You could sort through hundreds of technologies to find the unique combination that will make your network sing. Or, you could read on as our experts analyze hot IT areas, from security to wireless to storage, and identify the business trends you need to watch in 2007. Our advice is grounded in real-world experience backed by a year's worth of the hands-on product testing and analysis that only Network Computing can provide.
The defining trend: Helping teams work more effectively. The tools we use for communication--e-mail, voice, IM, and increasingly video/Web conferencing--will be ever more intertwined, says Mike DeMaria. The same goes for the business applications and application infrastructure, where Lori MacVittie charts the impact of Web services and explains how the next generation of EAI and Web 2.0 initiatives, like mashups, are enabling IT to combine information from different data sources in new ways.
Indeed, you'll depend on information synthesized from many different components. Network management will move further away from lumbering frameworks toward a universal system for tracking process relationships among devices and software, says Chris Matney. Similarly,incorporating multiple software and hardware resources is the only way to build coherent security policies crucial for protecting corporate data. Don MacVittie tells us how.
Meanwhile, smart IT shops will capitalize on opportunities by reducing the time it takes to deploy applications. Andrew Conry-Murray says that often, simply purchasing applications as services can free up resources. Deployment times will also be reduced by continuing virtualization of the server and storage infrastructure. Steve Hill explains the process, while Mike Fratto recommends branch-offices-in-a-box at remote sites.
And, application delivery will continue to reach us--in and out of the office. Dave Molta charts how 2007 will see local and wide area wireless networks to collide as dual-mode cellular/ voice over Wi-Fi products gain ground.
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.
