CW: Players like Blue Coat, who now compete with you in the asymmetric WAN optimization space, talk extensively about integrating security features into WAN optimization and of security being a differentiator. What's your security pitch?

Batra: When we bought the company called Mazu Networks, which is now called Cascade (a Riverbed product), it was essentially a security product. We transformed it into an application-aware platform. The fact that we can go down to a particular computer and see what application has been used and which server is responding, are all things that we do because we have security features in our products. The other thing that we have is the application firewall, which is virtual and can thus be easily integrated with applications.

CW: It should be easy for Cisco, which dominates the core networking market, to break into most enterprises with an optimization strategy. What do you think?

Batra: Customers are very discerning, and they know what they want. They are very knowledgeable. Most of the technologies today are sold based on proof of concepts (PoC). When a customer does a PoC with us--and with some of our competitors--they definitely observe a difference. Customers make a decision based on what they see and not on what they are told.

CW: Do you see migration from competing brands?