Malery Lassen

Author Archives: Malery Lassen

Terminology Tuesday Presents: Data Gravity

Data Gravity is a concept first coined by Dave McCrory to describe the tendency of data to attract more data, applications and services.  As you may have guessed from the name, this principle has many parallels to Newton’s Theory of Universal Gravitation.

 

The basic premise is that a singular piece of data isn’t meaningful but with more data (metadata as it’s generally called) additional context (and therefore more meaning) can be derived.  When all that data is bundled with more applications and services, one can harness a considerable amount of power as evidenced by today’s trends towards data and analytics.

 

For example, let’s take this piece of data: 0.  Although we know what zero means conceptually, we don’t have any way to determine how we should feel about it.  Without any context just knowing the number 0 is essentially worthless.  If, for instance you were to know the additional data of “inventory of toy Elmos” + [insert where you live] you’d know that you need to make an only order and ASAP.

 

Data for larger institutions is just like this, except the concept of “friction” plays a larger role.  Data Friction Continue reading

Terminology Tuesday Presents: ZTP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ZTP stands for Zero Touch Provisioning.  And, as a quick google search will quickly reveal, many other things as well.

 

Back to our ZTP.  ZTP is the process by which new network switches can be configured without much human involvement.   Notice that I said “much” and not “any”.  ZTP is not it’s not truly zero because something (someone!) needs to put the first components of the network together in order for the rest of the network to be built in a ZTP fashion.

 

Where provisioning many switches could have quite a while through ZTP processes it’s down to a matter of minutes.  Switches can also be updated automatically with any need for physical intervention.

 

The beauty of ZTP is the continued march towards more and more robust automation solutions.  Delightfully, once folks aren’t mired in the repetitive manual work they can move onto tasks that bring innovation to businesses and, more importantly, make jobs more enjoyable.  We also can’t ignore the fact that it renders moot a lot of the specialized skills that traditionally defined the role of a network engineer. Continue reading

Terminology Tuesday Presents: Blockchain

Think of Blockchain as primarily two things.  1) A peer-to-peer technology 2) A way of keeping a public record.

The technological backing of Blockchain is the ability to have many (many) computers host the same information.  Snippets of code (known as blocks) are duplicated and maintained in so many different places rendering fraud impossible.  The fact that each of these blocks is timestamped and unique makes it increasingly challenging to outsmart.  If you’re interested in learning more about the technological specifics there are a number of great resources online including this presentation by Binh Nguyen, IBM’s Blockchain Fabric Chief Architect.

Today, Blockchain is most commonly thought of in connection to Bitcoin as it describes the technology and process that we’ve all come to know as being so secure.  Bitcoin’s past affiliations with illegalities of all sorts have given a bad name to Blockchain but there are many benefits to secure transactions all with a public record as our purchases and currency become increasingly digital.

Want to learn more?  Check out these sources:

 

Terminology Tuesday is a new blog series.  What would you like Continue reading

Terminology Tuesday Presents: Microservices

Microservices is the philosophy of designing software programs by breaking what used to be a singular function or command into multiple components, known as services.  The ultimate goal is to reduce complexity and increase speed (basically the goal of anything nowadays).

 

Think of Thanksgiving.  A traditional approach would have the same person cook the entire meal.  And likely even do all the dishes.  Think of a world instead where you can assign different individuals (and ovens!) for cooking the turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing and anything else that may grace your table.

 

 

Microservices delivers on this dream but also takes the principle to the next level.  Not just breaking up the request (multi-course dinner) into multiple services (turkey, salad, not burning the garlic bread) but making them really really minute.

 

“Services” that used to be inherently linear can now happen concurrently.  To go back to our Thanksgiving example, you could have the potatoes peeled at the same time they’re being mashed.  If we were able to avoid running into one another (part of the magic of software over families in kitchens) everything would become very efficient.

 

Want Continue reading

Top 5 From The Last 3 Months

 

In the year 2017, news comes at you fast. So, it’s easy to miss the important or informational items that just weren’t on your radar when they first arrived. While we believe VMware NSX should be firmly on everyone’s virtualization radar, we understand that you may miss a few items from time to time. That’s why we’re putting together this VMware NSX news round-up.

This news round-up recaps the latest NSX-related material you may have missed over the past few months for you peruse at your leisure. We’ll compile these posts again from time to time, so be sure to keep your eye on this space for more VMware NSX news rounds-ups and informational posts!

Real World Use Cases for NSX and Pivotal Cloud Foundry

From the post: Pivotal Cloud Foundry (PCF) is the leading PaaS solution for enterprise customers today, providing a fast way to convert their ideas from conception to production. This is achieved by providing a platform to run their code in any cloud and any language taking care of all the infrastructure “stuff” for them.

From building the container image, compiling it with the required runtime, deploying it in a highly available mode and connecting Continue reading

NSX Real World Use Cases for Pivotal Cloud Foundry

Pivotal cloud foundry is the leading PaaS solution for enterprise customers today, providing a fast way to convert their ideas from conception to production. This is achieved by providing a platform to run their code in any cloud and any language taking care of all the infrastructure stuff for them.

From building the container image, compiling it with the required runtime, deploying it in a highly available mode and connecting it to the required services, PCF allows dev shops to concentrate on developing their code.

While the platform is providing developers with the most simplified experience conceivable, under the hood there are many moving parts that make that happen and plumbing all these parts can be complex. That’s where customers are really enjoying the power of VMware’s SDDC, and the glue between the PaaS and SDDC layers is NSX, it is the enabler that makes it all work.

In this blog post, I detail some of the main uses cases customers has already deployed NSX for PCF on top of vSphere and how PCF and NSX are much better together in the real world.

The use cases customers are deploying with NSX for PCF are varied and ill divide them Continue reading

Kubernetes in the enterprise with VMware NSX-T and vRealize Automation

We’ve all seen the VMware PKS announcement at VMworld 2017, and we are all excited about it. The idea of provisioning Kubernetes clusters in an easy way, with day-2 operations, inside your datacenters, has been a request from most of the VMware customers who are starting their journeys into the brave new cloud-native world. As we saw also from the announcement, PKS is currently under development by VMware, Google and Pivotal and is targeted for GA Q4 this year.

Until then, what if we have a solution today that you can start piloting right away without waiting? And what if it is based on the VMware solutions that you’ve grown to use and love. Better yet, what if we can add to that mix a solid networking and security capabilities to run your Kubernetes clusters in a self-service and IT governance to maintain your existing operational models?

Figure 1: Solution Overview

I’ve just started a new blog series that I named “Kubernetes in the Enterprise” which answers all those questions in a form of an enterprise-grade solution. This solution is very grounded to the real-world and business challenges, and driven by many discussions that I have been having with my Continue reading

Recapping the Incredible Presentations at future:net 2017

For those of you unable to attend future:net 2017 in Las Vegas, NV last month, fear not—what happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas!

That’s right, thanks to the wonder that is YouTube, there are video recordings available of the amazing keynote speakers and presentations that took place at this year’s future:net conference, which brought together the technical and networking leaders shaping new network strategies, solutions and innovations for the future of digital transformation.

To cure you of any FOMO you may have, check out a recap of future:net presentations below, including links to their videos and a brief description of the speakers and topics discussed during each.

5 Reasons Why Attending the Transform Security Track at vForum Online is a Must

If you’ve been working in IT for the past few years, you know how much the security landscape has changed recently. Application infrastructures — once hosted in on-premises data centers — now sit in highly dynamic public and private multicloud environments. With the rise of mobile devices, bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies, and Internet of Things (IoT), end-user environments are no longer primarily about corporately managed desktops. And attackers are growing more sophisticated by the day.

In such an atmosphere, traditional network perimeter security ceases to provide adequate protection.

That’s where the VMware solutions come in. At the heart of the solutions is a ubiquitous software layer across application infrastructure and endpoints that’s independent of the underlying physical infrastructure or location. To really understand how it works, you need to experience it for yourself. And the Transform Security track at vForum Online Fall 2017 on October 18th is the perfect opportunity. As our largest virtual conference, vForum Online gives IT professionals like yourself the chance to take a deep dive into VMware products with breakout sessions, chats with experts, and hands-on labs — all from the comfort of your own desk.

With this free half-day event just weeks away, it’s time to Continue reading

Introducing VMware Skyline™

VMware Skyline™: an innovative support technology, developed entirely by VMware Engineering, that provides VMware technical support engineers with extreme visibility into your (customer’s) environment.

Customers with active support subscriptions install the VMware Skyline Collector, a standalone appliance that automatically and securely collects product usage data such as configuration, feature, and performance data.

It then listens for changes, events and patterns and analyzes the information using a robust rules and machine learning engine. The rules engine is where an ever-growing library of support intelligence, product knowledge, and logic is stored to analyze inbound streams of product information. Check out the video and the blog to learn more!

The post Introducing VMware Skyline™ appeared first on Network Virtualization.

VMware NSX Day 1 Guide Library

Our VMware NSX Guides are authored and technically reviewed by VMware subject-matter experts and cover networking and security essentials.

Below you will find a description of the current books in our library along with a downloadable PDF link.

If you are interested in purchasing a hardcopy, you can do so at our online store.

 

Check out our Four New Releases!

 

New Release: VMware NSX Automation Fundamentals Guide

VMware NSX Automation Fundamentals delivers the roadmap to understanding networking and security automation challenges in today’s data centers.  It explains the fundamental nature of VMware NSX Data Center architecture while detailing integrated solutions for both VMware and third party offerings (such as VMware vRealize Automation, OpenStack, Puppet, Chef, PowerNSX) that assist in creating networking and security components on-demand.

Follow Caio on Twitter! And follow Thiago on Twitter too!

 

 

 

 

 

New Release: VMware NSX Network Virtualization Fundamentals

During their digital transformation process, many IT organizations still struggle with traditional networking methods and security approaches. By successfully addressing these challenges in thousands of real-world implementations, VMware NSX Data Center has established itself as the leading network virtualization platform, revolutionizing the way data center networks are designed and operated. In Continue reading

NSX Experience Day Planning for Operational Transformation: Key Resources

Our Experience Day is a deep dive into operationalizing NSX.  This half-day working session includes breakouts, workbook assignments (summaries, checklists, and Q&A), and deep discussions with peers.  To realize the benefits of network virtualization, organizations will want to assess and execute an operational plan that spans across people, process, and technology.  You and your organization can review the key assets below and make use of the best practices that make the most sense for your particular situation.

If you are interested in joining one of our sessions, please contact your NSX Sales Specialist or account System Engineer.

 

COMMUNITY

NSX Community at VMUG. Dedicated to network and security virtualization, a robust resource for individuals who are motivated to learn more.

For a limited time, join VMUG Advantage to get over $4000 worth of NSX training for only $2,800 (Until Aug 28). Includes NSX Install, Configure Manage On-Demand, VCP-Network Virtualization test prep and voucher, and much more.

 

TRAINING & CERTIFICATION COURSES

VMware NSX Training and Certification. Explore the expert NSX training & certifications from VMware.

 

SERVICES

Professional Services for Transforming Security. Get your team operational by Day 2 and ensure that you achieve measurable results.

Accelerate Advisory Services. Continue reading

Don’t Miss out on These 5 Spotlights on Security at vForum Online Summer 2017

You’ve likely heard it before: “All businesses are now digital businesses.” But since the business has expanded into digital space, shouldn’t something as critical as business security digitally expand too? That’s where the VMware ubiquitous software layer comes into play — sitting across the application infrastructure and endpoints, no matter where they are.

Now more than ever, it’s clear that security expertise is a must-have for IT. To further enhance your own security knowledge, make sure to join us at vForum Online on June 28th — right from your own desk. As our largest virtual conference, vForum Online is a must-attend event for IT professionals, and especially for those looking to improve their approach to security.

For returning attendees, you may notice we’ve made some alterations to the structure of vForum Online: Now, the conference is divided into several goal-oriented tracks, to ensure we’re aligned to your IT aims.

With this free, half-day event just a few weeks away, we’re counting down the days — and counting up all the reasons you should attend. Get a preview of these five security spotlights you can expect at the conference:

  1. A Modern Approach to IT Security

In our “Transform Security — Reduce Continue reading