Accelerate Tactical and Satellite Communications

From the edge to command and control, mission-critical users demand reliable communications over satellite and terrestrial networks.

Federal agencies with no-fail missions need fast, reliable and secure ways to get information to the people who need it — regardless of distance, conditions or terrain. From law enforcement to the warfighter, personnel depend on network connectivity to save lives and make strategic decisions. More than ever, their success hinges on successful app performance and up-to-the-minute communications to the network edge and back.

Sometimes the edge or branch relies on satellites whose limited bandwidth often leads to slow and unreliable connections. Latency at the edge can lower visibility and performance in vital missions, leaving those who are most vulnerable at higher risk.

By addressing chattiness, jitter and data redundancies, Riverbed optimization tools enable greater throughput and accelerate app delivery — effectively pushing the data center towards the network edge and keeping users in touch with time-critical information.

The Riverbed Platform provides:

• The best possible use of limited satellite bandwidth
• Prioritization of traffic
• High link utilization
• Intermittent connectivity tolerance
• Adaptation to the environmental stress of wireless networks
• Acceleration of SSL/TLS encrypted traffic

Challenge

A major Naval command was faced with reducing satellite communication and bandwidth costs – a classic challenge to “do more with less.” With both stationary and mobile operations distributed across a large area, the command needed to function as “one office” and ensure seamless collaboration between ships at sea and in port and with fleet headquarters.

However, latency issues were becoming more and more problematic. The Naval command prioritized speed, simplicity, and breadth and depth of acceleration to find a solution that would optimize collaboration across the fleet’s wide area network (WAN).

Solution

The fleet selected Riverbed’s SteelHead and SteelFusion hardware and software suite for its ease of installation and simple management after installation, as well as the ability it offered to “set it and forget it.”

Outcome

As a result, the command was able to reduce overall utilization rates by 68 percent on average over a three-month period, lessen CIFS WAN utilization by 98 percent, and decrease PST email file transfer rates from 36 hours to less than three minutes.

Riverbed’s ability to deliver mission assurance and end user satisfaction through increased WAN reliability led some users to comment, “Wow, are we now connected via a landline?”