Raising the Bar

FST. Can you discuss some of the new Server Load Balancing technologies that can help enterprise customers and financial organizations?
LC. There are several technologies within the new generation of Server Load Balancers that allow immediate return on investment (ROI) such as secure email, SSL offload and advanced scripting features.

Breaches in email confidentiality and email spam are two most commonly known problems in corporate email systems. The corporate email standard, SMTP, was developed more than 20 years ago and lacks security for sensitive email content. A Server Load Balancer with STARTTLS (Start Transport Layer Security) provides a simple yet elegant solution to this problem, and is a security best practice. Deploying STARTTLS in a Server Load Balancer does not require any change to the client’s email system or the backend email servers, and ensures secured distribution of email data. As for email spam, Server Load Balancers with a policy-based anti-spam feature can augment and optimize existing anti-spam solutions for increased email security.

With the proliferation of secure web applications, SSL-enabled web transactions are everywhere. The SSL encryption/decryption protocol can impose significant overhead on application servers. Increasing the size of the server farm can address this performance issue; but this is neither economical nor operationally desirable. The SSL Offload feature offloads the SSL processes from the application servers to a high-performance Server Load Balancer for an effective solution to web-based application performance challenges.

Advanced scripting features within Server Load Balancers allow administrators to solve traffic bottlenecks before they occur. Scripting can be beneficial to route traffic properly at the opening of the stock market and other instances of high traffic spikes, to ensure applications continue to be available and performing well.

FST. What benefits should customers look for in new generation Server Load Balancers?
LC. A new generation Server Load Balancer can handle a significantly higher number of simultaneous user transactions while allowing web applications to run faster. A new generation Server Load Balancer achieves lower power consumption while delivering higher performance in a smaller footprint. When properly deployed, new generation Server Load Balancers, can reduce organizations’ total power consumption.

A10’s AX Series is a next-generation Server Load Balancer that provides excellent performance per watt and per rack space. AX’s Advanced Core Operating System (ACOS) is designed from the ground up to utilize energy efficient multi-core processors while maximizing application performance. ACOS allows per-CPU independence, making application run faster.

FST. Do you have any advice for customers that are looking to perform Server Load Balancer tests during the evaluation period?
LC. Not every organization has the necessary testing gear and resources to perform tests, so independent third-party testing reports are a good start. When possible, users should install Server Load Balancers to test running the organizations’ applications.

The key tests to evaluate are Layer 4 connections per second (CPS); Layer 7 connections per second (CPS); Layer 7 transactions or requests per second (TPS or RPS); SSL transactions per second (TPS); and maximum throughput.

FST. How do you recommend that financial institutions plan a budget for Server Load Balancers?
LC. Ask if the list price includes all the features with the appliance or if there are additional software licensing fees for necessary features. An additional consideration is operating cost; make sure the Server Load Balancer is easy to operate.

A10’s AX Series includes all of the required features and functionality within the platform. There are no additional licenses or fees for different functionalities, high performance hardware-based SSL acceleration and other security features. We price the AX to make it simple and attractive for financial institutions.

Lee Chen is a recognized pioneer in the networking industry. Prior to founding A10, he co-founded Foundry Networks and Centillion Networks. At A10, he has assembled an expert technology team to produce the next generation of networking and security equipment.