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Wide Area Application Services (WAAS) is a Cisco System propriety technology for optimizing and improving the efficiency of an application over wide area network (WAN). WAAS combines several Cisco hardware and software technologies within a single appliance to improve the performance of an application operated on a TCP-based WAN.
Techopedia Explains Wide Area Application Services
Wide area application services are primarily designed for optimizing networks that operate and execute bandwidth-intensive applications such as VoIP, video and other multimedia applications. WAAS combines the traditional WAN optimization techniques with Wide Area File Services (WAFS), another proprietary Cisco technology, into a single network appliance such as a router. This helps deliver optimal performance for TCP-based applications over an enterprise class network.
The hardware component of WAAS provides enhanced scalability for data centers and branches, whereas the software component enables the acceleration of application services such as email, SaaS, video, etc.
