Business Needs Drive Internet Routing DecisionsBusiness Needs Drive Internet Routing Decisions

Proficient Networks Inc. last week unveiled a product designed to let companies tune Internet connections to suit the needs of their businesses, moving data quickly and reliably, while saving on bandwidth and other costs.

The NPE 1010A includes a network policy engine that picks the best Internet traffic paths for a company. It can send less-important traffic, such as marketing data, over a company's least-expensive Internet connection and move key business traffic across the fastest and most reliable connections. It also can balance loads so no one service provider carries the bulk of traffic, spreading telecommunications expenses more evenly across all providers a company uses.

"This is much different than tuning the infrastructure based on network-management information" that doesn't distinguish among applications or customers, says Allan Leinwand, CEO and president of Proficient Networks.

The 1010A appliance communicates with routers running the industry standard Border Gateway Protocol to collect network traffic information, test network paths, and apply updated routes. It can handle up to 30 outbound service-provider connections. It's available now starting at $50,000; a less-expensive 1010A, designed for branch offices or partner sites, starts at $35,000.

Tools such as the 1010A can save on bandwidth costs and manage numerous Internet service providers for companies, analysts say. "It gives you a virtual view of the network and allows you to pick the best provider for each application," says Peter Christy, co-founder of analyst firm NetsEdge Research Group.

Other vendors offer similar products, including RouteScience Technologies Inc. and netVmg Inc., and some, such as Sockeye Networks Inc., offer services. It's too early to tell who'll lead this new market. "It all boils down to the actual benefits and cost savings," says Liza Henderson, VP of consulting with analyst firm TeleChoice. In the future, the tools may let companies optimize traffic routes coming from remote users, she says.

Says Christy, "Over time, all these systems will get even better at tracking what companies spend on Internet connections and also will get better at validating the levels of network service."