Proprietary Software Definition – LINFO
www.linfo.org/proprietary.html

Proprietary Software for Free | USC Spatial Sciences Institute
spatial.usc.edu/index.php/software/proprietary-software-free

Proprietary Software and the Institutional Researcher. – …
eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ212704

Server Message Block External links:

What is Server Message Block (SMB)? Webopedia …
www.webopedia.com/TERM/S/SMB.html

Server Message Block
Server Message Block. In computer networking, Server Message Block (SMB), one version of which was also known as Common Internet File System (CIFS, /?s?fs/), operates as an application-layer network protocol mainly used for providing shared access to files, printers, and serial ports and miscellaneous communications between nodes on a network.

Server Message Block communication between a client …
support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/916846

Traffic shaping External links: