Data is the lifeblood of any business and like any valuable asset has to be conveniently located, easily accessed and safely stored. However, as volumes multiply, handling this data becomes increasingly problematic and is now beginning to hinder the development of new business practices.

Organisations have become accustomed to, and have reluctantly accepted that if they need to transport storage data outside the data centre, there are in reality, only two options: either spend vast sums of money installing or leasing a dark fibre network, or accept very poor performance that is typical when transporting storage data over the more economical TCP/IP based Wide Area Networks (WAN).

Bridgeworks is challenging this preconception of high cost or poor performance and has turned the data transport industry on its head with a unique product that accelerates the transportation of storage data over cost-effective WANs at speeds more associated with a dark fibre networks.

Bridgeworks’ SANSlide storage protocol accelerator is a unique product that releases organisations from the constraints of distance, performance and costs imposed by the limitations of the current WAN technologies. By utilising a highly innovative Paralleled TCP/IP Pipeline technology controlled by an Artificial Intelligence module, Bridgeworks has been able to reduce the effect of network latency to almost zero thus allowing storage data to be transported at full WAN speed irrespective of the distance involved.

With SANSlide’s unique ability fully to utilise the WAN link and to match “link speed for link speed” with that of dark fibre, it is now possible for organisation to plan and implement a high-speed, high-capacity data transfers for remote replication or data backup and recovery strategies that fit around the need of the business - and not around the restriction imposed by WAN performance or the cost of dark fibre.

For those organisations currently struggling with poor performance and poor utilisation over their existing WAN links, SANSlide can reduce the capacity requirements of existing WAN infrastructure. Thus, deferring a costly upgrade, or even reducing the current capacity. Such is the transformation in the efficiency of SANSlide, some customers experience complete ROI in SANSlide in a matter of a few weeks.

With its “local device” like access to storage devices no matter the distance, implementation is simple and straightforward with no new skills or process changes required.

Benefits

• Accelerate Data transfers up to 100X -Our customers have seen 100x the performance when transferring coast to coast USA
• Reduce network speed requirements – by optimising the WAN pipe it is possible lower speed pipes can be used or upgrades can be postponed
• Fit and forget technology - The Artificial Intelligence takes care of ensuring everything is running at the optimum efficiency
• Transparent to storage devices and servers – no changes to operating systems, devices or operation procedures are required
• Support iSCSI, Fibre Channel, SCSI and SAS protocols
• Remote devices appear like local devices
• No client or server licensing
• Performance not affected by data type – compressed, encrypted files have no effect on transfer rates
• Scaleable - support for multiple 10Gb WAN pipes
• Support for all storage / SAN protocols current, past and future
• Standard TCP/IP – can share WAN links with other processes

Typical applications