Teneo simulates ‘network nightmares’ at IP’08

Published on: 24 September 2008

Teneo, a leading infrastructure optimisation specialist, will be using a specially designed unit called a ‘Network Nightmare’ to demonstrate how Riverbed Steelhead® appliances can accelerate applications even in the most extreme network conditions on stand #329 at IP Expo 2008 (IP’08).

Teneo will be unleashing a ‘Network Nightmare’ simulation tool on its stand at IP’08 (1-2 October, Earls Court 2) as it demonstrates the benefits of using Riverbed Steelhead appliances to address the issues that affect application performance over the wide area network (WAN).

The tool can simulate the typical conditions that data encounters on a WAN. Visitors to the stand will be asked to describe their organisation’s current network infrastructure. Using the ‘Network Nightmare’ tool, Teneo can then adjust each facet of the network, such as the physical distance between sites, bandwidth, network congestion and latency.

The first part of the demonstration consists of a data heavy file being sent by one personal computer (PC), with the data passing through the ‘Network Nightmare’ box, to be received on another PC. The time for the data to be sent and received is then recorded.

To demonstrate how Riverbed Steelhead appliances accelerate application performance, two appliances are installed either side of the tool, and the same file transfer is carried out. Visitors to the stand can then witness the sheer difference in speed that these appliances achieve.

With up to 100 times acceleration from Riverbed Steelhead appliances, the units are vital to organisations that are grappling with the problems of satisfying data-hungry workforces who are increasingly working across a range of office locations.

James Hall, marketing director, Teneo, commented:
“We believe this demonstration, using the ‘Network Nightmare’ tool, can accurately simulate the network experience that stand visitors currently receive. A typical demonstration uses a 10 megabyte data file, which is sent from one side of the Atlantic to another in 40-50 seconds in normal pre-acceleration conditions. When we introduce the Riverbed Steelhead units, this drops to less than a second. Although a 40-50 second wait may be acceptable, this is unproductive time for any workforce. Multiple this delay over and over again in a working day and it becomes a real frustration for network users, and affects employee productivity markedly.”