The product also should offer SSL acceleration, which is especially critical in e-commerce applications. SSL acceleration is a function used to off-load SSL processing from servers, enhancing their performance while improving response time for and traffic management of customer transactions. Since the iTCM product is typically placed in front of the server farm, it must provide enhanced security measures to protect against common attacks and to route traffic around hacked servers. It should also mask the well-known ports of the actual servers being load balanced to prevent unauthorized access to these ports. When choosing a vendor for a load-balancing product, knowing the vendor's customers and the vendor's history of customer service are important factors.
Technical support is another critical evaluation area.
Vendors should have a strong reputation and investment in tech support, and offer on-site installation and training of their system. Seek customer references and look for specialized technical expertise in load balancing or iTCM, as opposed to broad networking support. Your diligence in understanding these areas will ensure that your installed system will be optimized for your application and traffic requirements. Today's users who want to purchase products or services on the Internet will quickly choose a competitor if they are faced with less than optimal performance, or missing or bad content on your Web site. These shortcomings can quickly result in lost business, lost brand equity, and lost market share.