The Revenge of the Ancillaries

Have you ever tried to make water flow in a specific direction? Maybe you have some particularly muddy spot in your yard, so you dig a small ditch and think, “the water will now flow from here to there, and the muddy spot won’t be so muddy the next time it rains.” Then it rains, and the water goes a completely different direction, or overflows the little channel you’ve dug, making things worse. The most effective way to channel water, of course, is to put it in pipes—but this doesn’t always seem to work, either.

The next time you think about shadow IT in your organization, think of these pipes, and how the entire system of IT must look to a user in your organization. For instance, I have had corporate laptops where you must enter two or three passwords to boot the laptop, provided by departments that require you to use your corporate laptop for everything, and with security rules forbidding the use of any personal software on the corporate laptop. I have even had company issued laptops on which you could not modify the position of icons on the desktop, change the menu items in any piece Continue reading

AWS, Oracle, and the Pentagon Continue Fight Over JEDI Cloud Contract

Two main issues remain: Dissatisfaction by vendors with the technical approach being taken by the Defense Department, and if Pentagon personnel moves represent a conflict of interest.

5G SA Core, Handset Deployments to be Delayed, Dell’Oro Says

The one-year delay is because initial 5G network launches are using the non-standalone architecture that relies on already deployed 4G LTE evolved packet core technology.

Build security into your IoT plan or risk attack

The Internet of Things (IoT) is no longer some futuristic thing that’s years off from being something IT leaders need to be concerned with. The IoT era has arrived. In fact, Gartner forecasts there will be 20.4 billion connected devices globally by 2020.An alternative proof point is the fact that when I talk with people about their company's IoT plans, they don’t look at me like a deer in headlights as they did a few years ago. In fact, often the term “IoT” doesn’t even come up. Businesses are connecting more “things” to create new processes, improve efficiency, or improve customer service.As they do, though, new security challenges arise. One of which is there's no “easy button.” IT professionals can’t just deploy some kind of black box and have everything be protected. Securing the IoT is a multi-faceted problem with many factors to consider, and it must be built into any IoT plan.To read this article in full, please click here

Build security into your IoT plan or risk attack

The Internet of Things (IoT) is no longer some futuristic thing that’s years off from being something IT leaders need to be concerned with. The IoT era has arrived. In fact, Gartner forecasts there will be 20.4 billion connected devices globally by 2020.An alternative proof point is the fact that when I talk with people about their company's IoT plans, they don’t look at me like a deer in headlights as they did a few years ago. In fact, often the term “IoT” doesn’t even come up. Businesses are connecting more “things” to create new processes, improve efficiency, or improve customer service.As they do, though, new security challenges arise. One of which is there's no “easy button.” IT professionals can’t just deploy some kind of black box and have everything be protected. Securing the IoT is a multi-faceted problem with many factors to consider, and it must be built into any IoT plan.To read this article in full, please click here

Build security into your IoT plan or risk attack

The Internet of Things (IoT) is no longer some futuristic thing that’s years off from being something IT leaders need to be concerned with. The IoT era has arrived. In fact, Gartner forecasts there will be 20.4 billion connected devices globally by 2020.An alternative proof point is the fact that when I talk with people about their company's IoT plans, they don’t look at me like a deer in headlights as they did a few years ago. In fact, often the term “IoT” doesn’t even come up. Businesses are connecting more “things” to create new processes, improve efficiency, or improve customer service.As they do, though, new security challenges arise. One of which is there's no “easy button.” IT professionals can’t just deploy some kind of black box and have everything be protected. Securing the IoT is a multi-faceted problem with many factors to consider, and it must be built into any IoT plan.To read this article in full, please click here

Build security into your IoT plan or risk attack

The Internet of Things (IoT) is no longer some futuristic thing that’s years off from being something IT leaders need to be concerned with. The IoT era has arrived. In fact, Gartner forecasts there will be 20.4 billion connected devices globally by 2020.An alternative proof point is the fact that when I talk with people about their company's IoT plans, they don’t look at me like a deer in headlights as they did a few years ago. In fact, often the term “IoT” doesn’t even come up. Businesses are connecting more “things” to create new processes, improve efficiency, or improve customer service.As they do, though, new security challenges arise. One of which is there's no “easy button.” IT professionals can’t just deploy some kind of black box and have everything be protected. Securing the IoT is a multi-faceted problem with many factors to consider, and it must be built into any IoT plan.To read this article in full, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: The cloud-based provider: Not your grandfather’s MNS

Today, the wide area network (WAN) is a vital enterprise resource. Its uptime, often targeting availability of 99.999%, is essential to maintain the productivity of employees and partners and also for maintaining the business’s competitive edge.Historically, enterprises had two options for WAN management models — do it yourself (DIY) and a managed network service (MNS). Under the DIY model, the IT networking and security teams build the WAN by integrating multiple components including MPLS service providers, internet service providers (ISPs), edge routers, WAN optimizers and firewalls.The components are responsible for keeping that infrastructure current and optimized. They configure and adjust the network for changes, troubleshoot outages and ensure that the network is secure. Since this is not a trivial task, therefore many organizations have switched to an MNS. The enterprises outsource the buildout, configuration and on-going management often to a regional telco.To read this article in full, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: The cloud-based provider: Not your grandfather’s MNS

Today, the wide area network (WAN) is a vital enterprise resource. Its uptime, often targeting availability of 99.999%, is essential to maintain the productivity of employees and partners and also for maintaining the business’s competitive edge.Historically, enterprises had two options for WAN management models — do it yourself (DIY) and a managed network service (MNS). Under the DIY model, the IT networking and security teams build the WAN by integrating multiple components including MPLS service providers, internet service providers (ISPs), edge routers, WAN optimizers and firewalls.The components are responsible for keeping that infrastructure current and optimized. They configure and adjust the network for changes, troubleshoot outages and ensure that the network is secure. Since this is not a trivial task, therefore many organizations have switched to an MNS. The enterprises outsource the buildout, configuration and on-going management often to a regional telco.To read this article in full, please click here

The IoT brings targeted advertising into retail stores

The Internet of Things (IoT) is everywhere these days, from smart houses to smart cities to industrial applications. And now it’s coming to the coolers in a drugstore near you.Walgreens is testing innovative, IoT-powered "smart coolers" that combine cameras, facial recognition software, and display screens in the cooler doors to serve targeted ads depending on what it can tell about shoppers rooting around for cold drinks and frozen treats.[ Read more about IoT: Download a PDF bundle of five essential articles about IoT in the enterprise ] Bringing the online ad experience in store According to the Wall Street Journal, the system attempts to recreate the online advertising experience in brick and mortar stores, using facial recognition software to determine the age of the shopper and what products they’ve already selected — as well as environmental factors — to determine what ads to show. Supplied by Chicago-based Cooler Screens, the technology is designed to transform “retail cooler surfaces into IoT-enabled screens and [create] the largest retail point-of-sale merchandising platform in the world.”To read this article in full, please click here

Germany Could Have Four 5G Players Following Auction

1&1 Drillisch confirms its intention to take part in Germany’s upcoming 5G spectrum auction in March.

Tech Bytes: Packet Visibility In Public Clouds With Nubeva Prisms (Sponsored)

Today's Tech Bytes, sponsored by Nubeva, dives into Nubeva Prisms, a public cloud packet broker that acquires, processes, and distributes packets for cloud or on-premises packet analysis tools.

The post Tech Bytes: Packet Visibility In Public Clouds With Nubeva Prisms (Sponsored) appeared first on Packet Pushers.

5 Reasons to Attend DockerCon SF 2019

If you can only attend one conference this year – make it matter. DockerCon is the one-stop event for practitioners, contributors, maintainers, developers, and the container ecosystem to learn, network and innovate. And this year, we will continue to bring you all the things you love about DockerCon like Docker Pals, the Hallway Track and roundtables, and the sessions and content you wanted more of – including open source, transformational, and practical how-to talks. Take advantage of our lowest ticket price when you register by January 31, 2019. No codes required.

<Register Now>

And in case you are still not convinced, here are a few more reasons you shouldn’t miss this year’s DockerCon

1. Belong. The Docker Community is one of a kind and the best way to feel a part of it is at DockerCon. Take advantage the Docker Pals Program, Hallway Track, roundables and social events to meet new people and make lasting connections.

2.  Think big. Docker containers and our container platform are being used everywhere for everything – from sending rockets to space to literally saving the earth from asteroids to keeping e-commerce running smoothly for black friday shoppers. Come to DockerCon and Continue reading

Network Break 219: Beware DNS Tampering; Arrcus Tackles 400G Switches

Today's Network Break examines a US Homeland Security advisory on DNS tampering, covers 400G switching news from Arrcus and Huawei, analyzes financial results from Intel and F5, and more. Plus stay tuned for a sponsored Tech Bytes conversation with Nubeva about its cloud packet broker.

The post Network Break 219: Beware DNS Tampering; Arrcus Tackles 400G Switches appeared first on Packet Pushers.

Strong Opinions, Loosely Held

I do receive feedback that I express strong opinions. Some people even make that sound like a negative thing. In my networking career, my core value proposition was to develop a strong opinion to suggest, explain and justify spending millions of company dollars. 

The post Strong Opinions, Loosely Held appeared first on EtherealMind.

The Week in Internet News: Placing Money on AI

AI manages your money: Artificial Intelligence may eventually replace your financial advisor, Forbes suggests. AI can already spot financial trends really fast, but it may eventually compete with the personal touch of a human advisor, the story says. “Because artificial intelligence learns so much faster than humans, it is simply a matter of time before artificial intelligence can read human nuances and have an emotional intelligence quotient that exceeds those of most humans. When that happens, in the next few years, financial advisers will have a hard time competing based on personal relationships.”

Banning news: Russia has moved to ban what the government defines as fake news, joining several other countries headed in the same direction, the Boston Globe reports. A second law bans the publication of information showing disrespect to government bodies and officials. The fake news law allows fines of up to US$15,000.

Less fake, more news: Despite headlines about the spread of fake news during the 2016 U.S. elections, a majority of U.S. residents didn’t see fake news on social media, two recent studies suggest. On Twitter, fake news appeared on the feeds of just 1.1 percent of users, according to one study detailed in Continue reading

Another Year of SIP Trunk Provider Problems

Is jumping ahead to Wi-Fi 6 the right move?

In five years, all you’re going to find is Wi-Fi 6, or what most wireless experts are still calling 802.11ax. But five years is a long time. If you’re considering an early move toward the most cutting-edge Wi-Fi technology on the market, there are some hurdles that you’ll have to overcome.To read this article in full, please click here(Insider Story)

Last Week on ipSpace.net (2019W4)

The crazy pace of webinar sessions continued last week. Howard Marks continued his deep dive into Hyper-Converged Infrastructure, this time focusing on go-to-market strategies, failure resiliency with replicas and local RAID, and the eternal debate (if you happen to be working for a certain $vendor) whether it’s better to run your HCI code in a VM and not in hypervisor kernel like your competitor does. He concluded with the description of what major players (VMware VSAN, Nutanix and HPE Simplivity) do.

On Thursday I started my Ansible 2.7 Updates saga, describing how network_cli plugin works, how they implemented generic CLI modules, how to use SSH keys or usernames and passwords for authentication (and how to make them secure), and how to execute commands on network devices (including an introduction into the gory details of parsing text outputs, JSON or XML).

The last thing I managed to cover was the cli_command module and how you can use it to execute any command on a network device… and then I ran out of time. We’ll continue with sample playbooks and network device configurations on February 12^th.

You can get access to both webinars with Standard ipSpace.net subscription.

The case for network-accelerated query processing

The case for network-accelerated query processing Lerner et al., CIDR’19

Datastores continue to advance on a number of fronts. Some of those that come to mind are adapting to faster networks (e.g. ‘FARM: Fast Remote Memory’) and persistent memory (see e.g. ‘Let’s talk about storage and recovery methods for non-volatile memory database systems’), deeply integrating approximate query processing (e.g. ‘ApproxHadoop: Bringing approximations to MapReduce frameworks’ and ‘BlinkDB’), embedding machine learning in the core of the system (e.g. ‘SageDB’), and offloading processing into the network (e.g KV-Direct) — one particular example of exploiting hardware accelerators. Today’s paper gives us an exciting look at the untapped potential for network-accelerated query processing. We’re going to need all that data structure synthesis and cost-model based exploration coupled with self-learning to unlock the potential that arises from all of these advances in tandem!

NetAccel uses programmable network devices to offload some query patterns for MPP databases into the switch.

Thus, for the first time, moving data through networking equipment can contributed to query execution. Our preliminary results show that we can improve response times on even the best Continue reading