When our new WAN Geography Benchmark got a bit of buzz earlier this year, we thought it'd be cool to invite Principal Analyst Patrick Christian back to the pod to explain how this tool was developed.
It's one of those origin stories where a major customer needed to use several of our databases to run a bespoke analysis of their network. The project sparked a bright idea for how to help other enterprises with their data center decision-making.
In this episode, Greg also asks about the data behind the WAN Geography Benchmark. And Patrick delves into the latest cloud trends from his recent presentation on trends in cloud infrastructure and global networks.
Subscribe to access all of our episodes:
Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | TuneIn | Podbean | RSS
Key Takeaways
The WAN Geography Benchmark is designed to help enterprises optimize their data center locations by combining previously siloed data sets.
This product integrates data from over 4,200 data centers, hundreds of network service providers, and major cloud service providers to provide a comprehensive view.
Users input their site locations and network requirements—such as distance sensitivity, data center features (type, number of exchanges), preferred cloud service providers, and preferred carriers. The output includes lists and summaries of recommended data centers, cloud access providers (who connect to cloud service providers), and carriers, tailored to the user's specific needs.
It also provides a list of other data centers that didn't meet the top criteria, offering alternative options. This tool provides a more user-friendly and network-centric way to evaluate connectivity options compared to looking at individual data sets in isolation.
The tool addresses the growing complexity and shift toward a more distributed cloud geography.
Enterprises are increasingly building their networks to adapt to the cloud, making the locations of cloud regions, data centers, and connectivity options crucial considerations.
There is a trend toward deploying more direct connections located closer to the cloud data centers being used to improve latency and performance. Cloud service providers themselves are extending their networks and building out their edges by offering low-latency on-ramps in various data centers. This distributed model, moving compute closer to end-users, is a key trend that the WAN Geography Benchmark helps enterprises navigate by identifying appropriate data center locations and connectivity options.
The WAN Geography Benchmark allows enterprises to confirm existing network design choices, discover new options, and access diverse connectivity ecosystems.
The analysis can validate an enterprise's current plan or reveal alternative data center locations that offer similar latency or access to preferred providers but might not have been previously considered.
Establishing PoPs at carrier-neutral data centers, which the tool helps identify, enables enterprises to connect to rich ecosystems with a wider range of service providers, moving away from relying on a single provider.
The analysis also includes factors like IP transit pricing, highlighting potential cost differences between locations that might otherwise seem similar in terms of technical connectivity, which is relevant in more fragmented or emerging markets. The tool is especially beneficial for enterprises that have adopted more flexible network architectures, such as SD-WAN, cloud adoption, and local internet breakouts.
