I've been with Loadbalancer.org for over a year now and I'll be the first to admit I knew nothing about load balancers before I joined. And why, why do they use that crazy ADC acronym?! The first time I googled "ADC" I found a theatre, darts club and a rock band!
What I've since realized is that ADCs (Application Delivery Controllers) help get me from A to B without incident in so many ways.
To illustrate, let me take you on a journey I recently took to Shanghai for the Chinese Grand Prix...
My seamless journey
Flawless flight info
It's always wise to check for flight delays before you leave for the airport.
I took a quick look at the FlightAware website before I left my house. It's an incredibly useful tool. I remember taking a look when all the planes were grounded because of that volcano in Iceland. It was crazy how they redirected all those flights so quickly...Imagine how many people were using the FlightAware website at that time. They definitely need high performance application delivery. And guess what? FlightAware have been using our load balancers ever since that volcano incident.
Thankfully my flight for this trip was on time. So I threw my luggage in the car and headed for the airport.
Traverse traffic
Can you remember what it was like before Google Maps?
The last thing you want is to get stuck in traffic, when you must be on time for your flight! Google maps is an amazing tool that we all take for granted.
OK, so they don't actually use our load balancer, but you can bet they use similar technology. They definitely have enough customers!
Perfect parking
I decided to park at the airport before my flight. You know how it is. Sometimes its just easier than getting public transport.
I roll into the multi-story car park and recall one of our customers saying that they deal with 10 million passengers a year, with 12,500 parking spaces at their airport! Mad. They've been using our load balancers for their parking ticketing system because, if it were to go down, they'd have a loooooooong tailback of people struggling to pay for their ticket and get to the departures lounge on time.
Thankfully there was none of that drama. Got a parking ticket straight off the bat and was on my way in less than 5 minutes.
Convenient check-in
I walk into the terminal, along with 500 other people, and go straight to check-in to drop off my luggage.
We do a lot of work with ARINC, who use our ADCs to reinforce their passenger processing software at more than 200 airports. According to them, their system achieves 99.999 uptime with our appliance.
Here too check-in was smooth and stress-free and (I'll be honest) after overpacking I was glad to be rid of my suitcase. When will I learn...
Bish-bash-bosh boarding
I make my way onto the plane and the co-pilot is in contact with Air Traffic Control.
I was recently on a call with a supplier of these ATC systems. They'd decided to use our solution to guarantee the availability of their software so they could communicate and navigate worldwide without interruption, in real-time.
I'm meeting friends in Shanghai so while I'm waiting to take off I check Flightaware to make sure they're already on route. I can see they're somewhere over the Atlantic — which is just as well because they forgot to message me to tell me they'd boarded. Mate!
Get the idea? These were all new, eureka moments to me, and I've done a LOT of airmiles.
Evolving transport challenges
I might not be a tech expert, but I do know the world of transport is changing — at pace. Global supply chain integration, automation, and impenetrable cybersecurity are just a few of the ways customers are embracing technology to drive improvements to customer experiences and, crucially, outcomes.
So much progress brings new challenges; chief among them is the explosion in data. By ensuring its continuous flow, our Application Delivery Controllers have become increasingly important.
Leading the way in transport
For almost 20 years, Loadbalancer has ensured high availability and zero downtime to transport organizations across the world with over 70,000 deployments globally.
We continue to be a trusted leader in the sector, designing solutions to solve the complex challenges that arise when transport providers rely on applications to deliver essential services.
Little wonder then that we have a 100% attachment rate to all ARINC projects, and are deployed in 150+ sites globally.
We take a supportive approach to our partners’ needs to ensure that their systems stay up and running and ensure logistics are handled quickly and efficiently. And, in an ever-changing world, with many industries and businesses moving away from traditional hardware ADCs, you need a partner that you can depend on to meet your specific needs and requirements.
“The company I work for designs and builds data centers for airports all over the world, and almost a decade ago we started using Loadbalancer’s virtual appliance. During that time I have only had to reach out to their support team twice. The quick response and level of attention I received was like no other. I fly to sites to oversee the turning up of systems and the pressure is always high — so quick response times and great attention to detail from our partners is critical.”
Senior Systems Engineer, ARINC
We're not promising that we can fix every problem. But if you're looking for a partner that cares about your transportation business, and understands some of the stress you're under when things go sideways, then why not give us a call, and let's see if we can help you — on your journey to zero downtime.