What is wan

WANs are the largest and most expansive forms of computer networks available to date. These networks are often established by service providers that then lease their WAN to businesses, schools, governments or the public. These customers can use the network to relay and store data or communicate with other users, no matter their location, as long as they have access to the established WAN. Access can be granted via different links, such as virtual private networks VPNs or lines, wireless networks, cellular networks or internet access.

For international organizations, WANs allow them to carry out their essential daily functions without delay. Certified network professionals help organizations maintain their internal wide area network, as well as other critical IT infrastructure. There are many different forms of area networks, but one of the most common networks outside of WANs is the local area network, or LAN.

Whereas WANs can exist globally, without ties to a physical location through the use of a leased network provider, LANs exist within a limited area. Two common examples of LANs are ethernet and wireless networks. Other forms of telecommunication networks include the following:. LANs are made possible because of Ethernet technologies. Additional acronyms for networks abound. A personal area network PAN is a network that covers a very small area, such as an enclosed room.

A wireless headset, printer, or smartphone are all individual components that comprise a network. Indeed, many peripheral devices can actually be classified as computers because they have computing, storage, and network capabilities. A metropolitan area network MAN connects nodes in the same metro area. For example, a New York City company might have operations in buildings located not just in Manhattan but also nearby in Brooklyn and Jersey City, New Jersey, requiring its own network.

For organizations to build this type of network, they use microwave transmission technology, but buildings can also be wired together using fiber-optic cable. Yet another term is an internet area network IAN. In an IAN, a managed services provider hosts all communications and applications services in the cloud.

An IAN platform essentially provides users with secure access to information anytime, anywhere via the internet. A virtual private network VPN creates a secure connection between networks, generally between one that is not secure the public internet and one that is secure a company's WAN. Security gaps have long been seen as a major weakness in WANs, especially when users are accessing their devices in multiple locations, including their homes.

As such, additional security measures and policies, including firewalls and antivirus software, should be considered in order to prevent unauthorized access or compromise. Not only does the use of a VPN help create connectivity but it also encrypts data. However, the use of a VPN does not ensure complete security. IT professionals may need to install additional security protocols to deliver the level of security required for the organization.

WAN security can be compromised when a single device is connected to multiple networks. By utilizing smart network functionality, an SD-WAN creates more functionality in the wide area network space. It in some ways automates some of the processes that used to be done by discrete hardware in a traditional circuit-switching environment.

In general, the WAN provides the functionality for remote work connections and everything else that goes into geographically distributed networking systems. WANs have their own interfaces with the global Internet as a whole, working with addressing and other conventions to make geographically dispersed LAN clusters consistently universal. By: Justin Stoltzfus Contributor, Reviewer.

By: Satish Balakrishnan. Dictionary Dictionary Term of the Day. Natural Language Processing. The first known WAN was created by the U. An enormous network of dedicated phone lines, telephones, and modems linked the sites together. What is a WAN router? A WAN router, also known as an edge router or border router is a device that routes data packets between WAN locations, giving an enterprise access to a carrier network.

It relies on virtualization , application-level policies and overlay networks, and onsite SD-WAN devices and software platforms. What is WAN optimization? Latency and bandwidth constraints often cause performance issues in enterprise WANs. WAN optimization use a variety of techniques, including deduplication, compression, protocol optimization, traffic shaping, and local caching.

These techniques improve packet delivery and traffic control, in turn allowing network bandwidth to grow or shrink dynamically as needed. Types of WAN technologies.