Learn how a large company can have a collaboration tool that does not cost the earth in Bandwidth costs

1. August 2011
AppShare
Scalable Web-Collaboration for large
enterprises
The AppShare collaboration system optimizes traffic on the network. At the very core of the
optimization process is a patented technology we call “GOALM®” This briefing note explains
in simple terms why GOALM works and why AppShare works when other vendors’ systems
don’t.
GOALM® = Scalability
Web collaboration technologies like Webex®, GoToMeeting® and their competitors work really well to create
virtual meeting rooms. However, these products only work well as long as user numbers are low. These
systems consume network resources directly proportionally to the number of people using the system. If we
presume bandwidth has a cost attached to it, then we can say with certainty that as we increase our use of
these technologies, our consumption of bandwidth increases and so too do our overall network costs.
On the left is a simple but
accurate representation of the
impact on cost that emanate
from using a non-scalable
collaboration system (red line).
As numbers of users increase
(i.e. number of concurrent
meetings X number of users in
each meeting), the bandwidth
costs increase linearly. In
contrast, when using AppShare
(blue line) bandwidth costs are
not directly related to system
use; in fact, the cost per user
actually drops when AppShare
is used so that AppShare
becomes increasingly cost
efficient against scale –
AppShare is the only system
that works this way.
Fact: Widespread use of a non-scalable collaboration system always incurs higher operating
costs. If you deploy a non-scalable system, you’ll also face the costs of a serious
network/bandwidth investment to compensate for poor scalability!!

2. AppShare Scalable collaboration August 2011
How do we make AppShare scale?
scalability = Cost Savings!
Look at the sketch on the right:
Here we see a schematic of a Wide Area Network
(WAN) with some employees in each of the offices
served by the WAN.
The WAN comprises three offices (HQ, South and
East) all linked by the WAN network.
In the HQ office we see a team leader (in blue) who
wishes to host a collaboration session with some
colleagues in the other offices (the colleagues are in
green). If a normal web-collaboration service were
used, such a meeting would completely consume the
available network capacity.
AppShare’s GOALM works very differently: GOALM
starts by running performance tests over the network
and the users’ computers. The tests model the
network performance and the capabilities of each
machine involved in the meeting. Once the tests are
run, the results are analysed and a temporary virtual
network is created for the meeting.
As you can see in the sketch on the left, the
system has identified the machines, which will
form the nodes of the temporary virtual network.
Each of the nodes automatically launches a
simple application called an “Application
Gateway” (AG). The AGs are (to all intents)
software routers that re-direct collaboration traffic
around the network, avoiding congested parts
wherever possible and ensuring that the
underlying physical network is affected as
minimally as possible, whilst maintaining decent
collaboration service quality.
It’s important to notice that in this example
GOALM has established two Application
gateways in the East office but only one in the
South office; this is due to the fact that the
GOALM system examines each users’ computer
capability and in this case, the system feels the
machines in the East office are not well enough
powered to operate on a single AG. So GOALM
takes account of both network and user
computer capabilities before creating the
temporary virtual network.

3. AppShare Scalable collaboration August 2011
GOALM=Scalability = Lower costs
Now compare the difference AppShare’s GOALM makes to the traffic running over the network.
The Sketch below left shows how conventional web-collaboration products tend to create unacceptable bottle-
necks whereas on the lower right we see what happens when Appshare’s GOALM is deployed; no un-
necessary internet traffic, no bottle-necks, just seamless and continuous scalability. AppShare has been tested
to support well over 1,000 concurrent users in meetings on real-world networks. In fact, we cannot predict how
scalable AppShare will be in any given situation; what we can say is if anyone can predict the limits of their
system’s scalability then they’re not really scalable. By using less network resources, AppShare saves
significant amounts of money whilst providing the best possible Enterprise Collaboration experience!
If you want to roll collaboration out to all of your employees who travel, you will
want to look at the costs involved in not selecting a scalable system – the bandwidth
costs of the system on the left (above) can be massive – potentially a six or seven
figure annual spend!
To learn more about AppShare’s scalable collaboration technology, contact
info@appshare.co.uk or phone +44 (0)141 585 6386
Appshare Ltd 1 Ainslie Road Hillington Glasgow G52 4RU UK