Archive

Category Archives for "Networking"

IDG Contributor Network: Can SD-WANs meet standards requirements?

Any innovative technology faces a battle of doubt. When Amazon first rolled out AWS, few could imagine servers running in the cloud. Before Salesforce, many thought CRM to be too critical to run as SaaS. I find SD-WANs to be facing a similar battle. It’s inconceivable to many that an SD-WAN could replace MPLS. This is particularly true for security teams.At one recent client, a chemical company, the team was looking to transition from MPLS to SD-WAN. The security group, though, could not accept the fact that SD-WANs met the requirements stipulated by CFATS (Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards) guiding the chemical industry.It was a classic example of professionals getting hooked into the implementation and failing to consider alternative approaches to addressing the same need. CFATS professionals assume MPLS and firewalls to be mandated by the standard. MPLS being the de facto transport. As for firewalls, “Organizations understand and feel safe with firewalls,” says Nirvik Nandy, my partner and the president and CEO, of Red Lantern, a security and compliance consultancy.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: Can SD-WANs meet standards requirements?

Any innovative technology faces a battle of doubt. When Amazon first rolled out AWS, few could imagine servers running in the cloud. Before Salesforce, many thought CRM to be too critical to run as SaaS. I find SD-WANs to be facing a similar battle. It’s inconceivable to many that an SD-WAN could replace MPLS. This is particularly true for security teams.At one recent client, a chemical company, the team was looking to transition from MPLS to SD-WAN. The security group, though, could not accept the fact that SD-WANs met the requirements stipulated by CFATS (Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards) guiding the chemical industry.It was a classic example of professionals getting hooked into the implementation and failing to consider alternative approaches to addressing the same need. CFATS professionals assume MPLS and firewalls to be mandated by the standard. MPLS being the de facto transport. As for firewalls, “Organizations understand and feel safe with firewalls,” says Nirvik Nandy, my partner and the president and CEO, of Red Lantern, a security and compliance consultancy.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

13% off Zeiss Pre-Moistened Lens Cleaning Wipes – Deal Alert

Zeiss provides an effective way to clean and preserve valuable optics. Whether used with camera lenses, eyeglasses, sunglasses, telescopes, or spotting scopes, these non-abrasive pre-moistened wipes are safe and effective. These ammonia-free wipes are appropriate for anti-reflective coatings and may also be used to clean laptop, GPS, tablet, or cell phone screens without leaving streaks. Designed for a single use, these wipes come in individual disposable packets.  The wipes are highly rated on Amazon, where it currently averages 4.7 out of 5 stars (read reviews). Its typical list price of $29.99 has been reduced 13% to $25.99 for a pack of 400. See the discounted Lens Cleaning Wipes now on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Telecom Heroics in Somalia

Internet service in and around Mogadishu, Somalia suffered a crippling blow recently as the East African Submarine System (EASSy) cable, which provides service to the area, was cut by the anchor of a passing ship.  The government of Somalia estimated that the impact of the submarine cable cut was US$10 million per day and detained the MSC Alice, the cargo vessel that reportedly caused the damage.

The cable was repaired on 17 July. The incident is the latest in a series of recent submarine cable breaks (see Nigeria, Ecuador, Congo-Brazzaville and Vietnam) that remind us how dependent much of the world remains on a limited set of physical connections which maintain connectivity to the global Internet.

Internet in Mogadishu

 

The story of how high-speed Internet service came to Mogadishu is nothing short of remarkable.  It involved Somali telecommunications personnel staring down the threat of a local terrorist group (Al-Shabaab) in order to establish Somalia’s first submarine cable connection.  This submarine cable link would be vital if Mogadishu were to have any hope of improving its local economy and ending decades of violence and hunger.  However, in January 2014, Al-Shabaab Continue reading

Episode 8 – Wireless Misconceptions

For many the world of wireless networking is a world that is dark and full of terrors, but it doesn’t have to be that way. In this episode of Network Collective, the panel reveals many of the most common wireless networking misconceptions so you too can be a wizard in the black art of RF. I promise, no RF math was used in the filming of this episode.

—–
Outro Music:
Danger Storm Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/


Scott McDermott
Guest
Luke Jenkins
Guest
Glenn Cate
Guest
Jordan Martin
Co-Host
Eyvonne Sharp
Co-Host
Phil Gervasi
Co-Host

Outro Music:
Danger Storm Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The post Episode 8 – Wireless Misconceptions appeared first on Network Collective.

Episode 8 – Wireless Misconceptions

For many the world of wireless networking is a world that is dark and full of terrors, but it doesn’t have to be that way. In this episode of Network Collective, the panel reveals many of the most common wireless networking misconceptions so you too can be a wizard in the black art of RF. I promise, no RF math was used in the filming of this episode.

—–
Outro Music:
Danger Storm Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/


Scott McDermott
Guest
Luke Jenkins
Guest
Glenn Cate
Guest
Jordan Martin
Co-Host
Eyvonne Sharp
Co-Host
Phil Gervasi
Co-Host

Outro Music:
Danger Storm Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The post Episode 8 – Wireless Misconceptions appeared first on Network Collective.

A radical innovation that could reduce data density by 50%

The traditional approaches to data storage reduction aren’t creating the necessary density savings that will be required in the future, some scientists say. We’re creating a lot of ones and zeros these days, and we will be generating many more.To handle that, researchers say data should be completely re-written. It should use a four-symbol code, rather than classic two-symbol binary. That, coupled with chemical solutions for carrying the media, along with light, will greatly shrink data storage density, researchers say.Chemists at Case Western Reserve University say the current approach, which is to make existing storage, like drives, more compact—pushing the data closer together by reducing space, for example—isn’t the way to go.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Radical innovation could reduce data density by 50%

The traditional approaches to data storage reduction aren’t creating the necessary density savings that will be required in the future, some scientists say. We’re creating a lot of ones and zeros these days, and we will be generating many more.To handle that, researchers say data should be completely re-written. It should use a four-symbol code, rather than classic two-symbol binary. That, coupled with chemical solutions for carrying the media, along with light, will greatly shrink data storage density, researchers say.Chemists at Case Western Reserve University say the current approach, which is to make existing storage, like drives, more compact—pushing the data closer together by reducing space, for example—isn’t the way to go.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Net Neutrality Day: Cloudflare + Fight for the Future

For Net Neutrality Day on July 12, Fight for the Future (FFTF) launched a Cloudflare App installable for websites all over the world. Sites with it installed saw as many as 178 million page views prompting the users to write to their local congressional representative on the importance of Net Neutrality. All told, the FCC received over 2 million comments and Congress received millions of emails and phone calls.

Screenshot of App Page for FFTF’s Battle for the Net app Screenshot of App Page for FFTF’s Battle for the Net app. Source code for this app.

When our co-founders launched Cloudflare in 2011, it was with a firm belief that the Internet is a place where all voices should be heard. The ability for either an ISP or government to censor the Internet based on their opinions or a profit motive rather than law could pose a huge threat to free speech on the Internet.

Cloudflare is a staunch supporter of Net Neutrality and the work done by Fight for the Future, which shows how effective Internet civic campaigns can be.

To get a heads up on Fight for the Future campaigns in the future, sign up for their mailing list.

Fight for the Future

See source code for FFTF’s Battle for the Net Cloudflare Continue reading

IDG Contributor Network: Making smart cities a smarter way

Almost everywhere I travel these days I hear someone talking about making their city a "smart city." I personally put the most faith in those initiatives that have determined what they want "smart" to accomplish whether it be zero net water consumption, becoming energy neutral for the public infrastructure, reduction in commute times or improving services like refuse collection. Defining and agreeing to measurable goals is a key milestone in a city’s journey to becoming "Smart."Another key milestone is making sure that the basic connectivity infrastructure, what we usually call "the network" is up to the task.  A useful “smart city” requires that the city services be connected and automated wherever possible via a strong, resilient, secure network. And while progress has certainly been made – one only has to look at what Barcelona has achieved since the “smart city” ideal was first envisioned – it’s clear there’s still a lot of work to do to get this right the first time. There’s a sense of urgency from governments and vendors alike to get smart city solutions up and running, and in that rush those solutions are often proprietary and, with no standards in place, we risk Continue reading

IDG Contributor Network: Making smart cities a smarter way

Almost everywhere I travel these days I hear someone talking about making their city a "smart city." I personally put the most faith in those initiatives that have determined what they want "smart" to accomplish whether it be zero net water consumption, becoming energy neutral for the public infrastructure, reduction in commute times or improving services like refuse collection. Defining and agreeing to measurable goals is a key milestone in a city’s journey to becoming "Smart."Another key milestone is making sure that the basic connectivity infrastructure, what we usually call "the network" is up to the task.  A useful “smart city” requires that the city services be connected and automated wherever possible via a strong, resilient, secure network. And while progress has certainly been made – one only has to look at what Barcelona has achieved since the “smart city” ideal was first envisioned – it’s clear there’s still a lot of work to do to get this right the first time. There’s a sense of urgency from governments and vendors alike to get smart city solutions up and running, and in that rush those solutions are often proprietary and, with no standards in place, we risk Continue reading