As part of the trend toward more automation and intelligence in enterprise networks, artificial intelligence and machine learning are increasingly in-demand because the ability to programmatically identify problems with the network and provide instant diagnosis of complex problems is a powerful one.Applying AI and ML to network management can enable the consolidation of input from multiple management platforms for central analysis. Rather than IT staff manually combing through reports from diverse devices and applications, machine learning can make quick, automated diagnoses of problems.To read this article in full, please click here
Verizon’s recent announcements of new partnership deals with Microsoft and with Nokia are designed to create a unified platform for businesses to use as they build their own edge deployments, according to experts.Those deals will see Verizon offer Azure integration natively on its 5G Edge networking platform, as well as partnering for private 5G delivery with Nokia, with the latter agreement focusing on areas where Verizon does not already have a public networking presence, like Europe and Asia-Pacific. The company already has partnerships in place with AWS and IBM, among other major edge technology players.To read this article in full, please click here
Gartner is taking a swing at predicting future trends in IT, flagging neuromorphic computing and DNA storage technologies, and an expanded responsibility for CIOs to deliver digital-business outcomes.Future technologies are resetting everything as current technologies are being stressed to their limits, and conventional computing is hitting a wall, Daryl Plummer, distinguished research vice president and Gartner fellow told the virtual audience at the firm’s IT Symposium/Xpo Americas.The industry is on a roller-coaster ride that will lead the "reset of everything," Plummer said. The future technologies Gartner forecasts will impact the industry the most have three key common threads: they promote greater innovation and efficiency in the enterprise; they are more effective than the technologies that they are replacing; and they have a transformational impact on society, Plummer said.To read this article in full, please click here
COVID-19 has turned the world inside out, and the impact on infrastructure and operations teams is significant.That's the conclusion of Gartner research vice president Jeffrey Hewitt, who detailed the core infrastructure trends that IT executives can expect to see in the next 12-18 months. Hewitt shared the research at Gartner's IT Symposium/Xpo 2020 Americas event, which is being held virtually this week. (Related story: Gartner's top 9 strategic technology trends for 2021)"The situations created by COVID-19 have had a significant impact on the world," Hewitt said. "This impact is having an influence on almost all of the trends that infrastructure and operations leaders will be facing going forward."To read this article in full, please click here
All of the major IT hardware suppliers to one degree or other have adopted a consumption model, which is a fancy word for leasing. Rather than the outright purchase of hardware, customers lease it, usage is monitored, and the customer pays a monthly use fee.Now Dell Technologies has announced it is expanding its as-a-service capabilities with Project APEX, to simplify how customers and partners access Dell technology on-demand.APEX will cover an array of Dell products —storage, servers, networking, hyperconverged infrastructure, PCs, and broader solutions. Project APEX will unify the company’s as-a-service and cloud strategies, technology offerings, and go-to-market efforts previously sold under the On Demand monicker.To read this article in full, please click here
One of the best-known clothing retailers in the world has embraced edge computing technology and realized significant operational advantages as a consequence, one of its senior technical staff said in a presentation at the recent Edge Computing World conference.The Gap operates more than 2,500 stores in North America and handles about $10 billion in transactions per year. The company has switched from traditional point-of-sale technology to a system based almost entirely on Apple’s iOS products, as iPads replace cash registers and scanner guns across sales floors.To read this article in full, please click here
Worldwide IT spending is forecast to reach $3.8 trillion in 2021, an increase of 4% from 2020, according to research firm Gartner, but still shy of pre-pandemic levels. IT spending in 2020 is expected to total $3.6 trillion, down 5.4% from 2019.Certain industries facing prolonged lockdowns due to COVID-19, such as entertainment and air transport, have cut IT spending by more than 30% in 2020, according to Gartner, which delivered the current outlook for the global IT market at its virtual IT Symposium/Xpo 2020 Americas.
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When you want a process to continue running even after you log off a Linux system, you have a couple options.One of them is to use the disown command. It tells your shell to refrain from sending a HUP (hangup) signal to the process when you log off. So, the process continues running. This can be very handy whenever you start a process and then, for some reason, you can’t stay logged in and wait until it finishes.[Get regularly scheduled insights by signing up for Network World newsletters.]
The disown command is a shell built-in. This means that you don’t have to install it to use it, but it also means that it won’t be available if you use a shell that doesn’t support it. For those of us using bash and related shells (zsh, ksh etc.), disown should be available and you can verify this with a command like this that lists shell built-ins and then looks for "disown":To read this article in full, please click here
Cisco has launched a family of core and branch routers that take aim at refining secure, cloud resource access distributed at the edge.Cisco Catalyst 8000 edge router family 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 and feature support for advanced routing, SD-WAN, security and secure-access service edge (SASE)--depending on customer requirements.To read this article in full, please click here
Working from home is becoming more of a permanent option with each passing day, but working from home means your network is provided not by your corporate enterprise but by carriers such as Verizon, AT&T, and Comcast.Masergy this week introduced its SD-WAN Work From Anywhere portfolio that brings the benefits of SD-WAN networking to home and mobile users. The portfolio includes a home SD-WAN solution and a SASE-based mobile solution.The new offerings extend Masergy’s Managed SD-WAN Secure solutions to the remote workforce, supporting their network connections with built-in security, dual-link redundancy, load balancing, and dynamic traffic-steering capabilities.To read this article in full, please click here
Deploying password-quality checking on your Debian-based Linux servers can help ensure that your users assign reasonably secure passwords to their accounts, but the settings themselves can be a bit misleading.For example, setting a minimum password length of 12 characters does not necessarily mean that all your users' passwords will actually have 12 or more characters.Let's stroll down Complexity Boulevard and see how the settings work and examine some that are worth considering.[Get regularly scheduled insights by signing up for Network World newsletters.]
The files that contain the settings we're going to look at will be:To read this article in full, please click here
Companies need to focus on architecting resilience and accept that disruptive change is the norm, says research firm Gartner, which unveiled its annual look at the top strategic technology trends that organizations need to prepare for in the coming year.Gartner unveiled this year's list at its flagship IT Symposium/Xpo Americas conference, which is being held virtually this year.
READ MORE: VMware highlights security in COVID-era networking | Essential edge-computing use cases | How AI can boost data-center availability, efficiencyTo read this article in full, please click here
A well-crafted resume will attract recruiters, HR pros and hiring managers, but getting it just right is a daunting task. To jump start the process, Insider Pro has assembled this collection of real resumes revamped by professional resume writers. (Watch this space for new templates.)
Databases, also referred to as structured data, are an essential part of any data center. While databases do not typically hold a high percentage of the terabytes housed in a given data center, they do hold a high percentage of mission-critical data. Understanding their unique structure and operation is key to backing them up.Structured data cannot be backed up like unstructured data due to three very big challenges. First, databases are typically stored in datafiles that are constantly changing as long as something is making updates to the database. This means you cannot just back them up like any other file.To read this article in full, please click here
The Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) model is a conceptual framework that describes networking or telecommunications systems as seven layers, each with its own function.The layers help network pros visualize what is going on within their networks and can help network managers narrow down problems (is it a physical issue or something with the application?), as well as computer programmers (when developing an application, which other layers does it need to work with?). Tech vendors selling new products will often refer to the OSI model to help customers understand which layer their products work with or whether it works “across the stack”. [ Related: What is IPv6, and why aren’t we there yet? ]
The 7 layers of the OSI model
The layers are: Layer 1—Physical; Layer 2—Data Link; Layer 3—Network; Layer 4—Transport; Layer 5—Session; Layer 6—Presentation; Layer 7—Application.To read this article in full, please click here
Who would have imagined that there’s a Linux tool available for downloading YouTube videos? Well, there is and it works for Linux as well as for other operating systems. So, if you need to watch some of the available videos even when your internet connection is flaky or you need to be offline for a while, this tool can be especially handy.The tool for downloading videos is called youtube-dl. (The “dl” portion undoubtedly means “download”.) It’s very easy to use and drops webm or mp4 files onto your system. Both formats provide compressed, high-quality video files that you can watch whenever you like.To read this article in full, please click here
AMD had a busy week last week. It introduced the third generation of its Zen microarchitecture, which has been propelling the company’s comeback since 2017, and is the subject of reports it is looking to buy field-programmagle gate array (FPGA) maker Xilinx.Five years ago, AMD was a non-entity in the CPU market and only kept afloat by its GPU business. Intel had written the company off and considered Qualcomm its biggest competitor. Then the company came out with Zen, a whole new design. “We started with Zen from scratch, starting from a clean sheet of paper,” said CEO Lisa Su in a video announcement.The result is a nice comeback for a company that had been written off five years ago. It has 5.8% of the server market share as of Q2, 19.2% of desktop and 19.9% of mobile, according to Mercury Research, which specializes in semiconductor market share. The server share may seem low, but two years ago it was at zero and server turnover is slower than desktop.To read this article in full, please click here
IT purchasing teams have a dismal track record, in part because they face a number of roadblocks. Undue influence of a few team members who only check in occasionally. Failure to include a diversity of stakeholders. Paying too much attention to what vendors say about their own products. Not giving security its due.
Tech Spotlight: IT Leadership
IT leadership lessons from CIO 100 Award winners (CIO)
How to sustain IT workplace culture — without the workplace (Computerworld)
The CISO’s newest responsibility: Building trust (CSO)
How to mandate agility in software development, operations, and data science (InfoWorld)
Tech spotlight: IT leadership lessons from the front lines in challenging times [PDF]
So what can IT pros do to improve things and ensure successful purchases when they're members of buying teams? Plenty, according to Gartner.To read this article in full, please click here
The internet of things, already booming, can expect a big boost from 5G cellular technology as it becomes more available and as commercial services catch up with enhanced standards that are already in the pipeline
5G resources
What is 5G? Fast wireless technology for enterprises and phones
How 5G frequency affects range and speed
Private 5G can solve some problems that Wi-Fi can’t
Private 5G keeps Whirlpool driverless vehicles rolling
5G can make for cost-effective private backhaul
CBRS can bring private 5G to enterprises
“Because of the increased spectrum that is available to 5G, it increases the overall bandwidth and allows massive amount of IoT devices to connect,” says Michelle Engarto, vice president wireless solutions and product line management at Corning, which, among other things, makes distributed antenna systems for in-building cellular products.To read this article in full, please click here