who specialize in the enterprise market are now trying to extend their product offerings and realize that they need to view what’s on the WAN. When service providers broaden their scope to include both these operational spheres, they can grow alongside their customers and incrementally increase their revenues.
Application-based services come in different flavors and, ultimately, the nirvana of these services is application control. Achieving control requires monitoring various applications components utilizing several key tools and capabilities. The first one is gaining visibility into enterprise applications as well as the WAN. Second, traffic analysis lets the operator see which applications are going across the network and which sites are using specific applications that potentially need individual management. Third, optimization and acceleration of applications means making sure there is sufficient bandwidth optimization to manage the applications moving across the network. Fourth, finally, is the ability to
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Customers are aware of what’s possible and demand the very best quality of service. |
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As VPN services and applications services converge and overlap, and with the new technologies available, service providers can develop additional revenues by offering professional consulting services, essentially managing enterprise applications in order to relieve their business customers of the expense and resources required to do this for themselves. Solutions are now on the market that enable the visibility, reporting, and monitoring capabilities they require on a common platform, reducing the need to add staff and improving the ability to control applications delivery and QoE.
Enhanced service offerings also help service providers differentiate themselves from their competitors. In many cases, they can upgrade their services by building on existing hardware and software rather than having to replace it. This protects the investments they’ve made
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accelerate specific applications that have critical business value.
When all four components work together, as soon as any deterioration in specific applications is detected, automation is brought into play to begin prioritizing these applications and making adjustments to the way they are delivered. This ensures the end user’s all-important QoE (Quality of Experience).
Adding Another Dimension
It’s important to note that enterprises realize that in order to improve their overall operating efficiencies in the current economic environment, they can’t afford to hire new people to focus on all the processes involved in application optimization. Considering the number of sites that may be part of a global network and their remote geographic locations, along with the increasing number of applications being used, many enterprises are looking to outsource these tasks to those service providers that can manage their applications as well as their networks.
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already as well as optimizing their functionality. By providing a wider range of business services tailored to the needs of enterprise clients, service providers can forge a true partnership with their enterprise clients to ensure long-term, mutually beneficial business relationships that meet the demands of today’s economic environment.
There is no getting around the fact that customer expectations for business services delivery continues to mature. Customers are aware of what’s possible and demand the very best quality of service. The future success of service providers will depend on the breadth of services that they offer that ensure QoE. The good news is that there are growing opportunities for new revenue and business efficiency in this ever-enlarging demand for expanded managed services.
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