Boston-based WAN optimization vendor Exinda today released two new variants of its Edge line of appliances, targeted at branch-office users who need performance enhancement and don't want to spend a lot of time on setup.
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The smaller version, dubbed the Edge 2061, starts at $2,990 and the larger 4061 goes for $7,240, though the actual prices could vary, given that the company works exclusively through channel sales. Both take up 1U of rack space, though the 2061 can be placed on a desktop instead. According to Exinda, the larger 4061 can manage up to 768,000 concurrent flows using the company's x700 software, though that number drops to 384,000 when the x800 optimization software is used. The 2061 is limited to 32,000 concurrent flows across the board.
The company says that its use of intelligent traffic shaping to analyze and profile data traveling across a network allows its Edge products to more effectively improve performance. Since different organizations will likely have substantially different factors affecting data throughput, Exinda's new models use preset profiles tailored to various types of end user.
A profile for use in a college setting, for example, might be tweaked to ensure easy access to educational resources while dialing back access to file sharing and video streaming services -- though this can be automatically adjusted.
"The educational institution is trying to create a balance between e-learning and a social experience for students," says Exinda product marketing representative Brendan Reid. "They have to consider a number of variables ... is it BitTorrent or is it e-learning? Who are the users, the faculty or the students? What bandwidth is required? What is the usage context? Is it during the day when e-learning is required, or is it at night when social and collaboration's more important?"
This type of flexibility could help Exinda do business in an increasingly crowded field, as spikes in data traffic outpace the growth in available bandwidth for many businesses -- making WAN optimization technology more attractive.
Email Jon Gold at jgold@nww.com and follow him on Twitter at @NWWJonGold.
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