Interop Las Vegas 2012: A Big Thanks to the Speakers
May 11, 2012 14:00 PM
Our blogger takes a moment to thank the speakers and audience members who took part in Interop Las Vegas--and is already preparing for Interop New York.
Searching for an SDN Definition: What Is Software-Defined Networking?
May 10, 2012 14:57 PM
SDN was top of mind this week at Interop--but what is it, really? Our blogger takes a look at the varying definitions of software-defined networking.
You Shouldn't Build Your Data Center: The Benefits of a Co-lo Facility
May 09, 2012 13:29 PM
Sure, you could build a data center, one expert told the Interop crowd. But a co-lo facility may be more resource- and cost-efficient in the long run. Find out why.
Prediction: OpenFlow Is Dead by 2014; SDN Reborn in Network Management
May 08, 2012 10:15 AM
OpenFlow and software-defined networking were on the agenda at Interop yesterday. But will they stand the test of time, or will SDN eventually become part of network management?
VMware's Lost Source Code: Not A Panic Situation
April 27, 2012 11:00 AM
VMware lost some of its ESX source code. Cue the sky-is-falling claims. Don't worry, there's no need to panic.
Should Amazon Define Cloud Standards?
April 07, 2012 11:00 AM
Since Citrix gave Cloudstack to the Apache Software Foundation, there has been a lot of blogging, tweeting, and arguing about whether cloud computing software vendors should simply let Amazon AWS drive cloud computing standards. It's time for the stakeholders--enterprises, vendors, open source projects, and anyone else interested to start scoping, developing, and implementing standards that everyone can use.
Amazon APIs Are Fine ... For Amazon
April 03, 2012 12:05 PM
If I didn't know better, I'd say that there are many in the cloud community who are happy to capitulate standards to Amazon. What's next? Letting Cisco define networking standards? Microsoft define OS, Web content and document standards? Apple define mobile platform standards? Or Oracle define SQL standards? Hitching the standards wagon to a vendor is a fundamental problem.
Data Caps And Treating Employees Like Adults
March 27, 2012 13:40 PM
Carriers like AT&T and Verizon Wireless are using data caps to manage the explosive growth in 3G/4G data consumption. Hey, kids--the 1990s called and wants its bandwidth management strategy back. As Lee Badman points out in "4G? No, It's More Like 4Gee!" the data rates available to wireless consumers are growing rapidly and our demand is keeping pace. When you have high demand and data caps, the chance of overages is very likely, and the last thing anyone wants is out-of-control telecom costs. Consumers don't have much choice in managing data caps, but enterprises have more options.
Dell's SonicWall Acquisition Follows Cheap 'n Easy Blueprint
March 14, 2012 10:16 AM
Dell's Sonicwall acquisition makes sense. Dell's strategy is to sell low-cost desktops, laptops, and servers that are cheap and easy to use to everyone from small companies up to mid-size enterprises with the occasional large enterprise in the mix. Dell is going to do with security what they did with storage and are doing with networking. Remove complexity, bring important features to the surface, and make the resulting products available to the largely under served SMB/SME market.
Cisco And Deloitte Wrong: Good Practices More Impactful Than Vendor Choice
February 21, 2012 14:57 PM
Cisco is fighting back against the notion that a multivendor network can simplify operations and reduce TCO. The networking giant commissioned a report by Deloitte that finds equipment operation costs will increase over the life of a network that uses equipment from disparate vendors. The fact is, one vendor versus multiple vendors is the wrong fight. Sound management practices and smart production selection will have a bigger impact on your IT costs than the number of vendors you use.
Why I Like Juniper's QFabric (And A Mea Culpa)
February 02, 2012 09:00 AM
While I was visiting Juniper in early December, I got a chance to sit down with the QFabric folks to discuss some of issues with QFabric and what I saw as a proprietary—with all the badness that word implies—product set in search of a reason. While QFabric is proprietary because of how the components are interconnected, I came away with the impression that the overall design and capacity looks extremely powerful. I think the upsides of the QFabric product set far outweigh the downsides. Give a month's time between visiting Juniper and now, I'd say that all my ballyhoo about being proprietary was a non-issue. My bad.
Transferring DNS Registrars Not A Problem
December 29, 2011 13:28 PM
It's Dec. 29, and I have started to transfer personal DNS domains from GoDaddy. The company's position on SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act)—its reversal notwithstanding—was the nudge that pushed me over the edge. Frankly, GoDaddy has been acting poorly during the last few years, and I decided to move my domains elsewhere. So far, the transfers have gone well, with nary a hiccup.
Networking APIs Should Be A Critical Feature
December 19, 2011 07:00 AM
When you are looking at your next network equipment refresh, be sure to take a long, deep, look at the APIs the vendors are exporting and importing. Integration features should be near the top of your must-have feature list.
Fat Apps Are Where It's At
November 23, 2011 11:52 AM
Virtual desktop infrastructure, or VDI, is seeing something of a revival lately due to the increased penetration of mobile tablets. Why lug a laptop around that has a short battery life and takes forever to load when you can use a lighter, more responsive tablet? If you can get your desktop on your tablet, all the better, right? No. Not at all. More over, server-based desktop applications, such as those served from the likes of Citrix XenApp and VMware ThinApp, or just the UI components. We need need fat apps.
Can Dell Do For Networking What It Did For Storage?
November 18, 2011 11:23 AM
Dell is focused and while it isn't considered by many to be a solutions provider--many consider Dell to be a box pusher--it plans on changing perception. As Fritz Nelson points out in discussing Dell's earnings, the company did a remarkable job of acquiring storage companies that fit with its overall vision, investing in the product lines, doubling or tripling the head count in some cases, and setting off on an integration path that continues today. However, Dell has a difficult road ahead if it wants to get beyond supplying servers to the data center.
New And Notable On Network Computing
November 16, 2011 14:01 PM
It's been a busy year for our IT staff. We've moved to a new platform that is more stable and faster. We have a new commenting system in place, and we are adding more kinds of content. Network Computing Pro, once a subscription service, is now free (registration required). And we'll have more changes in the coming months. All of these changes have been part of a long process, but one that lets us bring you more and better news, views and actionable information. Now I'd like to hear from you. What do you want to see? What can we do better? We'll try to incorporate your changes.
Dell Is Focused
November 15, 2011 16:15 PM
Last week, some colleagues and I had a chance to spend the day at Dell's headquarters in Austin, Texas. It was seven hours of meetings, getting a dump on Dell's various lines of business, and was capped off with a meeting with the man himself, Michael Dell. It was an informative day, meeting with folks who run the storage, server, networking, and channel divisions of the company. I came away with one overriding thought: Here's a company that is focused.
Interop Video Previews
September 30, 2011 16:50 PM
Interop New York 2011 is upon us. Starting Oct. 3 and running through Oct. 7, UBM's Interop show sill be taking place at the Javits Center. It going to be a full week, starting with pre-conference days on virtualization, cloud computing and CIO boot camp. Wednesday through Friday, the conference kicks off with three full days of in-depth sessions and panels covering virtually every aspect of IT. The expo hall will be open Wednesday and Thursday so you can meet with vendors and see the latest gear. We have compiled previews for most of the conference tracks to highlight some must-see sessions if you are strapped for time.
Proprietary Networking Kills Opportunity
September 23, 2011 07:00 AM
When we ask IT about proprietary vs. standards-based purchases, the majority of responses indicate that standards are nearly always preferred. So why are the network fabrics proprietary? There is a disconnect between what we are hearing from IT and what vendors are offering, and it seems to me that vendors are collectively shooting themselves in the foot.
Certificate Authority Compromises Are Global In Reach
September 09, 2011 13:48 PM
There has already been a lot written about the compromise at DigiNotar, GlobalSign and Comodo. One day we will look at the summer of 2011 as the time when the PKI collapsed. That's not hyperbole. The problems with certificate authorities and the inherent weakness they present have been known for years--a fact we alluded to as far back as 1997. Browsers accept certificates as trusted in that they have the signing CA certificate in their local browser store. Browsers do not check that a particular CA is authorized to actually issue a particular server certificate. The trust is universal. That is why the attacks on DigiNotar, GlobalSign and Comodo are so serious and have global impact.
