There are two types of deployment topologies defined by how the branch offices access the internet. In direct branch internet deployment mode, branch offices access the internet directly without passing through a data center. In back-hauled internet deployment mode, branch offices connect to the internet over an internal WAN or VPN connection to a centralized data center that controls all internet access.

In direct mode, the branch SteelHead appliance encapsulates the traffic and sends it directly to a server in the Akamai network. Akamai SureRoute optimization technology ensures that the traffic is forwarded through the Akamai network along the fastest path toward its destination at the data center hosting the SaaS application.

After the branch SteelHead appliance is licensed and registered on the Riverbed Cloud Portal, it downloads a set of rules from the portal and obtains the IP addresses for all of the servers for the SaaS applications to which you are subscribed.

This topology does not involve an intermediary SteelHead appliance. All SSL optimization and peering trusts are established directly between the branch SteelHead appliance and the ACSH.