Technology Short Take 104

Welcome to Technology Short Take 104! For many of my readers, VMworld 2018 in Las Vegas was “front and center” for them since the last Tech Short Take. Since I wasn’t attending the conference, I won’t try to aggregate information from the event; instead, I’ll focus on including some nuggets you may have missed amidst all the noise.

Networking

Servers/Hardware

  • Greg Schulz discusses new Power9-based systems announced by IBM; see his post. Normally I wouldn’t be too interested in non-x86 stuff, as it seems like x86 is ascendant. However, given the rise of all the various speculative execution attacks, and given the recent interest in ARM platforms (can’t recall if they are affected by the speculative execution attacks), is a revival of non-x86 platforms in the works?

Security

Nothing this time around, but I’ll stay alert for items to include next time!

Cloud Computing/Cloud Management

IDG Contributor Network: Visibility is key for devops and the hybrid cloud

Cloud has undoubtedly become a key component of successful business in recent years, especially when you consider the race to digitally transform. Across the globe, companies are moving their applications and services to the cloud and are consequently reaping the benefits of lower capex and opex as a result.However, with this process, cloud migration is only a beginning for any organization’s digital transformation (DX) journey. If harnessed correctly, cloud is a pillar of innovation for DX, and can be a driving force for new business models and use cases that – even a few years ago – weren’t possible. No one knows this better than devops teams; these teams hold the line when it comes to continuous delivery and deployment, and it therefore stands to reason that devops play a crucial role in the digital transformation journey. In practice however, the decision makers in charge of cloud strategies are rarely those in the bowels of the ship.To read this article in full, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: Visibility is key for devops and the hybrid cloud

Cloud has undoubtedly become a key component of successful business in recent years, especially when you consider the race to digitally transform. Across the globe, companies are moving their applications and services to the cloud and are consequently reaping the benefits of lower capex and opex as a result.However, with this process, cloud migration is only a beginning for any organization’s digital transformation (DX) journey. If harnessed correctly, cloud is a pillar of innovation for DX, and can be a driving force for new business models and use cases that – even a few years ago – weren’t possible. No one knows this better than devops teams; these teams hold the line when it comes to continuous delivery and deployment, and it therefore stands to reason that devops play a crucial role in the digital transformation journey. In practice however, the decision makers in charge of cloud strategies are rarely those in the bowels of the ship.To read this article in full, please click here

Worth Reading: IPv6 Renumbering == Pain in the …

Johannes Weber was forced to stress-test the IPv6 networks are easy to renumber nonsense and documented his test results – a must-read for everyone deploying IPv6.

He found out that renumbering IPv6 in his lab required almost four times as many changes as renumbering (outside) IPv4 in the same lab.

My cynical take on that experience: “Now that you’ve documented everything that needs to be changed, make sure it’s automated the next time ;)”

Unveiling and quantifying Facebook exploitation of sensitive personal data for advertising purposes

Unveiling and quantifying Facebook exploitation of sensitive personal data for advertising purposes Cabañas et al., USENIX Security 2018

Earlier this week we saw how the determined can still bypass most browser and tracker-blocking extension protections to track users around the web. Today’s paper is a great example of why you should care about that. Cabañas et al. examine the extent to which the profile Facebook builds on its users includes sensitive personal data made available to advertisers for targeting. The work was done just prior to the GPDR coming into force, which makes for very interesting timing from a legal perspective. The headline result is that it looks like Facebook is holding sensitive data on about 40% of the EU population, and that this data can be used by third-parties to target individuals in sensitive demographics and even identify them at a cost of as little as €0.015 per user.

What kinds of sensitive data are we talking about?

The GDPR definition of sensitive personal data is “data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership, and the processing of genetic data, biometric data for the purpose of uniquely identifying Continue reading

Kernel of Truth: Optical networking

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Click here for our previous episode.

Let’s talk about lasers! In this episode of Kernel of Truth, I asked Product Manager Brian O’Sullivan (who you’ll remember from our episode about automation) and Principal Engineer Scott Emery to join me in the recording booth and chat about optical networking. We’ll get into topics like forward error correction, the divide between data center networking engineers and optical networking engineers, Voyager and Pink Floyd. Who knew that progressive rock had anything to do with optical networking?? (It doesn’t, really, but we somehow worked it in.)

So tune in and learn why an open packet optical platform is so innovative for optical networking and telco! And make sure to subscribe to the Kernel of Truth podcast so you stay up to date on the open networking revolution — get with the future of networking so you’re not just “Another Brick in the Wall!”

Tweet any questions, feedback or topics you want us to discuss at @cumulusnetworks and use the hashtag #KernelOfTruth — let us know if you like what you’re hearing!

Guest bios

Brian O’Sullivan: Brian Continue reading

BrandPost: Ethernet Adventures: Making Progress with an Old Friend – Good ol’ Ethernet

In the second post of this 3-part series we unravel one hero’s journey on the road to streamlined enterprise networking operations. Ciena’s Chris Sweetapple follows Our Hero’s adventures as he realizes the opportunities of high-bandwidth business Ethernet.In episode 1 our hero, stuck in a tangle of outdated networking equipment, services and complexity, realizes that with business Ethernet as his WAN technology of choice, he can complement the existing network set-up and connect his branch offices, while handling massive volumes of traffic concurrently using high speed (up to 100G) high-performance Ethernet connectivity.To read this article in full, please click here

Hardware life cycle approaches to save money, ensure network reliability

High-quality, reliable network hardware and data center cabling are requirements for a high-performing technology infrastructure and for a successful IT team that helps drive more business. It’s the life cycle for your network.However, in these days of shrinking budgets and rising demands, CIOs, IT professionals, and buyers are being pressured to do more while reducing costs. How can this be done?Having the right approach when it comes to network hardware and data center cabling is a powerful way to enable your IT organization to do a lot more while optimizing your budget. [ Read also: How to plan a software-defined data-center network ] The IT value within the life cycle There are many nuances to a hardware investment that some organizations don’t take into account. The opportunity to reduce capital expenditure (CAPEX) spends exists, but it requires incorporating pre-owned hardware into the equation.To read this article in full, please click here

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