Neal Weinberg
Author Archives: Neal Weinberg
- Home → Author's archive:
Neal Weinberg
0
VMware’s ongoing reinvention
VMware’s introduction of x86 server-virtualization technology was a game-changing event in the history of enterprise computing. But if you look at VMware’s corporate messaging today, it’s almost as if server virtualization has been scrubbed from the lexicon. Instead, VMware highlights its multi-cloud strategies, software-defined data centers, networking, hyperconverged infrastructures, security, SD-WAN, containers, blockchain, IoT and more.To read this article in full, please click here
0
What is an SSD? How solid state drives work
That whirring you hear when you boot your computer or when it wakes from sleep mode is the sound of your hard drive’s magnetic disks beginning to spin. Conceptually not dissimilar to a record player, a hard disk drive (HDD) is an electromechanical device with an actuator arm that positions itself over spinning disks, called platters, in order to read or write information.While record players top out at 78 rpm, today’s enterprise-grade HDDs can spin at 15,000 rpm. Even at that speed, however, there are unavoidable delays associated with heads finding the spot on the drive that contains the data being requested. And sometimes a drive may need to read from multiple locations in order to complete a command, multiplying wait times.To read this article in full, please click here
0
What is an SSD? How solid state drives work
That whirring you hear when you boot your computer or when it wakes from sleep mode is the sound of your hard drive’s magnetic disks beginning to spin. Conceptually not dissimilar to a record player, a hard disk drive (HDD) is an electromechanical device with an actuator arm that positions itself over spinning disks, called platters, in order to read or write information.While record players top out at 78 rpm, today’s enterprise-grade HDDs can spin at 15,000 rpm. Even at that speed, however, there are unavoidable delays associated with heads finding the spot on the drive that contains the data being requested. And sometimes a drive may need to read from multiple locations in order to complete a command, multiplying wait times.To read this article in full, please click here
0
How to make the business case for SD-WAN
Entegra Bank, a fast-growing financial institution based in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, switched from MPLS links for its 22 branches to SD-WAN-based broadband and slashed its WAN connectivity bill by 50%, while increasing bandwidth an average of fivefold.Loren Long, senior vice-president and CTO at the bank, says he had been eyeing both SD-WAN and broadband for some time, waiting for SD-WAN technology to mature and for rural broadband to improve in availability, dependability and security. After a positive experience with Silver Peak’s WAN optimization gear, “we felt confident to make that change,” he says.In a typical SD-WAN scenario, branch office broadband would connect directly to the public Internet. But since this a bank with heightened security and compliance responsibilities, traffic from the branches is backhauled over an encrypted VPN to internal gateways, where a third-party security services provider monitors all traffic and enforces security policies.To read this article in full, please click here
0
How to make the business case for SD-WAN
Entegra Bank, a fast-growing financial institution based in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, switched from MPLS links for its 22 branches to SD-WAN-based broadband and slashed its WAN connectivity bill by 50%, while increasing bandwidth an average of fivefold.Loren Long, senior vice-president and CTO at the bank, says he had been eyeing both SD-WAN and broadband for some time, waiting for SD-WAN technology to mature and for rural broadband to improve in availability, dependability and security. After a positive experience with Silver Peak’s WAN optimization gear, “we felt confident to make that change,” he says.In a typical SD-WAN scenario, branch office broadband would connect directly to the public Internet. But since this a bank with heightened security and compliance responsibilities, traffic from the branches is backhauled over an encrypted VPN to internal gateways, where a third-party security services provider monitors all traffic and enforces security policies.To read this article in full, please click here
0
Why DHCP’s days might be numbered
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is the standard way network administrators assign IP addresses in IPv4 networks, but eventually organizations will have to pick between two protocols created specifically for IPv6 as the use of this newer IP protocol grows.DHCP, which dates back to 1993, is an automated way to assign IPv4 addresses, but when IPv6 was designed, it was provided with an auto-configuration feature dubbed SLAAC that could eventually make DHCP irrelevant. To complicate matters, a new DHCP – DHCPv6 – that performs the same function as SLAAC was independently created for IPv6.[ Now read 20 hot jobs ambitious IT pros should shoot for. ] Deciding between SLAAC and DHCPv6 isn’t something admins will have to do anytime soon, since the uptake of IPv6 has been slow, but it is on the horizon.To read this article in full, please click here
0
What is DHCP, and why might its days may be numbered as IPv6 grows?
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is the standard way network administrators assign IP addresses in IPv4 networks, but eventually organizations will have to pick between two protocols created specifically for IPv6 as the use of this newer IP protocol grows.DHCP, which dates back to 1993, is an automated way to assign IPv4 addresses, but when IPv6 was designed, it was provided with an auto-configuration feature dubbed SLAAC that could eventually make DHCP irrelevant. To complicate matters, a new DHCP – DHCPv6 – that performs the same function as SLAAC was independently created for IPv6. [ Now read 20 hot jobs ambitious IT pros should shoot for. ] Deciding between SLAAC and DHCPv6 isn’t something admins will have to do anytime soon, since the uptake of IPv6 has been slow, but it is on the horizon.To read this article in full, please click here
0
What is DHCP, and why might its days may be numbered as IPv6 grows?
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is the standard way network administrators assign IP addresses in IPv4 networks, but eventually organizations will have to pick between two protocols created specifically for IPv6 as the use of this newer IP protocol grows.DHCP, which dates back to 1993, is an automated way to assign IPv4 addresses, but when IPv6 was designed, it was provided with an auto-configuration feature dubbed SLAAC that could eventually make DHCP irrelevant. To complicate matters, a new DHCP – DHCPv6 – that performs the same function as SLAAC was independently created for IPv6. [ Now read 20 hot jobs ambitious IT pros should shoot for. ] Deciding between SLAAC and DHCPv6 isn’t something admins will have to do anytime soon, since the uptake of IPv6 has been slow, but it is on the horizon.To read this article in full, please click here
0
What’s the future of server virtualization?
Server virtualization is one of those technologies that’s simple in concept and profound in its impact on enterprise data centers.What if, instead of running one operating system instance and one application per server, you could add a layer of software, known as a hypervisor, that enables you to run multiple operating system instances and associated workloads on a single physical server?[ See where SDN is going and learn the difference between SDN and NFV. | Get regularly scheduled insights by signing up for Network World newsletters. ] That’s the idea behind server virtualization, and the idea dates back to IBM mainframes in the 1960s and was popularized by VMware, which introduced virtualization software for x86 servers in the early 2000s. Since then, other vendors have developed their own server-virtualization platforms and the industry as a whole has created advanced management, automation and orchestration tools that make deploying, moving and managing virtual machine (VM) workloads a breeze.To read this article in full, please click here
0
What’s the future of server virtualization?
Server virtualization is one of those technologies that’s simple in concept and profound in its impact on enterprise data centers.What if, instead of running one operating system instance and one application per server, you could add a layer of software, known as a hypervisor, that enables you to run multiple operating system instances and associated workloads on a single physical server?[ See where SDN is going and learn the difference between SDN and NFV. | Get regularly scheduled insights by signing up for Network World newsletters. ] That’s the idea behind server virtualization, and the idea dates back to IBM mainframes in the 1960s and was popularized by VMware, which introduced virtualization software for x86 servers in the early 2000s. Since then, other vendors have developed their own server-virtualization platforms and the industry as a whole has created advanced management, automation and orchestration tools that make deploying, moving and managing virtual machine (VM) workloads a breeze.To read this article in full, please click here
0
Hyperconvergence breathes new life into desktop virtualization
Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) is one of those tantalizing technologies that looks great on paper, but hasn’t gained much traction over the years for a variety of financial, technical, cultural, even philosophical reasons.However, a relatively new framework called hyperconvergence, which combines compute, storage and networking in a single data center appliance, could breathe new life into VDI by reducing the cost and complexity associated with a VDI rollout.The argument in favor of VDI, also known as desktop virtualization or thin-client computing, makes perfect sense.To read this article in full, please click here
0
What is 802.11ax Wi-Fi, and what will it mean for 802.11ac
Each new Wi-Fi standard has brought significant improvements in performance, with the most recent, 802.11ac, offering an impressive theoretical maximum rate of 1.3Gbps. Unfortunately, these gains have not been enough to keep pace with demand, leading to that exasperated cry heard across airports, malls, hotels, stadiums, homes and offices: “Why is the wireless so slow?”The IEEE is taking another crack at boosting Wi-Fi performance with a new standard called 802.11ax or High-Efficiency Wireless, which promises a fourfold increase in average throughput per user.RELATED: Can MU-MIMO really boost wireless capacity? 802.11: Wi-Fi standards and speeds explained Wi-Fi 2018: What does the future look like? 802.11ax is designed specifically for high-density public environments, like trains, stadiums and airports. But it also will be beneficial in Internet of Things (IoT) deployments, in heavy-usage homes, in apartment buildings and in offices that use bandwidth-hogging applications like videoconferencing.To read this article in full, please click here
0
What is 802.11ax Wi-Fi, and what will it mean for 802.11ac
Each new Wi-Fi standard has brought significant improvements in performance, with the most recent, 802.11ac, offering an impressive theoretical maximum rate of 1.3Gbps. Unfortunately, these gains have not been enough to keep pace with demand, leading to that exasperated cry heard across airports, malls, hotels, stadiums, homes and offices: “Why is the wireless so slow?”The IEEE is taking another crack at boosting Wi-Fi performance with a new standard called 802.11ax or High-Efficiency Wireless, which promises a fourfold increase in average throughput per user.RELATED: Can MU-MIMO really boost wireless capacity? 802.11: Wi-Fi standards and speeds explained Wi-Fi 2018: What does the future look like? 802.11ax is designed specifically for high-density public environments, like trains, stadiums and airports. But it also will be beneficial in Internet of Things (IoT) deployments, in heavy-usage homes, in apartment buildings and in offices that use bandwidth-hogging applications like videoconferencing.To read this article in full, please click here
0
Big 3 endpoint vendors battle glitzy startups at RSAC
SAN FRANCISCO -- The sprawling show floor at this year’s RSA Conference featured hundreds of shiny, new companies, from Acalvio to ZingBox. It seemed like every vendor in the hall managed to incorporate into its marketing pitches at least one of the 2017 hot buzzwords – Advanced Threat Protection, machine learning, AI, threat intelligence, IoT. But three of the original anti-virus vendors – Symantec, McAfee and Trend Micro – were out in full force at the show as well, scoffing at the unproven point products of the startups and touting their own reorganizations, renewed focus and broad product portfolios. According to Gartner, the Big 3 lead the way in endpoint security market share, with Symantec, at $3.6 billion in annual revenue, out front, McAfee second, followed by Trend Micro.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
0
Oldies but goodies make presence felt amid glitzy startups at RSAC
SAN FRANCISCO -- The sprawling show floor at this year’s RSA Conference featured hundreds of shiny, new companies, from Acalvio to ZingBox. It seemed like every vendor in the hall managed to incorporate into its marketing pitches at least one of the 2017 hot buzzwords – Advanced Threat Protection, machine learning, AI, threat intelligence, IoT.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
0
Oldies but goodies make presence felt amid glitzy startups at RSAC
SAN FRANCISCO -- The sprawling show floor at this year’s RSA Conference featured hundreds of shiny, new companies, from Acalvio to ZingBox. It seemed like every vendor in the hall managed to incorporate into its marketing pitches at least one of the 2017 hot buzzwords – Advanced Threat Protection, machine learning, AI, threat intelligence, IoT.But three of the original anti-virus vendors – Symantec, McAfee and Trend Micro – were out in full force at the show as well, scoffing at the unproven point products of the startups and touting their own reorganizations, renewed focus and broad product portfolios. According to Gartner, the Big 3 lead the way in endpoint security market share, with Symantec, at $3.6 billion in annual revenue, out front, McAfee second, followed by Trend Micro.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
0
How Google reinvented security and eliminated the need for firewalls
SAN FRANCISCO -- In some ways, Google is like every other large enterprise. It had the typical defensive security posture based on the concept that the enterprise is your castle and security involves building moats and walls to protect the perimeter.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
0
How Google reinvented security and eliminated the need for firewalls
SAN FRANCISCO -- In some ways, Google is like every other large enterprise. It had the typical defensive security posture based on the concept that the enterprise is your castle and security involves building moats and walls to protect the perimeter.Over time, however, that perimeter developed holes as Google’s increasingly mobile workforce, scattered around the world, demanded access to the network. And employees complained about having to go through a sometimes slow, unreliable VPN. On top of that, Google, like everyone else, was moving to the cloud, which was also outside of the castle.In other ways, Google is unlike any other company. Without much of a detailed business plan or cost/benefit analysis, Google execs gave the green light to an ambitious project aimed at totally reinventing the company’s security infrastructure.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
0
RSAC Innovation Sandbox winners: One year later
With the annual RSA security conference just around the corner, we decided to touch base with the 10 companies selected as finalists in last year’s Innovation Sandbox competition and see how they’re making out. The RSA Conference had 88 submissions for Innovation Sandbox slots last year and the field was whittled down to Bastille Networks, Illusive Networks, Menlo Security, Phantom Cyber, Prevoty, ProtectWise, SafeBreach, Skyport, Vera and Versa Networks. In last year’s competition, each vendor pitched their product to a panel of judges, as well as a packed house of attendees at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Phantom Networks was selected as the overall winner.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
0
RSA Innovation Sandbox winners: One year later
With the annual RSA security conference just around the corner, we decided to touch base with the 10 companies selected as finalists in last year’s Innovation Sandbox competition and see how they’re making out.5. PREVOTYTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)