WAN optimization: A cloudy issue

The cloud outsources IT information and processing duties to a remote source, saving a business time and capital resources. However, companies that use a wide area network service for cloud computing may be hurting network performance speeds.

The main issue is who controls the network, reports Search Networking. Cloud providers are able to provision processing powers at will and can free up IT channels when an influx of data needs to pass through the system. WAN operators have no control over their network's critical functions and, as a result, may see system speeds suffer as too much information tries to pass through limited connections.

As with other sectors in the computing industry, the cloud will likely change the role of WANs.

"Software-as-a-Service is not something that a wide area network manager has necessarily had responsibility for," Jim Frey, managing research director at Enterprise Management Associates, said at the Interop 2011 conference. "But I think the future of [applications] is going to be increasingly in SaaS-type delivery models.'

Businesses implementing cloud services need to take into account IT infrastructure characteristics, according to a SunGard report. If they don't seem like a good fit, further integration solutions may be considered.