Sudden demand for web sites – how to meet sudden increase in users February 26, 2008
Posted by jphebert in Elfiq, technology.Tags: Elfiq, huet, ISP, link, load balancer, nhl, trade, web site
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Today is the trade deadline for the NHL before the playoffs and as expected, fans are flooding sites to know the latest news. There is still about 40 minutes to go and information is harder to get to (and office productivity might be down 
)
To help out in these situations where organizations need bandwidth, even for short periods of time, Elfiq can help. Here are a few ideas & suggestions:
- With an Elfiq link balancer, you can add multiple ISP links of any type to meet demand, and you can mix & match technologies as you want
- When using the Elfiq unit, a “burstable” link is a good choice for these activities, where users can get billed according to usage. If you need it occasionally, it’s there to meet your needs.
- Low-cost links can also help, when you add DSLs and cable modem, you can add performance quickly without breaking the proverbial piggy bank
- Elfiq’s Intelligent Service Verificator: this tool in the balancers verifies if servers are able to take requests, so when hosting multiple servers this comes in really handy
- Elfiq’s Inbound Geolink: when servers are at different sites, this will distribute the load based on policies and availability. Very neat technology.
So that’s that for this topic, if we can help just drop us a line at sales@elfiq.com with your questions. Thanks for reading!
Thoughs on the future of bandwidth February 18, 2008
Posted by jphebert in Elfiq, technology.Tags: bandwidth, Elfiq, ev-do, hpsda, Internet, ISP, rogers, terago, verizon, wimax
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With all sorts of bandwidth alternatives popping out for SMB and enterprise-sized organizations, it’s fun to see that options are more affordable and available than ever. The good news for consumers & businesses alike, is that ISPs are getting faster, more affordable and accessible. But if you need more than 1 link/ISP or need reliability/throughput, h ere is a quick list of ISPs/technologies that are taking off that you should track:
- Microwave point to point ISPs: with this type of technology, if done right, can bring extra bandwidth and redundancy since there are no wires to cut unlike the DSLs of the world. Well, yes there are but odds are much better. An example of an organization doing this the right way is Terago.
- Pre-WiMax is here: Rogers is offering pre-WiMax access (look ma, no wires!) at a reasonable price. Good alternative to look at.
- Cell phones can now help out: look for Ev-DO and GSM-based HPSDA access, you can get basic DSL on a mobile link for low costs.
- Fiber from utilities: keep an eye out for electrical & natural gas suppliers, they are offering an alternative fiber network in their respective areas and can be quite affordable
- Fiber to the home: FiOS from Verizon can be a good idea for SMBs in the regions served by this service. Expect more in this field to show up in the next few years.
The real benefit is using multiple ISPs & technologies at the same time. If one goes down or saturates, other(s) can do the work. You’ll need an Elfiq box to do this and get the white paper on the topic here to learn about alternatives. Enjoy!
The future of cable modems February 10, 2008
Posted by jphebert in Elfiq, technology.Tags: access, bndwidth, cable modem, comcast, Internet, ISP
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This clip kinda will send shivers down your spine. That’s fast, period. Comcast is branding this as a 160Mbps cable modem link but really it should be 80Mbps because they seem to be branding this as full duplex, where other links are branded with half duplex specs.
Regardless of this technical thingie, 80Mbps of symmetric traffic is phenomenal. Enjoy the clip.
My first published white paper! January 17, 2008
Posted by jphebert in Elfiq.Tags: acceleration, balancing, business continuity, Elfiq, Internet, ISP, link, load, load balancing, WAN
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Yes! I wrote my first white paper (Building Smarter WAN Connectivity), which details how to use multiple Internet/private link connections to maximize enterprise connectivity. If you’ve never had to look into managing multiple ISPs for your organizations, please give it a read, I promise it’s not too boring . Thanks for reading! (Registration required)
