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Enhancing Web Server Performance: A FortiADC Case Study for an E-Commerce Company in India

In today's digital age, e-commerce companies face numerous challenges in delivering a seamless online shopping experience to their customers. One such company in India approached Insoft Services with several issues related to their web server application. Users were experiencing slowness, frequent timeout errors, and reduced bandwidth during peak traffic periods. To overcome these challenges, we implemented FortiADC, a robust application delivery controller, to optimize their web server performance and enhance overall user experience.

Challenges

The e-commerce company was struggling with multiple issues that were hindering their website's performance:

Slowness: Users were experiencing slow response times while accessing the website, leading to frustration and potential loss of customers.

Timeout Errors: The website frequently displayed timeout errors, preventing users from completing their transactions and negatively impacting the company's revenue.

Load Peaks: During promotional periods, heavy traffic loads caused the server to reach its maximum capacity, resulting in an inability to handle new requests effectively.

Solutions

To address these challenges, we proposed and implemented a comprehensive solution using FortiADC. The key components of the implemented solution are as follows:

High Availability Active-Active Setup: FortiADC was deployed behind a Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) in an Active-Active setup. This configuration ensured resilience and high availability, minimizing the risk of server downtime and improving overall system reliability.

Round Robin Load Balancing: We utilized the Round Robin load balancing method to evenly distribute incoming traffic across multiple server pool members. This approach helped alleviate the load on individual servers and improved response times for users.

Health Checks: FortiADC performed regular health checks on the server pool members to detect their availability. If a server was found to be unresponsive, FortiADC automatically redirected traffic to the available servers, ensuring uninterrupted service.

Dynamic Proximity Route Detection: To balance outbound traffic between multiple WAN links, we implemented dynamic proximity route detection. This feature utilized the cache of the best routes to destinations via both links, considering link latency and jitter. As a result, traffic routing was optimized, reducing latency and improving overall network performance.

Content Caching and Compression: FortiADC also provided content caching and compression capabilities. By caching frequently accessed content and compressing data, the company's websites experienced faster loading times, reducing the strain on the server infrastructure.

Web Security Features: To protect the company's websites from web attacks, we implemented various security features provided by FortiADC. These included preventing OWASP Top 10 attacks, Layer 7 Denial of Service (DoS) attacks, and Brute Force attacks. These measures ensured the safety and integrity of the e-commerce platform, safeguarding user data and maintaining customer trust.

Results

The implementation of FortiADC brought significant improvements to the e-commerce company's web server performance. The key benefits achieved were:

Enhanced User Experience: Users experienced faster response times, eliminating slowness issues and reducing timeout errors. This improvement positively impacted customer satisfaction and increased the likelihood of repeat business.

Improved Server Scalability: The load balancing capabilities of FortiADC allowed the company's server infrastructure to handle heavy traffic loads during promotional periods effectively. The server's ability to respond to new requests improved, ensuring uninterrupted service for all users.

Network Optimization: Dynamic proximity route detection optimized outbound traffic routing, reducing latency and improving overall network performance. This resulted in faster data transfer and improved website loading times.

Enhanced Security: The implementation of web security features provided by FortiADC protected the company's websites from various web attacks, ensuring the safety and integrity of user data. This bolstered customer trust and confidence in the e-commerce platform.

By implementing FortiADC, the e-commerce company successfully addressed the challenges related to their web server application. The solution provided load balancing, scalability, network optimization, and enhanced security features, resulting in improved user experience, increased server performance, and enhanced customer trust. FortiADC proved to be a reliable and effective solution for optimizing the web server performance of e-commerce companies in India.