Circuit aggregation is the grouping of two or more Internet circuits into one at a cost-effective rate by businesses in the design and optimization of networks. The aggregation of circuits will have issues associated with it if it is not properly done. Below are a few common mistakes, along with their solutions and their prevention, to help you get the maximum out of your aggregation strategy.

Key Mistakes in Circuit Aggregation and Their Fixes

1. Overlook Prioritization of Traffic

Traffic prioritization is seen to be one of the largest mistakes associated with circuit aggregation. Equal treatment for all kinds of data without any prioritization leads to congestion, thus slowing the speed of mission-critical applications.

Solution

Implement QoS protocols to differentiate between certain types of traffic. Defining priorities for traffic will mean your network runs much more efficiently, and your applications critical to your performance will stay within optimal ranges.

2. Disregarding Redundancy

Another common mistake when using circuit aggregation strategies is that they fail to implement redundancy. circuit Aggregation without any redundancy mechanisms on their part leave your network vulnerable to single points of failure, which can then cause service disruption on a failure-related outage.

Solution

Redundancy is the creation of extra circuits that are set to take over the function of a failed circuit. You can add solutions like SD-WAN, where the traffic will automatically be rerouted to available circuits. This will keep your network running as little as possible and decrease the time.

3. Lack of Performance Monitoring

What often happens when businesses circuit aggregate is that they forget to monitor the performance of the combined circuits. This can result in slow responses when problems arise and, on some occasions, problems go unnoticed for a long time.

Solution

Utilize real-time monitoring tools to monitor and track circuits constantly. Constant monitoring detects problems early on to solve them before things get out of hand and provides a smooth run through the network.

4. Bandwidth Allocation Made Badly

Many companies are also guilty of not offering suitable bandwidth for the intended uses. Circuit aggregation contributes to bandwidth aggregation but can still cause congestion in a network due to inappropriate bandwidth allocation to different traffic types.

Solution

Determine the needs of your network using a full analysis of bandwidth. Analyze the allocation of bandwidth periodically as your network usage evolves.

5. Poor Circuit Load Balancing

In circuit load balancing, all the available circuits must get an equal share of traffic. This makes sure that while some of the circuits might be fully utilized, others may be underutilized. Bandwidth may go inefficiently and cause slowdowns.

Solution

Invest in load-balancing technology, which automatically routes traffic across circuits based on current load levels. Dynamic management tools can be used to optimize traffic so that no single circuit is overwhelmed by an excessive load.

6. Failure to Plan for Scalability

If you install circuits to aggregate their current needs without planning for the future, your network traffic will grow higher with time, and the current aggregation will fail to provide what is needed, resulting in network slowdowns and poor performance.

Solution

Always design your circuit aggregation strategy with scalability. This would include a selection of such technologies and solutions that will allow easy scaling of your network.

7. Undervaluing Security

Aggregating some circuits into a single circuit can make your network vulnerable to far greater security risks if proper protections are not in place. Aggregating several circuits effectively provides hackers or cyber-attackers with more entry points into the network system.

Solution

Implement the necessary encryption, firewalls, and interruption detection systems in your network configuration. Ensure that the circuit aggregation is based on your company-imposed security regulations.

8. Lack of Coordination with Various ISPs

Aggregated circuits can become a pain to handle in case there are several ISPs. Technical failures or service disruptions can occur without coordination.

Solution

Maintain open communication with all your vendors. Always make sure to have seamless connectivity across all circuits.

9. Complexification in Network Design

Sometimes, aggregation setup is made complicated in a bid to optimize network performance. This will cause unnecessary complexity, thus making the network harder to maintain and manage.

Solution

A network design should be as simple as possible but meet your performance and redundancy goals. Simple designs are easy to troubleshoot, have a lower maintenance requirement, and result in better performance.

Conclusion

Circuit aggregation is a technique that, in the right circumstances, can dramatically boost network performance, increase bandwidth for real applications, and make redundancy pretty much unnecessary in case one or more of these nodes fail. Avoid the mistake of assuming you’ve covered traffic prioritization, security, or scalability by ignoring these aspects. If done right, the aggregation of circuits can provide seamless and cost-effective connectivity solutions for businesses. Want a professional to handle it for you? Contact us today!