BrandPost: Preparing Today’s Network for Tomorrow’s Storage

Most organizations are managing record amounts of data while trying to satisfy the need to access it on-demand through various analytic and operational systems. To meet these expectations in near-real time, they don't just need the best data storage technologies on the market today—they also must anticipate what will be available 18 to 24 months from now so they don’t limit their future success.Traditionally, the storage network hasn’t been the limiting factor in application performance. But the advent of solid-state flash-based storage has changed that. Once considered insufficient for mission-critical environments, flash is now aggressively being deployed for all application types in data centers around the globe. It has not only shown itself to be reliable, it has proven to be an essential technology in handling rapidly increasing data growth.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: Nimble Storage delivers upon a practical hybrid cloud use case

Back in the history of the cloud (say, eight years ago), there were copious debates around the topic of cloudbursting. Cloudbursting, for those unaware of the term, describes an approach toward hybrid infrastructure whereby a workload could run on-premises for standard load periods and then, when spikes in traffic occurred, would magically "burst" into the cloud for extra capacity.While many appreciated the idea of cloudbursting from a conceptual viewpoint, others doubted its practicality.But despite cloudbursting not really coming to pass, the idea of hybrid infrastructure, whereby organizations have workloads across many setups (from on-premises to the public cloud and on to multiple private clouds), has become very much a reality. One of the reasons for this is for risk reduction -- the thinking goes that by using a variety of different service providers, critical issues with one provider are, in theory, less likely to have a negative impact on the organization.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Microsoft’s anti-malware program still isn’t very good

In spite of a recent effort to improve the performance and detection rates in Windows Defender, Microsoft's anti-malware tool is still not very good at its job. According to the latest tests, it's downright lousy. The latest round of tests performed by German institute AV-TEST, one of the most respected and regarded malware testing shops, show that Microsoft Security Essentials and Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool fared the poorest in removing an existing infection. AV-TEST conducted a lengthy, comprehensive test over a 12-month period to determine the best malware removal solutions for Windows 10. This involved 897 individual evaluations for each product, evaluating eight security suites. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Microsoft’s anti-malware program still isn’t very good

In spite of a recent effort to improve the performance and detection rates in Windows Defender, Microsoft's anti-malware tool is still not very good at its job. According to the latest tests, it's downright lousy. The latest round of tests performed by German institute AV-TEST, one of the most respected and regarded malware testing shops, show that Microsoft Security Essentials and Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool fared the poorest in removing an existing infection. AV-TEST conducted a lengthy, comprehensive test over a 12-month period to determine the best malware removal solutions for Windows 10. This involved 897 individual evaluations for each product, evaluating eight security suites. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Verizon and Cisco team to bring 5G network pilot program to the masses

The 5G hype from the World Mobile Congress started early as Verizon said it would roll out pilot 5G network services on the back of Cisco communications gear.Verizon said its 5G pilot will be one of the world’s largest and will feature “several hundred cell sites that cover several thousand customer locations.”+More on Network World: Cisco execs foretell key 2017 enterprise networking trends+Verizon said it will begin offering 5G to pilot customers during the first half of 2017 in the following metropolitan areas: Ann Arbor, Atlanta, Bernardsville (NJ), Brockton (MA), Dallas, Denver, Houston, Miami, Sacramento, Seattle and Washington, D.C. This is another important step in commercializing gigabit broadband service to homes and offices via a wireless 5G connection. Ericsson, Intel, LG, Nokia, Qualcomm and Samsung are also part of the Verizon pilot.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: 5G reality check: Where is 3GPP on standardization?

If your travel plans over the next week or so include Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, then one thing I am sure you will know is that 5G will be a hot topic. The 5G requirements are now well-aired and the triumvirate of use cases (enhanced mobile broadband (emBB), ultra-low latency reliable communications (URLLC) and massive machine type communications (mMTC) are commonly understood.+ Also on Network World: 4 things we expect from Mobile World Congress 2017 + But as we prepare, let’s take a breath and ask one simple question, where are we right now in terms of standardization for 5G?To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: 5G reality check: Where is 3GPP on standardization?

If your travel plans over the next week or so include Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, then one thing I am sure you will know is that 5G will be a hot topic. The 5G requirements are now well-aired and the triumvirate of use cases (enhanced mobile broadband (emBB), ultra-low latency reliable communications (URLLC) and massive machine type communications (mMTC) are commonly understood.+ Also on Network World: 4 things we expect from Mobile World Congress 2017 + But as we prepare, let’s take a breath and ask one simple question, where are we right now in terms of standardization for 5G?To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

NTT DoCoMo demos VR control of robots over 5G

While next-generation 5G cellular will bring faster downloads for consumers, the new networking technology is poised to bring big benefits to business users enabling new uses for cellular networks.At this week's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Japan's NTT DoCoMo is demonstrating one such use: remote control of robots via a wireless virtual reality system.In one corner of the company's booth was a simulated factory floor with three robots. The area was surrounded by four depth-sensing 3D cameras that together provide enough video for an immersive, all-around virtual reality image.That 3D video, totaling roughly 700Mbps of data, was sent across a 5G radio link to a receiver where it was processed and fed to a VR headset. The radio link was running across a few meters on the crowded expo floor but it was hitting a top speed of around 15Gbps -- that's many times faster than is possible with the fastest of today's 4G networks.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

NTT DoCoMo demos VR control of robots over 5G

While next-generation 5G cellular will bring faster downloads for consumers, the new networking technology is poised to bring big benefits to business users enabling new uses for cellular networks.At this week's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Japan's NTT DoCoMo is demonstrating one such use: remote control of robots via a wireless virtual reality system.In one corner of the company's booth was a simulated factory floor with three robots. The area was surrounded by four depth-sensing 3D cameras that together provide enough video for an immersive, all-around virtual reality image.That 3D video, totaling roughly 700Mbps of data, was sent across a 5G radio link to a receiver where it was processed and fed to a VR headset. The radio link was running across a few meters on the crowded expo floor but it was hitting a top speed of around 15Gbps -- that's many times faster than is possible with the fastest of today's 4G networks.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

NTT DoCoMo demos VR control of robots over 5G

While next-generation 5G cellular will bring faster downloads for consumers, the new networking technology is poised to bring big benefits to business users enabling new users for cellular networks.

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Sony’s Xperia XZ Premium has a 4K HDR screen, super slow-mo

Sony's Xperia XZ Premium shines, quite literally. The first thing you notice about the new phone is the mirror-finish that surrounds the device giving it a sparkly appearance that seems destined to require lots of polishing. But the innovation in the phone is found below the surface. Its primary features are both firsts on a smartphone: a 4K HDR display and super slow-motion video. The 4K screen is 5.5-inches across, which means it's small enough that the 4K resolution shouldn't make too much of a difference. On a large screen like a television, the extra resolution is immediately noticeable but on a small screen it's much more difficult for the human eye to discern the extra resolution.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Leaf-and-Spine Fabrics versus Fabric Extenders

One of my readers wondered what the difference between fabric extenders and leaf-and-spine fabrics is:

We are building a new data center for DR and we management is wanting me to put in recommendations to either stick with our current Cisco 7k to 2k ToR FEX solution, or prepare for what seems to be the future of DC in that spine leaf architecture.

Let’s start with “what is leaf-and-spine architecture?”

If you’re at Mobile World Congress, Internet security is your business

IDG Contributor Network: Infrared lasers must replace data center wiring, say engineers

Eliminating a “tangled Christmas tree lights” wiring scenario in data centers is imperative and can be achieved with infrared, reckons an academic network engineering team.Infrared lasers should be installed on the top of data center racks and be used to transmit information. It would be far superior and cheaper than fiber optic, and it would be better than attempted, but lacking, radio signaling.Radio doesn’t work, says Mohsen Kavehrad, the W. L. Weiss Chair Professor of Electrical Engineering at Penn State and one of the developers, in an article on the school’s website.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: Infrared lasers must replace data center wiring, say engineers

Eliminating a “tangled Christmas tree lights” wiring scenario in data centers is imperative and can be achieved with infrared, reckons an academic network engineering team.Infrared lasers should be installed on the top of data center racks and be used to transmit information. It would be far superior and cheaper than fiber optic, and it would be better than attempted, but lacking, radio signaling.Radio doesn’t work, says Mohsen Kavehrad, the W. L. Weiss Chair Professor of Electrical Engineering at Penn State and one of the developers, in an article on the school’s website.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

REVIEW: Deep dive into Windows Server 2016

Windows Server 2016 was officially released in September, but we waited until all of the bits were at production level before taking a deep dive into Microsoft’s flagship server operating system.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

New products of the week 2.27.17

New products of the weekImage by Transition NetworksOur roundup of intriguing new products. Read how to submit an entry to Network World's products of the week slideshow.ONLYOFFICE app for ownCloudImage by ascensioTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

New products of the week 2.27.17

New products of the weekImage by Transition NetworksOur roundup of intriguing new products. Read how to submit an entry to Network World's products of the week slideshow.ONLYOFFICE app for ownCloudImage by ascensioTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Big 3 endpoint vendors battle glitzy startups at RSAC

SAN FRANCISCO -- The sprawling show floor at this year’s RSA Conference featured hundreds of shiny, new companies, from Acalvio to ZingBox. It seemed like every vendor in the hall managed to incorporate into its marketing pitches at least one of the 2017 hot buzzwords – Advanced Threat Protection, machine learning, AI, threat intelligence, IoT. But three of the original anti-virus vendors – Symantec, McAfee and Trend Micro – were out in full force at the show as well, scoffing at the unproven point products of the startups and touting their own reorganizations, renewed focus and broad product portfolios. According to Gartner, the Big 3 lead the way in endpoint security market share, with Symantec, at $3.6 billion in annual revenue, out front, McAfee second, followed by Trend Micro.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)