This document provides an introduction to WAN acceleration devices. It discusses issues at the "spoke end" of networks like bandwidth choking, latency, and complex infrastructure. WAN acceleration techniques are presented as a solution, working primarily through WAN caching to reduce data redundancy and achieve LAN-level application performance across the WAN. Specific techniques mentioned include selective acknowledgement, window scaling, protocol matching, latency mitigation, pattern matching, fingerprinting and reconstruction, load shedding, and chunk storing. The document argues that WAN acceleration is essential for managing big data transfers over complex hybrid networks.