Issue TOC Print full article Print this page Download as PDF E-Mail this URL Flame the author     In this article Introduction Don't Say We Didn't Warn You Packeteer PacketShaper 4500 Products Reviewed Executive Summary Politics, Law and the Traffic-Shaping Admin How We Tested SIDBAR: Make Your Case Report Card

WAN bandwidth is expensive, but when congestion occurs, some administrators simply throw cash at the situation. This approach, however, doesn't address the underlying problem. Until you gain granular control over the way packets are prioritized, you'll be playing a zero-sum game, with users gobbling up your pricey bandwidth as fast as you bring it online. Moreover, as latency-sensitive applications, such as VoIP and videoconferencing, become more common and have to contend with FTP and P2P traffic for throughput, even fat pipes won't guarantee QoS.

What can give you the edge? Bandwidth management products, which rein in bandwidth-hogging applications, smooth out bursty traffic and guarantee minimum throughput for those users, groups or protocols you designate. We tested traffic shapers from Allot Communications, Lightspeed Systems, Packeteer, Radware and Sitara and gave Packeteer's product our Editor's Choice award for its granularity in setting policies, impressive classification engine and intuitive user interface.