Nortel’s latest branch device targets storage, file sharing, acceleration

Nortel's Business Continuity System 3000

Branch Office Best Practices Newsletter By Robin Gareiss, Network World, 07/18/06

Data and applications are becoming more centralized at the data center. And more of the employees who need to access the data and applications reside at branch offices. These two facts create a strain on network resources, and the equipment needed to fulfill the needs in the branch.

Nortel is conducting customer beta tests on a new product that integrates a few key functions in a single branch application, residing on a Microsoft server 2003. The product, called Business Continuity System 3000, enables wide-area file services (WAFS) and optimizes the network for reduced bandwidth requirements.

Employees at branch offices can access files stored at the data center (though usually they are cached locally and updated only when changes are made to them) over an optimized link. Bottom line: No requirement for local storage and backup because that happens at the data center, and bandwidth requirements reduce drastically.

We’ve seen many vendors, including Adtran, Cisco, Juniper, NetDevices, and Nortel, offer all-in-one branch devices that cover routing, switching, and security functions. Now a second category of products is emerging that includes WAFS, storage, and optimization. Expand Networks, Packeteer, Redline, and now Nortel, are among the vendors in this space. (One of Nortel’s big differences is the fact that it resides on a Microsoft server.)

Overall, the trend - fewer devices in the branch - is heading in the right direction. The key, however, is integrating these two product categories. Moving forward, Nortel is considering adding new functions, including messaging, routing, and key management over the WAN. Other vendors say they’re heading in that direction, too.

The cost savings can be substantial. Organizations typically spend four hours, on average, installing point products; all-in-one devices take about six hours. Add onto that the decrease in local storage and bandwidth costs, and the savings climb.

If you’re responsible for the branch office infrastructure, you should examine the benefits of these types of devices. You’ll very likely save money, but you also may save time on IT management of the branch, as well.