Transforming XML Data With Ansible

Some network devices return structured data in either text- or XML format (but cannot spell JSON). Ansible prefers getting JSON-formatted data, and has a number of filters to process text printouts… but what could you do if you want to work with XML documents within Ansible? I described a few solutions in Transforming XML Data in Ansible.

Cisco software fortifies industrial IoT security

Cisco is looking to better protect myriad edge-attached IoT devices with new security software that promises to protect industrial assets in one of the most disparate of network environments.The company rolled out what it called an overarching security architecture for Industrial IoT (IIoT) environments that includes existing products but also new software called Cisco Cyber Vision, for the automated discovery of industrial assets attached to Cisco’s extensive IIoT networking portfolio. More about edge networkingTo read this article in full, please click here

IT pros need to weigh in on that ‘sassy’ security model

Cloud services that provide both network and security intelligence are gaining popularity because they are easy to consume and they improve agility. Similarly, a model known as SD-Branch is providing network and security functionality at the WAN edge on a single platform.Both of these trends have contributed to the development by Gartner of a network architecture known as the secure-access service edge or SASE, which “converges network (for example, software-defined WAN) and network security services (such as [secure web gateways], [cloud access security brokers] and firewall as a service).” SASE (pronounced “sassy”) would primarily be delivered as a cloud-based service, Gartner says.To read this article in full, please click here

You can now have a Mac Pro in your data center

Steve Jobs rather famously said he hated the enterprise because the people who use the product have no say in its purchase. Well, Apple's current management has adopted the enterprise, ever so slowly, and is now shipping its first server in years. Sort of.Apple introduced a new version of the Mac Pro in December 2019, after a six-year gap in releases, and said it would make the computer rack-mountable for data centers. But at the time, all the attention was on the computer’s aesthetics, because it looked like a cheese grater. The other bit of focus was on the price; a fully decked Mac Pro cost an astronomical $53,799. Granted, that did include specs like 1.5TB of DRAM and 8TB of SSD storage. Those are impressive specs for a server, although the price is still a little crazy.To read this article in full, please click here

IT pros need to weigh in on that ‘sassy’ security model

Cloud services that provide both network and security intelligence are gaining popularity because they are easy to consume and they improve agility. Similarly, a model known as SD-Branch is providing network and security functionality at the WAN edge on a single platform.Both of these trends have contributed to the development by Gartner of a network architecture known as the secure-access service edge or SASE, which “converges network (for example, software-defined WAN) and network security services (such as [secure web gateways], [cloud access security brokers] and firewall as a service).” SASE (pronounced “sassy”) would primarily be delivered as a cloud-based service, Gartner says.To read this article in full, please click here

You can now have a Mac Pro in your data center

Steve Jobs rather famously said he hated the enterprise because the people who use the product have no say in its purchase. Well, Apple's current management has adopted the enterprise, ever so slowly, and is now shipping its first server in years. Sort of.Apple introduced a new version of the Mac Pro in December 2019, after a six-year gap in releases, and said it would make the computer rack-mountable for data centers. But at the time, all the attention was on the computer’s aesthetics, because it looked like a cheese grater. The other bit of focus was on the price; a fully decked Mac Pro cost an astronomical $53,799. Granted, that did include specs like 1.5TB of DRAM and 8TB of SSD storage. Those are impressive specs for a server, although the price is still a little crazy.To read this article in full, please click here

Cisco software fortifies industrial IoT security

Cisco is looking to better protect myriad edge-attached IoT devices with new security software that promises to protect industrial assets in one of the most disparate of network environments.The company rolled out what it called an overarching security architecture for Industrial IoT (IIoT) environments that includes existing products but also new software called Cisco Cyber Vision, for the automated discovery of industrial assets attached to Cisco’s extensive IIoT networking portfolio. More about edge networkingTo read this article in full, please click here

Showing memory usage in Linux by process and user

There are a lot of tools for looking at memory usage on Linux systems. Some are commonly used commands like free and ps while others are tools like top that allow you to display system performance stats in various ways. In this post, we’ll look at some commands that can be most helpful in identifying the users and processes that are using the most memory.Here are some that address memory usage by process.Using top One of the best commands for looking at memory usage is top. One extremely easy way to see what processes are using the most memory is to start top and then press shift+m to switch the order of the processes shown to rank them by the percentage of memory each is using. Once you’ve entered shift+m, your top output should reorder the task entries to look something like this:To read this article in full, please click here

Daily Roundup: Cisco Joins On-Prem Kubernetes Party

VMware Loses $237M Patent Infringement Lawsuit

Nutanix and HPE Team Up Together to Deliver Cloud Simplicity On-Premises

Cloud, Software Revenues Prop Up Juniper’s Q4 Earnings

FCC Greenlights Shared Spectrum in CBRS Band

BrandPost: 2020 Trends for the Evolving Data Center, Part 1

There’s no question that we will continue to experience massive data growth in 2020. The question for data center architects is how to manage this unprecedented influx of data and future-proof enterprise infrastructures for the next decade’s Zettabyte Age. From emerging architectures to adoption of composable disaggregated storage to greater TCO value, Western Digital executives weigh in on top data center trends for 2020 in this first of a 2-part series.To read this article in full, please click here

Huawei 5G Equipment Barred From UK Core Networks

Kernel of Truth: Season 3 Teaser

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In this episode, we tease what’s coming up for Kernel of Truth’s season 3. Be sure to subscribe to this podcast if you haven’t already so you’re notified when the first episode for season 3 is posted or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. For behind-the-scenes look of life at Cumulus Networks, follow us on Instagram too.

This Data Privacy Day It’s the Little Things That Count

Today we’re celebrating Data Privacy Day, which is all about empowering people and organizations to respect privacy, safeguard data, and enable trust.

Let’s face it, protecting your privacy can feel overwhelming. It can seem like we conduct our entire lives online and it’s hard not to notice headlines about our privacy being undermined, like law enforcement trying to gain access to encrypted data. But whether you know it or not, you’re making choices about what you share and how you share it each day. These seemingly-small actions can make a big impact.

You might already be doing some of these, but here are six actions you can take to protect your privacy:

• Use end-to-end encrypted messaging apps. Switch to using messaging apps that offer end-to-end encryption, such as WhatsApp, Signal, Threema, and Telegram. Some are better than others, so make sure to read the reviews.
• Turn on encryption on your devices or services. Some devices or services will offer encryption, but not set it as the default. Make sure to turn on encryption.
• Use strong passwords. Do not just use a default password, a simple guessable password, or a password that uses personal information, such as your pet’s name. Continue reading

BrandPost: Scaling Secure SD-WAN Across Hundreds of Branch Offices

Digital Innovation at the Branch Requires SD-WAN Most organizations with multiple locations are in the process of implementing a distributed networking strategy that ensure that all branch offices and users are able to take advantage of ongoing digital innovation efforts. For true cross-organizational collaboration, productivity enhancement, and improved user experience, every user needs access to essential business applications. To achieve this, they need highly flexible and scalable access to cloud-based applications and resources, direct access to the internet, and on-demand connections to other users and devices.That’s simply not possible with traditional hub-and-spoke branch networking models built around WAN routers and a fixed MPLS connection. Business applications, especially those that deliver rich media or enable highly flexible collaboration between users and locations – such as unified communications, Office 365, and similar tools – require massive amounts of bandwidth. And in a traditional model, all of that traffic needs to be backhauled through the core network. Multiply that by scores of remote workers located in dozens of remote offices and you can quickly overwhelm internal servers, compute resources, and even security and inspection tools.To read this article in full, please click here

Cisco helps IT and DevOps troubleshoot hybrid-cloud apps

Cisco has taken the wraps off of new tools it says will boost on-premises or cloud application performance by helping IT and devops work together to automate and more quickly resolve software problems.The new tools include a package from Cisco AppDynamics that lets customers track the key components users interact with as they use enterprise applications. Cisco paid $3.7 billion for AppDynamics three years ago for its application-performance monitoring and problem-resolution automation technology.  The idea was to develop products and applications that would give customers better end-to-end visibility of the IT infrastructure, including cloud, devices, security, network, compute and applications.To read this article in full, please click here

Cisco helps IT and DevOps troubleshoot hybrid-cloud apps

Cisco has taken the wraps off of new tools it says will boost on-premises or cloud application performance by helping IT and devops work together to automate and more quickly resolve software problems.The new tools include a package from Cisco AppDynamics that lets customers track the key components users interact with as they use enterprise applications. Cisco paid $3.7 billion for AppDynamics three years ago for its application-performance monitoring and problem-resolution automation technology.  The idea was to develop products and applications that would give customers better end-to-end visibility of the IT infrastructure, including cloud, devices, security, network, compute and applications.To read this article in full, please click here