Case Study: Allied Capital achieves 35x faster file access and consolidates file servers with Riverbed Steelhead appliances

Riverbed Steelhead Appliances Enable Investment Services Company to Consolidate File Servers and Accelerate Applications

Allied Capital, a NYSE‑listed private equity firm with distributed offices, faced WAN latency and data sprawl from local file servers that slowed critical applications (email, SharePoint, CRM) and hindered collaboration. With T1 and 768K links and latency up to 100 ms, the firm needed LAN‑like access and centralized, secure document management without adding bandwidth.

Allied deployed Riverbed Steelhead appliances in four offices, enabling consolidation of remote file servers into HQ and accelerating application access by up to 35x. The rollout eliminated remote server overhead, cut a 10 MB Excel open time from 2:59 to 5 seconds, raised bandwidth utilization from ~6–10% to 77%, and delivered an estimated payback in seven months.

Allied Capital

Peter Papas

SVP and Director of IT