When the pandemic hit, thousands of employees suddenly needed remote access overnight. This aerospace company's "simple" Python-based authentication system became their biggest business threat—until our experts created a 300x performance boost.
A major aerospace company was experiencing critical slow network performance at the start of COVID-19. As their workforce transitioned from a few remote employees to thousands overnight, their RADIUS server was collapsing under the increased load. Knowing that they needed a solution, they called us for emergency support.
What had worked adequately for a few hundred packets per second was failing catastrophically at enterprise scale, threatening business continuity at a pivotal moment.
The problem: Textbook-designed architecture was failing
The client had implemented what appeared to be a sophisticated solution using Python APIs. However, these APIs were blocking and causing serious congestion during peak hours. As a result, the systems were overloaded, and tens of thousands of employees could not get online.
Our investigation revealed the root cause: a simple approach that worked for small numbers of packets per second, but didn’t work for thousands of packets per second.
The solution: Native policy language and optimizations
We replaced most of their Python-based approach with the FreeRADIUS native policy language and REST API calls. While the built-in policy language initially appears more complex to developers familiar with traditional programming languages, it's specifically optimized for RADIUS use cases.
The conversion process involved:
- Analyzing existing Python policies to extract core business logic
- Rewriting policies using the FreeRADIUS native policy language (often achieving one-to-one conversion of the actual logic)
- Eliminating unnecessary data conversion overhead
- Streamlining the authentication flow to reduce processing steps per packet
The results: Performance sitting under their nose
The performance transformation was dramatic:
- 200-300x performance improvement in many cases
- System scaled from handling dozens of packets per second to thousands of authentications per second
- Zero additional hardware investment required
- Avoided costly migration to commercial RADIUS solutions
Most importantly, the client was able to maintain business operations during the unprecedented scaling demands of the COVID-19 transition without service disruptions or infrastructure investments.
Key lesson: Fast beats obvious
This case illustrates a common pattern we encounter: the "obvious" programming approach isn't always the optimal approach for high-performance network systems. While object-oriented programming and familiar languages like Python offer development convenience, they can introduce significant performance penalties in packet-processing environments.
The FreeRADIUS native policy language, though initially less familiar to developers, is purpose-built for authentication scenarios and eliminates the computational overhead of constant data conversion and object manipulation.
Need expert performance optimization?
InkBridge Networks has been at the forefront of network security for over two decades, tackling complex challenges across various protocols and infrastructures. Our team of seasoned experts has encountered and solved nearly every conceivable network security issue—from architectural bottlenecks to scaling challenges during critical business moments.
Don't let performance issues threaten your business continuity. When your network authentication systems need to scale rapidly or perform under pressure, the difference between computer science theory and real-world optimization becomes critical.
Request a quote for network security solutions here and ensure your infrastructure is ready for whatever scaling challenges lie ahead.
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