In the world of networking, connection speed and quality have always been the battleground for every information professional. Engineers spare no effort in reducing latency just to ensure that users can quickly access their websites or app content. Especially when targeting users in China, it's often found that users experience excessively high connection latency or are unable to connect at all.

Facing such challenges, there are countless acceleration solutions available on the market. How can one choose the right acceleration solution that suits their business scenarios?

Building upon the previous content, this time we'll get to know Alibaba Cloud's Global Accelerator (GA) and Cloud Enterprise Network (CEN)!

We will still focus on two main axes:

1. Reducing connection latency
2. Connection solutions for Chinese users

We will also explain what GA and CEN are, helping you select the right acceleration solution for your business scenarios!

What is GA? GA, short for Global Accelerator, is a global network acceleration service provided by cloud vendors. As the name suggests, it covers the entire globe, utilizing BGP networks established by cloud vendors and intelligent routing analysis of the Internet to achieve acceleration solutions with globally distributed nodes for proximity-based access and egress.

Here's a simplified architecture diagram for better understanding:

According to the diagram, users find the nearest boarding node (IP access point) to them through the Anycast IP provided by the cloud. They then route their connection through the Global Accelerator (GA) network and disembark at the terminal node, finally returning to the source station.

For example, if a user is in Shanghai, when they connect to the Anycast IP, the nearest Shanghai GA node will be prioritized. They will enter the network established by the cloud vendor and accelerate to the terminal node closest to the source station (location needs to be set manually), thus returning to the source station located in North America.

The connection quality and speed of the GA solution are both highly reliable and fast, making it a viable choice for critical business lines. However, the only consideration is its relatively high cost, so it's advisable to conduct a thorough evaluation before use!

Connection Quality: ★★★★★

Cost：★★★★☆
 

What is CEN? CEN stands for Cloud Enterprise Network, also known as cloud enterprise network. It mainly utilizes Alibaba Cloud's private network for transmission, which provides higher levels of privacy and security compared to GA over the Internet. In terms of transmission speed, because it uses Alibaba Cloud's proprietary network, the quality is also quite good.

Simple architecture diagram is as follows:

What is CEN?
CEN stands for Cloud Enterprise Network, also known as cloud enterprise network. It mainly utilizes Alibaba Cloud's private network for transmission, which provides higher levels of privacy and security compared to GA over the Internet. In terms of transmission speed, because it uses Alibaba Cloud's proprietary network, the quality is also quite good.

Simple architecture diagram is as follows:

	GA	CEN
Application Scenarios	Website API Gaming servers Critical business functions	ERP systems Enterprise internal self-built systems
Advantages	Suitable for most application scenarios High connection quality	High security Good connection quality Multi-region integration
Disadvantages	Higher price Can only accelerate point-to-point via the Internet So security needs to be handled by yourself	Higher price Requires self-built forwarding servers and maintenance
Connection Quality	★★★★★	★★★★★
Security	★★★☆☆	★★★★☆
Cost	★★★★☆	★★★★☆

Here concludes the selection of acceleration connections for this time!

If you need additional assessment or consulting, feel free to contact us directly by phone or email!

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