Using the SteelHead product family can reduce WAN bandwidth utilization by 65% to 98% for TCP-based applications. They do this using a method called scalable data referencing (SDR), in addition to standard data compression.

SDR breaks data into small, unique chunks and stores them. Each chunk is given a unique label (a reference number). Instead of sending the same data over the network repeatedly, the system just sends the reference number. This saves bandwidth; one small reference can replace megabytes of actual data. The receiving appliance uses the reference to retrieve and rebuild the original data.

This process significantly cuts down on the amount of data sent over the network, boosting efficiency and speed.