IT managers face a lot of challenges when scaling networked systems to multiple locations. The best-known methods include deploying the identical technology stack and processes at each site.
Unfortunately, IT can’t exert control over key aspects of application performance, especially when businesses are relying on cloud and internet-based applications.
That’s because it’s not enough to duplicate the software and hardware stack at each location. In a distributed, networked organization that relies on the public internet, the network itself does not perform identically at every site. So, employees and customers will not enjoy the same experience in every office, warehouse, or site on the network.
Same applications, different performance
For example, connections to cloud-based applications can be perfectly responsive at the company headquarters but sluggish in a branch office, or vice versa, due to any number of factors that are outside the IT team’s control:
- Availability. It’s difficult to standardize on a uniform internet connection across the country, even across city neighborhoods. In each geographic location, there may be a limited number and/or different internet service providers (ISPs) with a specific selection of circuit types.
- Traffic patterns. Even the same ISP, circuit type, and service package may perform differently from one location to another, due to real time jitter, latency, and packet loss.
- Outages. Hardware and software issues, broken or downed circuits, cyberattacks, or power failures can disrupt network connections locally or globally.
Network optimization ensures consistency
One way to ensure consistency across multiple locations is to add the Bigleaf Networks optimization platform to the mix. Bigleaf sits outside the firewall, so there’s no need to make changes to established security protocols or other aspects of the tech stack at any individual site.
With a plug-and-play router at each site and a purpose-built IP network in between, Bigleaf monitors and directs network traffic along the optimal path over the public internet to and from the data’s destination. Bigleaf moves cloud network traffic seamlessly around blockages and outages to improve performance and reliability of business-critical, cloud-enabled applications.
With Bigleaf, employees and customers in every location will enjoy reliable connectivity that delivers a consistent user experience.
Bigleaf works with any ISP, any connection type, any technology stack, and any firewall, to connect the network with any cloud-based application or service. IT can continue to deploy a tried-and-true tech stack at every location, including SaaS, VoIP, and other business-critical services.
Bigleaf maintains the network’s stability and resilience, and the consistent network architecture supports optimal system performance in all locations.
Plus, Bigleaf Cloud Connect provides detailed insights into the performance of every circuit at every location, so the IT team can identify risks and prevent any impact on future performance.
Check out the power of network optimization with Bigleaf. Schedule a demo today.