Best Web Server Accelerator Software

What is Web Server Accelerator Software?

What are the Common Features of Web Server Accelerator Software?

What are the Benefits of Web Server Accelerator Software?

Who Uses Web Server Accelerator Software?

IT teams (administration, development, and support): By using web server accelerator tools, the IT team can ensure that servers run smoothly and reduce downtime. They can receive alerts sent to the system administrator, who then raise them with the concerned system engineers to look into. The system engineers will be able to troubleshoot and solve the application performance and hosting issues, as well as changes in the server’s function. The team can also set performance monitoring benchmarks to maintain server efficiency.

Security management specialists: The team can use the data tracked by the server accelerator services to ensure that all servers are secure and are not compromised. The team would also be able to eliminate any risks even before they occur. In addition, this is extremely helpful when there are multiple servers to be monitored at various locations.

What are the Alternatives to Web Server Accelerator Software?

Alternatives to web server accelerator software can replace this type of software, either partially or completely:

Web client accelerator software: Web client accelerator software is used to reduce the time it takes client side for users to access websites or web applications. While web server accelerator software focuses on server-side improvements to connection speed, web client accelerators focus on improving connectivity and load time within the client’s browser or application.

Challenges with Web Server Accelerator Software

Web server accelerator software solutions can come with their own set of challenges:

Managing an increasing number of servers: Paramount importance is being given to IT infrastructure, driven by the need to work from home and ensure business continuity. Companies are investing heavily in expanding their server infrastructure to support high-speed data processing, file transfers, and smooth operations. As the number of servers increases, it becomes difficult for web server accelerator tools to scale and keep up with the rate of servers being added, and therefore also need to be updated continuously. 

Hardware health and environment issues: Some issues can happen beyond the control of the administrators, such as power outages, UPS failure, temperature and humidity levels in a data center, failure of the cooling system, and fan breakdown, which are hard to control. If a web server fails and the website freezes, server monitoring tools could be set up automatically to do a force restart and then check whether the issue is solved. If not, it can alert the required system administrators to check on what is causing the errors.

Seeing the big picture limitations: System administrators would use the software to answer the question, “Is my server working correctly, and if not, what can I do to fix it?.” Although this is the core capability of the software, there is a challenge of not looking at the bigger picture where the data and insight pulled from the monitoring software can factor well into strategic business decisions.

How to Buy Web Server Accelerator Software

Requirements Gathering (RFI/RFP) for Web Server Accelerator Software

When making a purchase decision to opt for a server accelerator solution, the primary goal is to select software that is well aligned with the buyer’s business desire and budget. For instance, if a buyer has a smaller budget and only requires software to maintain server health, they can opt for a free version or a basic offering with minimum features. Conversely, suppose a buyer requires software that can handle a gamut of operations and run large advanced tasks. In that case, they can opt for a more sophisticated and feature-rich web server accelerator software.

As companies continue to grow and expand operations, buyers must choose software that can support current server requirements and future upgrades. It is a good practice to check with the software vendor if the monitoring software can also support the buyer in the long term. This is extremely important to ensure hardware compatibility in the future as well.

Compare Web Server Accelerator Software Products

Create a long list

The buyer needs to scrutinize their company's IT systems environment and applications to choose the right web server accelerator software. This would include whether these servers are on-premises or virtual (on the cloud), the location of the servers, etc. Once the customer has decided that they require server accelerator tools, the next step would be to make a long list of the best web server accelerator software presently available in the market. Long lists help eliminate software that does not provide critical functionality, thereby reducing the list to be more compact and precise. 

Create a short list

Once the list has been narrowed down, the customer can begin to compare different features and offerings of the web server accelerator software per the company's needs. Pricing decisions are also taken to ensure that the selected software fits the IT budget. A highly efficient method of comparing various web server accelerator software would be to opt for technology review platforms, such as g2.com, which provide unbiased reviews and different perspectives on the benefits or issues with various products.

Conduct demos

Once the list has been further narrowed down, customers can then opt to check if the vendors are providing a live demo or a free trial version (with limited functionality). This is a great way for buyers to ensure that the software is the right choice for the customer. They can use the trial versions before finally committing to the purchase decision.

Selection of Web Server Accelerator Software

Choose a selection team

Creating a selection team that will work together throughout the entire process, from identifying pain points to implementation, is crucial. The team should consist of organization members with the right interest, skills, and time to participate in this process. A good way is to get three to five people who fill roles such as the main decision maker, project manager, process owner, system owner, or IT administrator. In smaller companies, fewer participants would multitask and take on more responsibilities.

Negotiation

Prices on a company's pricing page are not always fixed (although some companies will not budge). It is crucial to open up a conversation regarding pricing and licensing. For example, the vendor may be willing to give a discount for multi-year contracts or for recommending the product to others.

Final decision

Before going all in, it is recommended to roll out a test run or pilot program to test adoption with a small sample size of users. If the tool is well used and well liked, the buyer can be confident that the selection was correct. If not, it might be time to go back to the drawing board.