Tips for adding IPv6 to IPv4 networks

The original title for this story was "Transitioning from IPv4 to IPv6," but when we started researching, we quickly realized that most organizations are adopting an outside-in strategy, rather than moving over from all-IPv4 to all-IPv6 deployments. This means that they're often taking steps to accommodate incoming and outgoing IPv6 traffic at the organizational boundary and translating between the two stacks, or tunneling one protocol over another, for internal access and use. The majority of internal clients and other nodes are using IPv4, with increasing use of IPv6 in dual-stack environments (environments that run IPv4 and IPv6 protocol stacks side-by-side).To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

Tips for adding IPv6 to IPv4 networks

The original title for this story was "Transitioning from IPv4 to IPv6," but when we started researching, we quickly realized that most organizations are adopting an outside-in strategy, rather than moving over from all-IPv4 to all-IPv6 deployments. This means that they're often taking steps to accommodate incoming and outgoing IPv6 traffic at the organizational boundary and translating between the two stacks, or tunneling one protocol over another, for internal access and use. The majority of internal clients and other nodes are using IPv4, with increasing use of IPv6 in dual-stack environments (environments that run IPv4 and IPv6 protocol stacks side-by-side).To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

Tips for adding IPv6 to IPv4 networks

The original title for this story was "Transitioning from IPv4 to IPv6," but when we started researching, we quickly realized that most organizations are adopting an outside-in strategy, rather than moving over from all-IPv4 to all-IPv6 deployments. This means that they're often taking steps to accommodate incoming and outgoing IPv6 traffic at the organizational boundary and translating between the two stacks, or tunneling one protocol over another, for internal access and use. The majority of internal clients and other nodes are using IPv4, with increasing use of IPv6 in dual-stack environments (environments that run IPv4 and IPv6 protocol stacks side-by-side).To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

5 active mobile threats spoofing enterprise apps

Impersonating appsEnterprise employees use mobile apps every day to get their jobs done, but when malicious actors start impersonating those apps, it spells trouble for IT departments.  David Richardson, director of product at Lookout, and his team recently researched five families of malware doing just that: spoofing real enterprise apps to lure people to download their malware. The dataset of mobile code shows that these five, active mobile malware families often impersonate enterprise apps by ripping off the legitimate app’s name and package name. These apps include Cisco’s Business Class Email app, ADP, Dropbox, FedEx Mobile, Zendesk, VMware’s Horizon Client, Blackboard’s Mobile Learn app, and others.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

5 active mobile threats spoofing enterprise apps

Impersonating appsEnterprise employees use mobile apps every day to get their jobs done, but when malicious actors start impersonating those apps, it spells trouble for IT departments.  David Richardson, director of product at Lookout, and his team recently researched five families of malware doing just that: spoofing real enterprise apps to lure people to download their malware. The dataset of mobile code shows that these five, active mobile malware families often impersonate enterprise apps by ripping off the legitimate app’s name and package name. These apps include Cisco’s Business Class Email app, ADP, Dropbox, FedEx Mobile, Zendesk, VMware’s Horizon Client, Blackboard’s Mobile Learn app, and others.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Regulators: cybersecurity poses biggest risk to global financial system

Last week, the chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission called cybersecurity the biggest risk facing the global financial industry."Cyber risks can produce far-reaching impacts," said SEC chair Mary Jo White.For example, cybercriminals recently stole $81 million from a bank in Bangladesh by using Swift, the global money transfer network.The SEC promises to step up regulation and Swift itself is expected to launch a new cyber security initiative this week that includes independent security audits of its customers. Meanwhile, top finance officials from G-7 nations met in Japan to discuss plans to improve global cybersecurity coordination.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Regulators: cybersecurity poses biggest risk to global financial system

Last week, the chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission called cybersecurity the biggest risk facing the global financial industry."Cyber risks can produce far-reaching impacts," said SEC chair Mary Jo White.For example, cybercriminals recently stole $81 million from a bank in Bangladesh by using Swift, the global money transfer network.The SEC promises to step up regulation and Swift itself is expected to launch a new cyber security initiative this week that includes independent security audits of its customers. Meanwhile, top finance officials from G-7 nations met in Japan to discuss plans to improve global cybersecurity coordination.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

New court request raises further doubts about transatlantic data transfers

Thousands of companies were turned into lawbreakers at a stroke the last time the High Court of Ireland referred a question about data protection to the Court of Justice of the European Union. And it may be about to do it again.That means yet more uncertainty for companies processing European citizens' personal information in the U.S., as they struggle to keep up with the changes in privacy regulations triggered by the CJEU's response to the Irish court's last question.Under EU law, citizens' personal information can only be exported to jurisdictions guaranteeing a similar level of privacy protection to that required by the 1995 Data Protection Directive.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: Mobile data use skyrockets

More evidence of the growing surge in wireless data reliance was released this week with CTIA’s announcement of its 2015 annual survey results.Americans used well over double (137 percent) the amount of data in 2015 than they used in 2014, the wireless industry trade body found. And 2015’s 9.6 trillion megabyte (MB) delivery was three times the throughput sent in 2013. In that year, we used only a measly 2.2 trillion MB.CTIA, formerly known as the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association, says  2015’s 9.6 trillion MB is the equivalent of streaming 59,219 videos every minute. What’s interesting is that despite that 137 percent gain in data last year, subscriber numbers rose only 6 percent over the same period. And the total number of smartphones in use, in the country, was up only about a tenth at 9 percent.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Not dead yet: 7 of the oldest federal IT systems still wheezing away

There are some seriously old IT systems at work in the federal IT arsenal and some that are 56 years old have no real retirement date.That was one observation from a report issued this week from the federal watchdogs at the Government Accountability Office.“Agencies reported using several systems that have components that are, in some cases, at least 50 years old. For example, the Department of Defense uses 8-inch floppy disks in a legacy system that coordinates the operational functions of the nation's nuclear forces. In addition, the Department of the Treasury uses assembly language code—a computer language initially used in the 1950s and typically tied to the hardware for which it was developed,” the GAO stated.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Not dead yet: 7 of the oldest federal IT systems still wheezing away

There are some seriously old IT systems at work in the federal IT arsenal and some that are 56 years old have no real retirement date.That was one observation from a report issued this week from the federal watchdogs at the Government Accountability Office.“Agencies reported using several systems that have components that are, in some cases, at least 50 years old. For example, the Department of Defense uses 8-inch floppy disks in a legacy system that coordinates the operational functions of the nation's nuclear forces. In addition, the Department of the Treasury uses assembly language code—a computer language initially used in the 1950s and typically tied to the hardware for which it was developed,” the GAO stated.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

55% off Rugged Geek Portable Power Supply and Vehicle Jump Starter – Deal Alert

Here we have a good candidate for this year's Father's Day gift, either for yourself or a dad you know. This handy gadget is a 600A portable power supply capable of charging your laptops, tablets and phones. However, this one can also boost most cars, trucks, SUVs, motorcycles and tractors as well. The Rugged Geek INTELLIBOOST is truly designed for all of the critical batteries in your life. In an emergency, just connect the included jumper cables and attach to your vehicle's dead battery. It will start gas engines up to 6.0l and diesel engines up to 3.0l. It also features 2 USB Charging ports to charge your devices, a laptop charging port with 8 included laptop tips, and a powerful LED flashlight with emergency modes. All while maintaining a footprint similar in size to most smartphones, and a weight of under 1 pound. It currently averages 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon from over 140 reviewers, many of which have posted videos of themselves successfully boosting their own vehicles including a 6.0l Cadillac (see reviews). With a regular price of $199.99, this 55% off deal puts it at just $89.99. Continue reading

Arduino targets the Internet of Things with Primo board

Arduino, the Italian company that has powered the "maker" movement with a series of small computing boards that can be programmed and configured for different tasks, is introducing a board targeted at the so-called Internet of Things.IoT encompasses the world of Internet-connected machinery and gadgets, many of which include sensors that remotely and autonomously send data.The Primo features WiFi, Bluetooth low energy, NFC (near-field communications), and infrared built into the board. Previously, users had to connect add-on boards to get wireless networking.The company first showed the board at the weekend's Maker Faire Bay Area. Increased interest among hobbyists in building gadgets and gizmos that could automatically communicate via the Internet led to its development, Arduino CEO Federico Musto said.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Securing the Cloud With SDN

An in depth analysis of the implications of increased threats for network virtualization, cloud & security.

Afraid of floods and hackers? Put your data in space.

Satellite-based data centers with room for petabytes of data may start orbiting Earth as early as 2019. But when it comes to keeping secrets safe from the long arm of the law, the black void may not be far enough.Cloud Constellation, a startup in Los Angeles, is looking upward to give companies and governments direct access to their data from anywhere in the world. Its data centers on satellites would let users bypass the Internet and the thousands of miles of fiber their bits now have to traverse in order to circle the globe. And instead of just transporting data, the company’s satellites would store it, too.The pitch goes like this: Data centers and cables on Earth are susceptible to hacking and to national regulations covering things like government access to information. They can also slow data down as it goes through switches and from one carrier to another, and all those carriers need to get paid.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Afraid of floods and hackers? Put your data in space.

Satellite-based data centers with room for petabytes of data may start orbiting Earth as early as 2019. But when it comes to keeping secrets safe from the long arm of the law, the black void may not be far enough.Cloud Constellation, a startup in Los Angeles, is looking upward to give companies and governments direct access to their data from anywhere in the world. Its data centers on satellites would let users bypass the Internet and the thousands of miles of fiber their bits now have to traverse in order to circle the globe. And instead of just transporting data, the company’s satellites would store it, too.The pitch goes like this: Data centers and cables on Earth are susceptible to hacking and to national regulations covering things like government access to information. They can also slow data down as it goes through switches and from one carrier to another, and all those carriers need to get paid.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: 3 reasons to be a 20-something mainframer

We all know the stereotype of a mainframe programmer or admin: gray hair, graduated from college in 1965, drives a Chrysler—and is about to retire, leaving a massive hole that his employer will find difficult to fill because no one under 60 knows how to use a mainframe.Now, let’s look at another stereotype: the millennial programmer. He/she is a few years out of college, with a degree in computer science, green or blue hair, and enough student debt to sink a yacht. The usual next step is to move to San Francisco, pay $2,200 a month to live under a staircase like Harry Potter and dream of joining a company that has a one-in-a-million chance of becoming the next Google.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: 3 reasons to be a 20-something mainframer

We all know the stereotype of a mainframe programmer or admin: gray hair, graduated from college in 1965, drives a Chrysler—and is about to retire, leaving a massive hole that his employer will find difficult to fill because no one under 60 knows how to use a mainframe.Now, let’s look at another stereotype: the millennial programmer. He/she is a few years out of college, with a degree in computer science, green or blue hair, and enough student debt to sink a yacht. The usual next step is to move to San Francisco, pay $2,200 a month to live under a staircase like Harry Potter and dream of joining a company that has a one-in-a-million chance of becoming the next Google.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

What is a Failure Domain?

“No, I wouldn’t do that, it will make the failure domain too large…”
“We need to divide this failure domain up…”

Okay, great—we all know we need to use failure domains, because without them our networks will be unstable, too complex, and all that stuff, right? But what, precisely, is a failure domain? It seems to have something to do with aggregation, because just about every network design book in the world says things like, “aggregating routes breaks up failure domains.” It also seems to have something to do with flooding domains in link state protocols, because we’re often informed that you need to put in flooding domain boundaries to break up large failure domains. Maybe these two things contain a clue: what is common between flooding domain boundaries and aggregating reachability information?

Hiding information.

But how does hiding information create failure domain boundaries?

If Router B is aggregating 2001:db8:0:1::/64 and 2001:db8:0:2::/64 to 2001:db8::/61, then changes in the more specific routes will be hidden from Router A. This hiding of information means a failure of one of these two more specific routes does not cause Router A to recalculate what it knows about reachability in the network. Hence a Continue reading

Salesforce brings cross-channel service a step closer with new ‘Snap-ins’

You can't always bring customers to your best customer-service tools, but now you can bring those tools to them thanks to a new addition announced Wednesday for Salesforce's Service Cloud.Dubbed Service Cloud Lightning Snap-ins, the new offering allows organizations of any size to take key support features from Salesforce's Service Cloud and "drop" them into their websites or mobile apps. Case-management and live-chat capabilities can now be added to mobile and Web apps, for example, and a tap-to-call feature is available for Android and iOS.A new module enabling two-way video chat, meanwhile, allows customers and agents to see each other. A customer could also use a smartphone's front-facing camera to show the agent the problem at hand.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here