WAN Optimization and Thin Client: Complementary or Competitive Application Delivery Methods?

A common aim of WAN optimization and thin client technologies is to consolidate servers and storage into the data center. But that is where their commonality ends. Numerous prognosticators in the past—including Larry Ellison and Scott McNealy—have proclaimed the inevitable supremacy of thin client network computing approaches, and the eventual demise of client-server computing as we know it. How do emerging WAN optimization solutions impact these grand visions? What applications lend themselves well to thin client technology? What applications work best with WAN optimization approaches? Are there environments where these two very different approaches are complementary?

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the advantages and challenges behind traditional client-server computing approaches that are augmented through WAN optimization, and the alternative thin client application delivery method.
• Discover how WAN optimization can benefit thin client network traffic in specific environments.
• Determine how each application delivery method can benefit your enterprise infrastructure.