Cisco bolsters edge networking family with expanded SD-WAN, security options

Cisco this week expanded its Catalyst 8000 Edge Platform family to offer enterprise edge customers more secure SD-WAN and cloud resource access options.The Cisco Catalyst 8000 edge router collection currently includes three models: the high-end 8500 for data-center or colocation customers, the 8300 for branch users, and the software-based 8000 for virtual environments. Feature support includes advanced routing, SD-WAN, security and secure-access service edge (SASE), depending on customer requirements, and all models run Cisco's IOS XE operating system software.To read this article in full, please click here

Gartner: 2021 IT spending rally could hit $3.9T

Gartner projects worldwide IT spending will total $3.9 trillion in 2021, an increase of 6.2% over 2020 when spending declined a little over 3%.All IT spending segments—from data-center systems to communications services—are forecast to return to growth in 2021, according to Gartner . Enterprise software is expected to have the strongest rebound, 8.8%, as remote work environments are expanded and improved. The devices segment will see the second highest growth in, 8%, and is projected to reach $705.4 billion.To read this article in full, please click here

Gartner: 2021 IT spending rally could hit $3.9T

Gartner projects worldwide IT spending will total $3.9 trillion in 2021, an increase of 6.2% over 2020 when spending declined a little over 3%.All IT spending segments—from data-center systems to communications services—are forecast to return to growth in 2021, according to Gartner . Enterprise software is expected to have the strongest rebound, 8.8%, as remote work environments are expanded and improved. The devices segment will see the second highest growth in, 8%, and is projected to reach $705.4 billion.To read this article in full, please click here

Cisco tags critical security holes in SD-WAN software

Cisco has noted and fixed two critical and a number of high-degree vulnerabilities in its SD-WAN software portfolio.Most of the vulnerabilities could let an authenticated attacker execute command injection attacks against an affected device, which could let the attacker utilize root privileges on the device.The first critical problem–with a Common Vulnerability Scoring System rating of 9.9 out of 10–is  vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco SD-WAN vManage Software. “This vulnerability is due to improper input validation of user-supplied input to the device template configuration,” Cisco stated. “An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by submitting crafted input to the device template configuration. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to gain root-level access to the affected system.”To read this article in full, please click here

Cisco tags critical security holes in SD-WAN software

Cisco has noted and fixed two critical and a number of high-degree vulnerabilities in its SD-WAN software portfolio.Most of the vulnerabilities could let an authenticated attacker execute command injection attacks against an affected device, which could let the attacker utilize root privileges on the device.The first critical problem–with a Common Vulnerability Scoring System rating of 9.9 out of 10–is  vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco SD-WAN vManage Software. “This vulnerability is due to improper input validation of user-supplied input to the device template configuration,” Cisco stated. “An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by submitting crafted input to the device template configuration. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to gain root-level access to the affected system.”To read this article in full, please click here

Cisco coughs up another $1.9B to buy Acacia

After some saber-rattling, Cisco has sweetened the pot to acquire optical technology firm Acacia. The amended agreement calls for Cisco to pay $4.5 billion instead of the originally agreed upon $2.6 billion deal.The companies said the amended acquisition should close by the end of the first calendar quarter of 2021, but it is still subject to closing conditions, including Acacia stockholder approval. Upon completion of the acquisition, Acacia CEO Raj Shanmugaraj and company employees will join Cisco's Optics business.To read this article in full, please click here

Cisco adds to its Nexus data-center-management software

Cisco adds to its Nexus data-center-management software

Cisco has added support for traditional network environments to the company’s recently available data center-management console.Introduced in October, Cisco’s Nexus Dashboard melds a number of Cisco’s on-premises, cloud and hybrid fabric-management tools into a single interface to administer application lifecycles from provisioning to maintenance and optimization.[Get regularly scheduled insights by signing up for Network World newsletters.] The idea is that the dashboard provides a central platform for data center-operation applications to simplify the operation and management of the applications while reducing the infrastructure overhead to run them, according to Cisco.  To read this article in full, please click here

VMware loses CEO Gelsinger to Intel

Intel said it will bring on current VMware leader Pat Gelsinger as its new chief executive officer, effective Feb. 15, 2021.  The 40-year technology industry vet replaces Intel’s Bob Swan, who will remain CEO until that date.For VMware, the company said it was initiating a global executive search process to name a permanent chief and that Zane Rowe, current VMware CFO will become interim CEO.[Get regularly scheduled insights by signing up for Network World newsletters.] “Pat led the company in expanding our core virtualization footprint and broadening our capabilities to cloud, networking, 5G/edge and security, while almost tripling revenue to nearly $12 billion,” Rowe said in a statement. “VMware remains focused on helping customers optimize their digital infrastructure—from app modernization and multi-cloud to networking, security and digital workspaces. We look forward to continued growth and innovation across our technology offerings.”To read this article in full, please click here

VMware loses CEO Gelsinger to Intel

Intel said it will bring on current VMware leader Pat Gelsinger as its new chief executive officer, effective Feb. 15, 2021.  The 40-year technology industry vet replaces Intel’s Bob Swan, who will remain CEO until that date.For VMware, the company said it was initiating a global executive search process to name a permanent chief and that Zane Rowe, current VMware CFO will become interim CEO.[Get regularly scheduled insights by signing up for Network World newsletters.] “Pat led the company in expanding our core virtualization footprint and broadening our capabilities to cloud, networking, 5G/edge and security, while almost tripling revenue to nearly $12 billion,” Rowe said in a statement. “VMware remains focused on helping customers optimize their digital infrastructure—from app modernization and multi-cloud to networking, security and digital workspaces. We look forward to continued growth and innovation across our technology offerings.”To read this article in full, please click here

Cisco fights to keep alive its planned $2.6B purchase of optical-tech vendor Acacia

Cisco’s planned acquisition of Acacia Communications took a litigious turn this week as the networking giant has gone to court to keep the optical technologies vendor from terminating the purchase.Cisco filed for a temporary restraining order in Delaware Chancery Court Jan. 8 to prevent Acacia from terminating its acquisition agreement with the company. The move followed an Acacia statement issued earlier on Jan. 8 that stated the company “has elected to terminate its merger agreement with Cisco Systems, Inc., effective immediately.”[Get regularly scheduled insights by signing up for Network World newsletters.] Acacia said the proposed merger was conditioned on the satisfaction or waiver of customary closing conditions, including obtaining necessary regulatory approvals within the timeframe contemplated by the merger agreement. One of those was the approval of China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), and Acacia said that hasn't been obtained within the originally agreed time frame.To read this article in full, please click here

Spotlight on home-office connectivity intensifies in 2021

Now that it's clear remote work is here to stay, what are the technology priorities for IT departments charged with keeping the enterprise workforce productive and secure?In a December report, research firm Gartner said it expects 48% of employees will work from home, even after the pandemic, compared with 30% pre-pandemic.More about SD-WAN: How to buy SD-WAN technology: Key questions to consider when selecting a supplier • How to pick an off-site data-backup method •  SD-Branch: What it is and why you’ll need it • What are the options for security SD-WAN? Forrester, too, expects the remote worker population to remain elevated. "While there is no clear end point to the pandemic yet, the number of employees working remotely will begin to dwindle, eventually settling in at 300% of pre-pandemic levels at the minimum," wrote Forrester principle analyst David Johnson, in a blog post about 2021 remote work and automation trends.To read this article in full, please click here

Cisco takes additional steps to fight counterfeit network gear

Looking to counter the growing sophistication of counterfeit networking products, Cisco recently added new layers to protect customers.“Counterfeiting hardware and software is an illegal and lucrative trade which leads to an estimated $100B loss of revenue annually across IT industries. As one of the largest and most reputable brands in the world, Cisco is often a target of counterfeiters,” said Al Palladin, legal director and  head of Global Brand Protection at Cisco.Counterfeiting presents serious risks to network quality, performance, safety, and reliability. It is dangerous because counterfeit products are not designed or built to meet the same safety standard certifications that genuine Cisco products attain, he said.To read this article in full, please click here

SolarWinds Trojan: Affected enterprises must use hot patches, isolate compromised gear

Hot patching and isolating potentially affected resources are on the IT response schedule as enterprises that employ SolarWinds Orion network-monitoring software look to limit the impact of the serious Trojan unleashed on the platform.The supply-chain attack, reported early this week by Reuters and detailed by security researchers at FireEye and Microsoft involves a potential state-sponsored, sophisticated actor gained access to a wide variety of government, public and private networks via Trojanized updates to SolarWind’s Orion network monitoring and management software. This campaign may have begun as early as spring 2020 and is ongoing, according to FireEye and others.To read this article in full, please click here

SolarWinds Trojan: Affected enterprises must use hot patches, isolate compromised gear

Hot patching and isolating potentially affected resources are on the IT response schedule as enterprises that employ SolarWinds Orion network-monitoring software look to limit the impact of the serious Trojan unleashed on the platform.The supply-chain attack, reported early this week by Reuters and detailed by security researchers at FireEye and Microsoft involves a potential state-sponsored, sophisticated actor gained access to a wide variety of government, public and private networks via Trojanized updates to SolarWind’s Orion network monitoring and management software. This campaign may have begun as early as spring 2020 and is ongoing, according to FireEye and others.To read this article in full, please click here

Multcloud management: Challenges for technology, people, processes

When it comes to managing hybrid and multicloud environments there are many options but no easy path nor lack of challenges. Tech Spotlight: Multicloud Are you ready for multicloud? A checklist (InfoWorld) 5 challenges every multicloud strategy must address (CIO) How to manage multiple cloud collaboration tools in a WFH world (Computerworld) Building stronger multicloud security: 3 key elements (CSO) While cloud computing has been around in some form for more than a decade, tools to manage its current enterprise iterations from private, on-premises, or public locations are still evolving at a rapid rate. Gartner says that more than 90 vendors—including IBM/Red Hat, VMware, CloudBolt, Flexera, Scalr, Cisco, and Nutanix—offer varying degrees of cloud-management capabilities.To read this article in full, please click here

Multicloud management: Challenges for technology, people, processes

When it comes to managing hybrid and multicloud environments there are many options but no easy path nor lack of challenges. Tech Spotlight: Multicloud Are you ready for multicloud? A checklist (InfoWorld) 5 challenges every multicloud strategy must address (CIO) How to manage multiple cloud collaboration tools in a WFH world (Computerworld) Building stronger multicloud security: 3 key elements (CSO) While cloud computing has been around in some form for more than a decade, tools to manage its current enterprise iterations from private, on-premises, or public locations are still evolving at a rapid rate. Gartner says that more than 90 vendors—including IBM/Red Hat, VMware, CloudBolt, Flexera, Scalr, Cisco, and Nutanix—offer varying degrees of cloud-management capabilities.To read this article in full, please click here

AWS improves SD-WAN-to-cloud connectivity with Cisco, Aruba, Arista and others

Amazon Web Services has rolled out a new, more native way to connect SD-WAN infrastructures with AWS resources.Introduced at its re:Invent virtual event, AWS Transit Gateway Connect promises a simpler, faster, and more secure way for customers to tie cloud-based resources back to data centers, remote office workers or other distributed access points as needed.Thirteen networking vendors including Cisco, Aruba, Arista, Alkira, Fortinet, Palo Alto, and Versa announced support for the technology, which offers higher throughput and increased security for distributed cloud workloads.To read this article in full, please click here

AWS improves SD-WAN-to-cloud connectivity with Cisco, Aruba, Arista and others

Amazon Web Services has rolled out a new, more native way to connect SD-WAN infrastructures with AWS resources.Introduced at its re:Invent virtual event, AWS Transit Gateway Connect promises a simpler, faster, and more secure way for customers to tie cloud-based resources back to data centers, remote office workers or other distributed access points as needed.Thirteen networking vendors including Cisco, Aruba, Arista, Alkira, Fortinet, Palo Alto, and Versa announced support for the technology, which offers higher throughput and increased security for distributed cloud workloads.To read this article in full, please click here

Aruba unveils new data-center orchestration software, switches

Aruba has taken the wraps off new orchestration software and switches that target users looking to build and support distributed data-centers.Aruba Fabric Composer software simplifies leaf-and-spine network provisioning across the company’s CX switches and automates operations across a wide variety of virtualized, hyper-converged, and HPE compute and storage environments.The Fabric Composer runs as runs as a virtual machine and eliminates the need for networking teams to manually configure CX switches. It offers workflow automation and a view of workflows supported by networking fabrics, switches, hosts and other resources, said Steve Brar, senior director of product marketing for Aruba.To read this article in full, please click here