Microsoft enters WAN optimisation market with Packeteer

Stuart Corner
Monday, 07 May 2007 18:41

IT Industry - Market

He claimed that it would replace the "conga line" of boxes that branch offices currently need to access corporate files and corporate networks, eg router, QoS control DNS server, file and print server and tape backup.

The initial version of iShaper, to be available in Q2 2007, will allow for the security-enabled, intelligent acceleration of more than 600 applications. In Q4 2007, Packeteer and Microsoft plan to deliver the next version of iShaper, integrating additional ISA server technology for advanced firewall protection, virtual private network services and secure web (HTTPS) application acceleration capabilities.

In the US, prices will start at $US11,000 for an appliance up to 45Mbps throughput with 10Mbps of accelerated traffic. Australian pricing will be a the appropriate exchange rate, with no mark up. The product will be sold through Packeteer, not Microsoft.

Packeteer, founded in 1996, is one of a number of companies that have emerged over the past decade with technology designed to optimise the performance of wide area networks and of applications running over wide area networks. Several of its contemporaries have been bought by major network equipment vendors and others who saw the need to offer this functionality with their own products. In 2005 Juniper bought Peribit and Redline, and Cisco bought Fineground, Actona Technologies and Neopath. In 2006 Citrix Systems bought Orbit Data.