Cloud computing is changing the demands on networks more quickly than ever. Now researchers say it’s possible to program routers all the way down to their packet-forwarding chips in the quest to keep up.Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and five other organizations have found a way to make data-center routers more programmable without making them slower. This could allow enterprises to take advantage of new traffic and congestion management algorithms without replacing their routers.The project takes SDN (software-defined networking) beyond the control plane, where things like configuration are handled, and into the data plane that actually forwards packets. Now programmers can change how the network decides which packets to send and which to keep in a buffer, for example. Eventually, that might mean deploying networks with fewer routers.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
An interesting thing happened last week that drove home the importance of network telemetry.My wife saw a calendar invite from Arista where they wanted to pre-brief me on their upcoming telemetry launch. In addition to running ZK Research with me by doing most of the back office work, she is also a cardiac nurse and was interested in the content of the briefing because telemetry is a critical element of her job. In her field, cardiac telemetry is used to constantly monitor the heart and can quickly alert the nurse in real time if something bad is going on. If there’s any problem at all, like arrhythmia, they can use the data to take action and save the patient.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Services are a relatively new concept in WANs. Devices and configurations were traditionally what made up a WAN, with routers, switches, load balancers, firewalls, proxy servers and other components positioned at appropriate points in the network. Enterprises have long grown accustomed to the use of appliances—or “middle boxes” to perform a single function, and the maintenance and management of these devices can be a real headache for IT teams.+ Also on Network World: SD-WAN: What it is and why you’ll use it one day +To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
For more than 15 years, Gary Smith has been at the helm of Ciena, leading the company through the so-called ‘telecom nuclear winter’ following the early 2000s dot-com bust to its global leadership position today in the optical networking and metro Ethernet markets. In this installment of the IDG CEO Interview Series, Smith talked with Chief Content Officer John Gallant about Ciena’s expanding enterprise business, including its data center connectivity strategy. He also discussed how Ciena is reshaping the portfolio of WAN services for enterprise customers – from the explosion of Ethernet services, to on-demand links and, ultimately, the software-defined WAN. Smith also explored the back-office work and revenue challenges ahead for service providers as big IT shops push for a more dynamic WAN.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
About 32% of hospitals and 52% of non-acute providers -- such as outpatient clinics, rehabilitation facilities and physicians' offices -- are not encrypting data in transit, according to a new survey.Additionally, only 61% of acute providers and 48% of non-acute providers are encrypting data at rest.This "leaves the door wide open to potential tampering and corruption of the data, in addition to a large potential for a breach," the report stated. "If a computer, laptop, thumb drive, or backup were to be stolen, any person would be able to access such information." HIMSS
The survey, conducted by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), a Chicago-based trade group for the health information technology sector, also revealed that many of the facilities' networks don't even have firewalls.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
It’s been a good year for IT administrators who want more information, more often, about what’s happening on their networks.In April, startups Veriflow and Nyansa introduced new ways to determine whether a network is doing what it should. In June, Cisco Systems unveiled its Tetration Analytics appliance to collect and analyze information about all parts of a data center in real time.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
In 2010, Jim Gettys, a veteran computer programmer who currently works at Google, was at home uploading a large file to his work server. His kids came into his study and said, “Daddy, the Internet is slow today.” Wondering how his upload activity could be affecting downloads by his kids, he began to investigate.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
Convenient, discreet and easy to install, extended Wi-Fi coverage is just an outlet away with the NETGEAR N300 Wi-Fi Extender. Boost your Wi-Fi for mobile devices and connect a wired device such as Smart TVs or game consoles. Boost your existing network range & speed, delivering Wi-Fi up to 300Mbps. External antennas provide better Wi-Fi coverage and higher speed, while the convenient wall-plug design saves space. It works with any standard Wi-Fi router & is ideal for keeping your mobile devices connected as you move throughout your home. With nearly 12,000 reviews on Amazon, it averages 4 out of 5 stars (read reviews). Its typical list price of $39.99 has been reduced by 25% to $29.99. See the discounted NETGEAR N300 Wi-Fi Extender. now on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
It's not surprising that network and security teams aren't always on the same page. After all, networks need to be fast and efficient, while security is about slowing things down and implementing extra steps to help meet security measures. While both teams are a part of the IT department, and need to work together in the event of a breach, each group has its own objectives and expectations. But when a data breach or security threat strikes, businesses need both teams working together to help get it fixed as soon as possible, especially as networks become more intricate."It's more important to get these two teams on the same page than it has ever been in the past. Enterprise networks are becoming more complex, and at the same time security issues are more common," says David Vigna, Cisco practice director at Softchoice.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Best Deals of the Week, August 15-19 - Deal AlertCheck out this roundup of the best deals on gadgets, gear and other cool stuff we have found this week, the week of August 15th. All items are highly rated, and dramatically discounted!34% off Lumsing 5 Port 40W USB Charging Station, with Quick Charge PortInexpensive, highly rated and discounted. That's the situation with this Lumsing charging station. This compact device will be the central charging hub in your dorm room, kitchen, bedroom, etc, and can charge up to 5 devices simultaneously. It currently averages 4 out of 5 stars on Amazon from 900+ people (read reviews) and its list price of $29 has been reduced to $19.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Intel is ramping up its efforts on 5G. The company has outlined three 5G focus areas – the industry partnerships, end-to-end 5G-related hardware and software development (such as Narrow Band IoT), and 5G standards-setting.
The company’s next generation and standards organisation 5G business and technology general manager, Rob Topol, said 5G is set to change the way the company operates and how the market responds to connectivity.
“We’re very excited about 5G as a company. We have started research and development on it at a very early stage so that we can build prototypes that demonstrate many different use cases. 5G is going to be something that will be a network change and a wireless change that will be much more than just about smartphones or other mobile devices.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Cisco Systems plans to lay off about 7 percent of its global workforce in a restructuring that will see it further focus on hot IT areas such as the internet of things, security, collaboration, next-generation data centers, and the cloud.The move will cost the company around $700 million in redundancy payments to the roughly 5,500 staff who will be out of jobs in the coming months. The layoffs will hit some of Cisco's smaller and more mature business areas where long-term growth prospects are low, the company said."We expect to reinvest substantially all of the cost savings from these actions back into these businesses and will continue to aggressively invest to focus on our areas of future growth," Cisco said in a statement.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Cisco today confirmed it will lay off about 7% of its workforce – about 5,500 jobs.Or as Cisco put it: "Today, we announced a restructuring enabling us to optimize our cost base in lower growth areas of our portfolio and further invest in key priority areas such as security, IoT, collaboration, next generation data center and cloud. We expect to reinvest substantially all of the cost savings from these actions back into these businesses and will continue to aggressively invest to focus on our areas of future growth."During its earnings announcement the company said total revenue actually increased 3% to $48.7 billion for its fiscal year ended July 30. Still, the company faces challenges in its core switching and routing business.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Intel believes the days of using copper wires for data transfers, both between computers and inside of them, are numbered because optical communications are on the horizon.The chipmaker has started shipping silicon photonics modules, which use light and lasers to speed up data transfers between computers.The silicon photonics components will initially allow for optical communications between servers and data centers, stretching over long distances, said Diane Bryant, executive vice president and general manager of Intel's Data Center Group.Over time, Intel will put optical communications at the chip level, Bryant said during a keynote at Intel Developer Forum on Wednesday. That means light will drive communications inside computers.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Not me, at least not in this instance. The self-described doofus here is a contributor to Reddit’s section devoted to networking, who says he acquired his doofus bona fides while troubleshooting his company’s VoIP system. Mr. Doofus explains:
I've been struggling with nasty packet drops occurring on VoIP calls at our data center for a few weeks now and for the life of me I couldn't find the source of the issue. I thought at first that the servers I have running our custom VoIP applications were just overloaded, but the issue would show up on just a single active call. Restarting the VoIP servers didn't help, all of the QoS markings and switch/router prioritization were spot on, the ISP was returning a clean bill of health on the circuit, etc., nothing was making sense. I made a few internal VoIP calls that stayed on the LAN which were crystal clear, and made some calls that also traverse the router to another internal subnet which were also clear, so I now knew the ISP connection was where the trouble was beginning.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Industry reports have it that Cisco will soon – possibly as early as today -- cut as many as 14,000 jobs – or about 20% of its 73,000 member workforce.
+More on Network World: Cisco: IP traffic will surpass the zettabyte level in 2016+
According to a report from tech site CRN the cuts emphasize the Cisco’s growing emphasis on software which is requiring staff with a different set of skills, CRN reported. Early retirement plans have already been offered to employees as well.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Two high-profile airline technology meltdowns stranding thousands of travelers in the recent weeks have prompted two US senators to push carriers to bolster their technology.
Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.)this week sent a letter to the most recent offenders -- Delta and Southwest -- as well as 11 other airlines to get a better handle on whether or not their information technology systems are reliable and resilient.
+More on Network World: Not dead yet: 7 of the oldest federal IT systems still wheezing away+To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Hackers of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but the lousy stock firmware your routers shipped with.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
The Federal Trade Commission said it will hold a public workshop about all things ransomware on Sept. 7.“With alarming frequency, ransomware hackers are sneaking into consumer and business computers, encrypting files containing photos, documents and other important data, and then demanding a ransom in exchange for the key needed to decrypt the files. Consumers, businesses, and government agencies are falling prey to these schemes, including hospitals whose servers may contain sensitive patient data. New forms of ransomware encrypt files of website operators, threatening not only their files containing stored data, but the very files needed to operate their websites. Other variants of ransomware are now targeting files on mobile devices,” the FTC wrote.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
This vendor-written tech primer has been edited by Network World to eliminate product promotion, but readers should note it will likely favor the submitter’s approach.
Analysts estimate that 10% to 20% of telecom charges are billed in error, and the financial impact can range from a few dollars to tens of thousands of dollars a month.
On any given monthly statement the items being over-billed run the gamut of services delivered by the provider, and can include charges for invalid circuits, billing disputes, contractual issues, fraudulent charges, set-up fees and improper rates. These charges can appear on the invoice or can be buried within the bundled services comprising monthly recurring charges. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here