Blue Coat Optimizes WAN

SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- Blue Coat Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: BCSI - News), the leader in secure content and application delivery, today announced that Heriot-Watt University has selected Blue Coat SG(TM) appliances to optimize its Wide Area Network (WAN) by securing and accelerating key applications and content between campuses in Edinburgh, Scotland and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. With Blue Coat, Heriot-Watt University has implemented an effective Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) over a great distance. A VLE facilitates the management of educational courses using systems for tracking student progress and enabling interactive learning vehicles, such as chats, quizzes, discussion forums, blogs and even video content.

VLE now Feasible with 2000% Performance Increase and 75% Bandwidth Reduction

Prior to installing Blue Coat SG appliances with MACH5(TM) technology, a VLE was largely impractical. Often, each application page might take 20 seconds to load. Now application pages can typically load in about one second, an increase in responsiveness of 2,000 percent. The VLE was previously unusable whenever more than five or six users were logged into it at the same time. Now the VLE supports many simultaneous users. In addition, through effective caching, bandwidth management and policy control of applications, overall bandwidth consumption across the WAN has been reduced by 75 percent.

"Our mission is to provide world-class instruction to students separated by vast distances," said Gavin Wilson, systems development manager, Heriot-Watt University.

"Blue Coat has enabled us to provide an effective Virtual Learning Environment through its ability to accelerate applications across the WAN, including video and SSL-encrypted traffic. The Blue Coat appliances also reduce overall bandwidth consumption and provide the Web security and policy control we need to protect our students, staff and resources."Blue Coat Systems Inc.