Wide Area Networks (WANs) form the backbone of modern business IT infrastructure. Whether it is emails, data transfer, business information, Website accessibility etc, the reliability and uptime of the WAN is paramount. The recent natural catastrophes have further solidified the urgency of needing reliable WANs and a cohesive and comprehensive plan for disaster recovery. Added to this, new technologies such as Voice over Internet Protocols (VoIP) make WAN uptime not optional but imperative. The old standard of WAN uptime of 99.998% is no longer acceptable and businesses expect Extreme Availability, a new standard of 99.99998%.
The technology marketplace is teeming with new technological appliances, technology solutions, and numerous providers. Choosing the right WAN redundancy product depending on application and usage is crucial as that will determine the performance of the WAN connection. Listed below are some WAN technology solutions and products that are widely employed in businesses:
