AX Series: Cloud Computing

The definition of Cloud Computing varies greatly depending on the source; however, at a high level, application accessibility, operational flexibility/simplification and cloud economics have become key tenets. For an overview of all AX Virtualization initiatives please follow the link http://www.a10networks.com/products/axseries-cloud_virtualization.php. Cloud economics are attractive, with the promise of dramatically reduced costs per transaction brought to not only service providers, but to enterprises too. Application delivery with the AX Series is an essential element for cloud computing, demonstrating the promises of cloud economics today with 80% or more savings. As an example of dramatic savings (see table right), A10's AX 5200 is compared versus the next fastest advanced ADC platform, on a per transaction basis.

Cloud computing concerns, discussions and initiatives include:

• Cloud Economics: With the AX Series, benefits attributed to major cloud providers can be applied to any size business. Fundamentally, cloud economics are best shown on a per transaction basis (see chart above).
  
  
• IT Agility and Virtualization: Dynamic provisioning of AX resources based on load - this can be initiated either by the AX or virtualized management software.
  
  
• Multi-tenancy: Virtualized management for multiple customers per appliance and acceleration/off-load functionality reduces back end server requirements.
  
  
• Proximity, Redundancy and Reliability: Global Server Load Balancing allows business continuity in event of a site failure and optimizes responses for users based on geo-location for the fastest page loads.
  
  
• Green Economies of Scale: Cloud solutions typically reside in data centers where space and power are a concern. At 2 rack units (RU) and 2-3x the performance, the AX 5200 represents the most green and scalable cloud computing platform today.