Riverbed Updates Steelhead Hardware and Software

Riverbed (RVBD) announced that it has extended its Steelhead wide area network (WAN) optimization product family with the addition of a new hardware appliance and upgrades to its Steelhead software. Steelhead WAN optimization solutions can now accelerate a broader range of enterprise infrastructures while expanding IT control for smaller branch offices, cloud infrastructures, SAAS applications, and locations served by hybrid networks.

“It is critical for us to rapidly adopt new technologies that help us to reduce costs, boost productivity, and enhance collaboration,” said Ray Sirois, director of IT, at Wright-Pierce, a leading provider of water, wastewater, and infrastructure engineering services. “By delivering accelerated performance cost efficiently across our entire infrastructure, Riverbed WAN optimization is at the heart of our ability to improve both the way and pace that our employees work.”

Riverbed's Riverbed Optimization System (RIOS) was updated to version 8.5, and added path selection, a new feature to simplify the management of hybrid MPLS and Internet networks while delivering maximum performance. It also includes integration with Riverbed Cascade Profiler software, a leading application-aware network performance management solution. Path selection combined with application identification via deep packet inspection (DPI) enables IT and business units to understand usage and performance down to the specific application type and to dynamically reroute application flows in case of performance degradation.

"As we are delivering a growing mix of centralized and cloud applications to our distributed employees, our WAN is becoming increasingly strained," added Sirois. "Riverbed WAN optimization will allow us to successfully move to a hybrid architecture and take advantage of lower cost Internet networks.  In the end, we will be able to deliver the performance our end users need, reduce the complexity and burden on the WAN and still maintain control of our IT infrastructure.”

RiOS 8.5 also further strengthens  strategic technology partnerships with Microsoft and NetApp for the benefit of mutual customers. It adds new optimizations for business-critical Microsoft applications and environments including SharePoint 2013, Exchange 2013, Office365. With storage intelligent optimization for NetApp SnapMirror, IT organizations can now efficiently prioritize and deliver data replication to ensure business continuity and rapid disaster recovery of critical data. Customers can obtain detailed insights into each storage volume and prioritize replication for the most important data sets while avoiding taxing resources on processing data that will see little benefit. 

RiOS 8.5 also integrates Cascade Profiler 10.0.7, extending application-aware network performance management capabilities by integrating DPI capabilities within CascadeFlow data from Steelhead WAN optimization solution deployments. This offers accurate and deep application and network visibility to identify and characterize traffic flows across the network and among branch offices.

Riverbed also launched the new Steelhead CX 255 series appliance, with up to six megabits per second bandwidth capacity. The new appliance provides organizations with a small branch office solution that offers the same benefits found in larger Steelhead WAN optimization solutions, including decreasing bandwidth utilization by up to 98 percent and improving application acceleration up to 100 times faster.