Finally, beware mixing and matching carriers. In many cases, Carrier Ethernet will be available at all your branch offices, but not from a single provider. The protocols for network-to-network peering are still being ratified, but that hasn't stopped providers such as Yipes from forging peering relationships with other carriers. Incumbents like Verizon often control the link end to end by leasing access lines from local carriers. Geographic coverage is growing, so assess a prospective provider's plans.
Give Me Access
NAC is all the rage this year. Cisco is pushing its program. Microsoft is touting NAP (Network Access Protection). The two are partnering and beta testing integration between NAC and NAP. The Trusted Computing Group is backing its TNC (Trusted Network Connect) initiative, and vendors such as Extreme Networks, Juniper Networks and Nortel Networks are piling on, looking for a piece of what's shaping up to be a fat pie--$3.9 billion in sales of NAC enforcement products by 2008, according Infonetics Research.
As we discuss in "The Plot Thickens", the trick is to have a solid understanding of what your organization needs to accomplish. There are as many ways to deploy NAC as there are vendors knocking on your door.
Controlling managed computers (those that have agents installed or for which the administrative credentials are known) is a snap: Decide what constitutes a required set of features--say, patch level, installed applications, configuration options and antivirus update files--and today's NAC products handle assessment reasonably well. If a computer is out of compliance, patch it, quarantine it or give it limited access.
Pending 6GHz spectrum availability, faster speeds, and private wireless access use drive FWA forward.
The new HPE Aruba 730 series Wi-Fi 7 access points tout high performance, enhanced security, location tracking capabilities, and more.
Verizon is demoing crowd analytics technology that uses 5G along with AI and mobile edge computing to give stadium operators insights into the flow of fans throughout a venue.
