One of our specialisations here at Data UP is providing Wide Area Network (WAN) solutions, to our clients.
For those you who don’t know what WAN is or does – you have come to the right place!
Put simply, WAN is a network that connects multiple computers and users that span over a large-scale geographical area (i.e. cities, states and even countries)1. This guarantees that computers and users in one location and communicate seamlessly with other users and computers in another location/s, no matter their size or distance from each other.
For example, a particular company may have a Head Office in one state, but smaller offices nationwide. By implementing a WAN solution, the “…company’s headquarters, branch offices, colocation facilities, cloud services and other facilities” can all be connected2. Allowing “… users to share access to application services and other centrally located resources”, meaning that company’s no longer have to install the same applications, firewalls etc. in every location2.
The main reason why WAN solutions are growing in popularity amongst organisations today, is it allows not only the most basic file transfers to take place1. But users who are based at remote sites are provided with the ability to access and enter data into the central site’s database, instantaneously updating the company’s records1.
Generally speaking, WAN solutions are more commonly used by larger organisations, who have multiple offices or branches nation or worldwide1. However, due to the increased technological changes, smaller businesses are increasingly adopting WAN, to maximise their communication capabilities1.
Why you ask? Well implementing WAN (if you’re still not convinced with the reasons above) can provide many communication benefits to an organisation. We have constructed a table below to outline the benefits that WAN can bring to you and your business, and its drawbacks, so that you can decide for yourself!
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
| 1. WAN solutions can reduce the traffic your company is transmitting to remote locations. 4 | 1. WAN solutions are known to transmit data at much slower speeds than LANS, often at about 1.5 megabits per second or less, rather than the tens, hundreds or thousands often achieved by LANs5. |
| 2. WAN solutions consolidate all resources into one central data centre or larger data centres that are scattered across your enterprise, making data easily accessible, with no time lag4. | 2. Often WAN users do not own the communication lines that are used to connect the networks together. Meaning instead that the user has to subscribe to the service via a telecommunications provider5. |
| 3. WAN solutions allow businesses to help manage costs4. | |
| 4. WAN solutions help to ensure that your organisation’s data is securely protected, yet easily available to your staff4. | |
| 5. WAN solutions offer businesses a more responsive infrastructure4. |
WAN solutions have existed for many years now1. Since the explosion of technological changes, however, WAN has become significantly more practical for organisations1. Particularly as they are no longer used to solely carry voice1. Now WAN services are used primarily to transfer data, images (i.e. video conferencing) and electronic email, creating a massive growth in the usage of WAN products1.
As such there has also been a rapid uptake of wireless WAN technologies of late. Previously, actually up until very recently, wired WAN services, such as carrier Ethernet and commercial broadband internet links, were the preferred medium of choice for most organisations2. Now, wireless WAN technologies, such as 4G LTE and public Wi-Fi, are gaining a heavier following2.
Again, as technology services are increasingly becoming more mobile, many companies, individuals and organisations are opting towards more mobile and what they see as more ‘reliable’ choices.
So if your company is looking for a more reliable and seamless way to communicate across distances of over 50km, looking into a WAN solution may be the right choice for you. If you are seeking further information why not give our friendly staff a call on (08) 7200 6081.
References:
- Inc Staff, Wide Area Networks (WANs), Inc. , 2017, viewed 10 April 2017, <https://www.inc.com/encyclopedia/wide-area-networks-wans.html>
- M Rouse, WAN (wide area network), Tech Target, 2016, viewed 10 April 2017, <http://searchenterprisewan.techtarget.com/definition/WAN>
- Techopedia Staff, Wide Area Networks (WAN), Techopedia, 2017, viewed 10 April 2017, <https://www.techopedia.com/definition/5409/wide-area-network-wan>
- TechTarget Staff, What are the benefits of wide area network (WAN) acceleration/optimisation? Tech Target, 2008, viewed 10 April 2017, <http://searchdisasterrecovery.techtarget.com/feature/What-are-the-benefits-of-wide-area-network-WAN-acceleration-optimization>
- H Hedden, Wide Area Networks (WANS), Reference for Business, 2017, viewed 10 April 2017, <http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/encyclopedia/Val-Z/Wide-Area-Networks-WANs.html>