Cisco has for a few years now touted software over its hardware powers but with this week’s AppDynamics buy it may have broken out of its traditional bailiwick for good.That’s because AppDynamics gives Cisco customers a unique, intelligent comprehension of what ‘s going on in their business networks from the infrastructure to applications. It also gives Cisco, which was an AppDynamics customer itself, the ability to help customers keep up with the rapidly-changing environments found in cloud and web-based environments in a way it hasn’t been able to till now.+More on network World: Cisco execs foretell key 2017 enterprise networking trends+To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
More than eight in 10 U.S. IT workers support the nation's net neutrality regulations, and many are worried that President Donald Trump administration's likely repeal of the rules will hurt their industry.Eighty-two percent of 411 IT workers responding to an online survey by Spiceworks support the net neutrality rules, while just 11 percent oppose them, the company said Wednesday. If the Federal Communications Commission's net neutrality rules are repealed, 59 percent of respondents said they believe their companies' internet costs will rise, and 47 percent said they believe their companies' access to important internet services will be degraded.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The Arlo camera is a 100 Percent Wire-Free, completely wireless, HD smart home security camera – so you can get exactly the shot you need – inside or out. The Arlo camera is weatherproof and includes motion detection, night vision, and apps. It can capture clips and send you alerts whether you’re at home or away for round-the-clock peace of mind. These motion activated cameras initiate automatic recording and alert you via email or app notifications. Free apps enable remote monitoring from anywhere and with the built-in night vision you’ll even see in dark. This security camera currently averages 4 out of 5 stars on Amazon from almost 10,000 customers (read reviews) and its list price of $219.99 is currently discounted 41% to $129.99.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
It’s common knowledge that the best way to protect your home Wi-Fi network is by using a strong password. This will keep uninvited guests away and protect your network so eavesdroppers can’t intercept your communications. And we’ve known for more than a decade now that the old Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is so insecure that cracking it is practically child’s play.ALSO ON NETWORK WORLD: 9 tips for speeding up your business Wi-Fi
Once you’ve protected your network with Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2), here are four other vulnerability scenarios you should guard against.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The Spark Board meeting device that Cisco Systems introduced on Tuesday is not so much a whiteboard or a videoconferencing screen as a giant tablet that everyone in the room can share.There’s even a “home” button in the center of the bottom bezel that takes you back to the main menu. If Apple didn’t have a partnership with Cisco, you might even expect it to accuse the networking giant of copying its iPad design.But Apple and Cisco are in fact working together, so closely that iPhones can work with the Spark Board a little more smoothly than other phones do. And in developing the new all-in-one device, Cisco focused on simplicity and ease of use, which haven’t exactly been hallmarks of the networking giant’s products up to now.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
President Donald Trump has named Commissioner Ajit Pai, an outspoken opponent of the FCC’s net neutrality rules, as the next head of the agency.The choice was widely expected after Trump’s election last November. Pai is the senior Republican on the commission, having served since 2012. He doesn’t need to be confirmed by the Senate because he is already on the Commission.Pai attacked the reclassification of broadband as a utility in 2015, saying it would place excessive burdens on service providers, other internet players and consumers. The expansion of broadband service through a competitive marketplace has been one of Pai’s themes as a commissioner.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The SanDisk Connect wireless stick is a flash drive with a unique twist -- you can access it wirelessly. Whether it's in your pants pocket, in your bag, or on the picnic table at your campsite, the Connect wireless stick lets you stream media or move files wirelessly with up to three computers, phones or tablets simultaneously. Connections are made via built-in wifi (think "hotspot"), so no external wireless or internet services are needed. A USB connection is also available, if desired. Storage on this model is a generous 200GB. Reviewers on Amazon report at least 8-10 hours of battery life on one charge. This model is currently discounted 34%, from $119.99 down to $78.95. See it now on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The news that sprawling networking company Avaya has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy is being greeted with nonchalance by at least some of its customers, for whom the saga of the firm’s financial troubles has been a reality for some time.Avaya’s a big company with several focus areas – some lines, like networking products, are performing well. Others, including unified communications and phone systems, are not, and it’s these that have dragged the company into Chapter 11.+MORE FROM NETWORK WORLD: Avaya says bankruptcy is a step toward software and services + Verizon, volunteer firefighters make peace; T-Mobile’s Legere can stand downTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The fate of Avaya has finally been determined. It’s not being broken up, shut down or having parts stripped off it in a fire sale. Instead, Avaya filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to help shed the $6 billion debt load that is weighing the company down.The question for the company now is what happens next? Obviously the business will be restructured. I believe the management team will keep the call center and UC businesses intact, as they go together like “rama lama lama ka dinga da dinga dong.” But what happens to the networking business? Post restructuring the networking division might be a more attractive asset to buy because many of the things weighing it down, such as pensions and debt, won’t be an issue. Avaya could sell it, then use the money to make an acquisition that could bolster its UC and CC business.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Verizon has doused a public-relations flare-up with the volunteer fire department that serves a small Virginia island community, meaning that:
The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company will pay far less than $73,000 to have telecommunications equipment moved off land that will accommodate its new headquarters.
This financial relief will forestall the heftier bill possibly having had to come out of the hides of the Chincoteague Ponies, a herd of 150 wild horses that are shepherded by the firefighters and helpful to have when publicly battling a major corporation.
And, finally, that T-Mobile CEO John Legere can keep his checkbook in his pocket.
First the cease-fire. From the fire company’s Facebook page:To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Networking and collaboration vendor Avaya declared bankruptcy on Thursday, calling the move part of its transition from a hardware to a software and services company.
Avaya emerged from Lucent Technologies in 2000 with a focus on phone switches, enterprise networking gear, and call-center systems. But with the shift toward mobile phones and cloud-based tools for communication, and a tight market for enterprise network equipment, the company has been changing its focus.
It plans to keep operating during the bankruptcy thanks to its cash from operations and US$725 million in financing that still needs approval by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Avaya said its foreign affiliates aren’t included in the filing and won’t be affected.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
I’m a life-long Trekkie, and one of the many great things about Star Trek is that the characters always face a big, nearly insurmountable challenge—and, of course, the heroes win in the end.If your organization is like many I see, the new year is ushering in a renewed urgency to embrace the possibilities of digital transformation. It probably feels like a big, perhaps insurmountable, challenge. Whether your organization is leading or being pushed into digital business, the cloud and the network are critical components in this business transformation.+ Also on Network World: More proof the cloud is winning big +
As I shared in this blog, while moving applications to the cloud can be a helpful step in evolving IT, that by itself is not digital transformation. These apps running on your private cloud or in a public cloud service are important to running your business; however, most are likely not the source of your competitive advantage. Digital transformation is about accelerating the creation of new value for your customers and, most powerfully, helping your customers and partners create value for one another. But rest assured, the cloud and the network both play an important role.To read Continue reading
A Maryland-based EchoStar subsidiary best known as a provider of network management services announced today that it will offer a managed SD-WAN product as part of its HughesON lineup.
Hughes Network Systems’ new Hughes Managed SD-WAN is aimed at distributed businesses that mostly use broadband communications, simplifying the management of those connections and ensuring that demanding applications like video run smoothly.
MORE ON NETWORK WORLD: Switches coming out this year will drive open networking forward + Trump turns to H-1B advocates for adviceTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Two moves by open networking vendors this week are likely to chip a little bit more off the monolith of proprietary, appliance-like equipment that still moves most packets around enterprise data centers.On Thursday, network OS supplier Cumulus Networks introduced turnkey switches based on standard hardware from Edgecore Networks running Cumulus software. They’re designed to allow customers who are new to open networking to get started quickly and easily.Earlier in the week, on the cutting edge of the movement, Barefoot Networks announced that Edgecore and another Taiwan-based manufacturer called WNC would start shipping switches that use the company’s fully programmable chips.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
I’ve been following Cumulus Networks almost since its inception. The company was co-founded by J.R. Rivers, something of a legend in the networking space. Cumulus Networks’ raisan d’etre was to provide an open source operating system (eponymously called Cumulus Linux) that organizations could install on different networking hardware devices and, in doing so, gain all the benefits of software-defined networking (SDN) without any of the hassles of proprietary and locked-down software.It was a compelling story (at least for this commentator). And given the credibility that Rivers bought to the table, I was sold.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Businesses could lose their choice of cloud services and applications if the incoming administration or the new congress rolls back net neutrality rules, Tom Wheeler, the outgoing chair of the Federal Communications Commission, warned in his final planned speech before stepping down.Identifying the 2015 open Internet order as one of his signature policy achievements, Wheeler positioned the FCC's net neutrality regulation, which bars ISPs from blocking or slowing transmissions on their networks, as a needed protection for consumers and businesses alike."As everything goes into the cloud, the ability to access the cloud free of gatekeepers is essential. If ISPs get to choose which applications and clouds work better than others in terms of access, speed and latency, they will control the cloud future," Wheeler said.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
One of the most important skills any computer user should have is the ability to use a virtual private network (VPN) to protect their privacy. A VPN is typically a paid service that keeps your web browsing secure and private over public Wi-Fi hotspots. VPNs can also get past regional restrictions for video- and music-streaming sites and help you evade government censorship restrictions—though that last one is especially tricky.The best way to think of a VPN is as a secure tunnel between your PC and destinations you visit on the internet. Your PC connects to a VPN server, which can be located in the United States or a foreign country like the United Kingdom, France, Sweden, or Thailand. Your web traffic then passes back and forth through that server. The end result: As far as most websites are concerned, you’re browsing from that server’s geographical location, not your computer’s location.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The trials and tribulations of Avaya and the fate of its related businesses have been well documented in the press over the past six months. One of the business units I have been following most closely is the company’s networking business, as it has a differentiated product and could prove to be a significant asset to an acquirer. One of the challenges Avaya has had in networking is a lack of customer awareness into the product set or even the fact that Avaya is in networking. When I have brought the topic up with network engineers, I’ve received a number of questions about Avaya Networking. Below are the most common questions I have received: To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Brand-new research from a consultant and a trade body released last week estimates the deployment of 5G networks could create up to 3 million jobs. Accenture, along with CTIA, also predict the new radio networking technology will add $500 billion to the American GDP.That's good news. However, questions about 5G remain. And they’re unrelated to the actual physics of the technology—which doesn’t really exist yet. The questions include an important matter: What’s going to drive these kinds of high-flown claims, and why is 5G being trumpeted as special? Is it really such a quantum leap over existing networks?To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
A group that sees enterprises and even consumers setting up their own LTE-like networks now has a formula to work from.On Tuesday, the MulteFire Alliance announced MulteFire Release 1.0, which defines an LTE-like network that can run entirely on unlicensed spectrum like the frequencies Wi-Fi uses. In some cases, it may be an alternative to Wi-Fi with more capacity, better security and easier handoffs from carrier networks, Alliance President Mazen Chmaytelli says.Users could include businesses that need highly predictable networks for time-sensitive industrial applications, stadium owners looking for a simpler way to speed up wireless for fans, and eventually consumers networking their homes. But none of these will happen overnight.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here