In addition to purchasing and managing Riverbed® Steelhead® products themselves, customers can also purchase the solution as a managed service from select providers. Many organizations today are looking to out-task IT functions to focus on key strategic initiatives. This trend extends to WAN optimization — there is significant interest today from both providers and customers in Riverbed WAN optimization as a managed service.

Components of a managed service around Riverbed typically include outsourced installation, management, monitoring, and maintenance of the solution. Some providers will also include a Riverbed managed service as part of a broader portfolio of network consulting and design services.

Many leading managed service providers and system integrators have chosen Riverbed as their partner for a managed WAN optimization service. To see some of the service providers working with Riverbed, please visit http://www.riverbed.com/partners/service_providers/ and http://www.riverbed.com/partners/systems_integrators/

From the customer’s perspective, there are several benefits in purchasing Riverbed WAN optimization as a managed service, including:

Speed to value

• A managed service around Riverbed enables customers to adopt advanced technologies quickly with minimal upfront investment
• Lower upfront investment generates a faster ROI and frees up cash flow for other purposes

Increased flexibility

• With a managed service around Riverbed, customers have additional options for deploying the technology as it best suits their needs
• A managed service can easily scale as the business grows, without having to install and manage new equipment
• If desired, customers can enjoy 24/7 monitoring through the managed service provider

Increased simplicity

• IT professionals do not need to perform installation and management tasks, which frees their time for more strategic priorities
• A Riverbed managed service from the provider allows for a single point of contact for many key network services