IDG Contributor Network: Private jets and private clouds

What’s your reaction when you learn that a company keeps a fleet of private jets? Does it suggest that the company is generally frugal and prudent with shareholder money? Or does it raise concerns that perhaps the company is spending in ways that wouldn’t withstand closer scrutiny? Given the tremendous expenses involved, objective financial analysis usually recommends against it, instead using commercial air travel services, maybe with upgrades in certain exceptional circumstances.Similar concerns should arise when you learn that a company keeps private data centers. Objective financial analysis of owning and operating such complicated systems increasingly shows that other choices make more sense. That’s because of the growing availability of so many attractive commercial information technology services, ranging from software-as-a-service to public cloud infrastructure.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Python – Kirk Byers Course Week 2 Part 3

This post will describe the exercises and solutions for week two of Kirk Byers Python for Network Engineers.

The next excercise is to work with output from “show ip bgp”:

III. You have the following four lines from 'show ip bgp':

entry1 = "*  1.0.192.0/18   157.130.10.233        0 701 38040 9737 i"
entry2 = "*  1.1.1.0/24     157.130.10.233        0 701 1299 15169 i"
entry3 = "*  1.1.42.0/24    157.130.10.233        0 701 9505 17408 2.1465 i"
entry4 = "*  1.0.192.0/19   157.130.10.233        0 701 6762 6762 6762 6762 38040 9737 i"

Note, in each case the AS_PATH starts with '701'.

Using split() and a list slice, how could you process each of these such that--for each entry, you return an ip_prefix and the AS_PATH (the ip_prefix should be a string; the AS_PATH should be a list):

Your output should look like this:

ip_prefix             as_path                                           
1.0.192.0/18          ['701', '38040', '9737']                          
1.1.1.0/24            ['701', '1299', '15169']                          
1.1.42.0/24           ['701', '9505', '17408', '2.1465']                
1.0.192.0/19          ['701', '6762', '6762', '6762', '6762', '38040', '9737']

Ideally, your  Continue reading

Unified communications firm Fuze hires well-traveled CEO to lead it to IPO promised land

Fuze, the Cambridge, Mass., unified communications-as-a-service company that recently scored an additional $104 million in funding, has named 25-year-plus tech industry veteran Colin Doherty as its CEO.Most recently Doherty oversaw internet performance management and DNS service provider Dyn during exciting times: He joined in October, later that month the company got hit with a massive DDoS attack and then Oracle bought the vendor in November. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Large-Scale Quantum Computing Prototype on Horizon

What supercomputers will look like in the future, post-Moore’s Law, is still a bit hazy. As exascale computing comes into focus over the next several years, system vendors, universities and government agencies are all trying to get a gauge on what will come after that. Moore’s Law, which has driven the development of computing systems for more than five decades, is coming to an end as the challenge of making smaller chips loaded with more and more features is becoming increasingly difficult to do.

While the rise of accelerators, like GPUs, FPGAs and customized ASICs, silicon photonics and faster interconnects …

Large-Scale Quantum Computing Prototype on Horizon was written by Jeffrey Burt at The Next Platform.

Maryland lawmaker seeks to unveil H-1B employers

Over the years, state lawmakers and governors have tried to deter the use of foreign workers, mostly with legislation or executive orders prohibiting state work from being completed overseas. But a Maryland lawmaker has what may be a unique approach with a bill now scheduled for a what could be a contentious legislative hearing. The legislation, HB 1366, has a simple requirement that's stirring a big pot. If it becomes law, Maryland employers will have to report the number of employees they have who are working on H-1B or L-1 visas.[ Join the discussion at Computerworld's H-1B & IT Outsourcing group on Facebook. ] That's all the bill requires.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Windows Update issues may be at root of February’s patch delay

Microsoft was closed-mouthed yesterday about why it postponed the month's security updates, but a patch expert argued that it was probably due to one of more problems with the company's update service infrastructure, not a single flawed fix."Something is broken in the infrastructure, in Windows Update or the [Microsoft Update] Catalog, is my guess," said Chris Goettl, product manager at patch management vendor Ivanti, formerly Shavlik.Goettl contended that a back-end snafu was the most likely cause for the unprecedented delay, which Microsoft announced yesterday, because other potential causes made less sense.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IT leaders say it’s hard to keep the cloud safe

IT managers are finding it difficult to keep their applications and data safe in the cloud, and many are slowing cloud adoption because of it.That was one of the findings of an Intel cloud security report that surveyed 2,000 IT professionals in different countries and industries last fall.The issue isn't with the cloud itself, since trust outnumbers distrust for public clouds by more than two to one, according to Intel's survey.IT professionals told Intel that shadow IT and a shortage of cybersecurity skills are causing the most problems.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IT leaders say it’s hard to keep the cloud safe

IT managers are finding it difficult to keep their applications and data safe in the cloud, and many are slowing cloud adoption because of it.That was one of the findings of an Intel cloud security report that surveyed 2,000 IT professionals in different countries and industries last fall.The issue isn't with the cloud itself, since trust outnumbers distrust for public clouds by more than two to one, according to Intel's survey.IT professionals told Intel that shadow IT and a shortage of cybersecurity skills are causing the most problems.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Microsoft quietly prolongs life of original Windows 10

Microsoft earlier this month quietly extended the life of Windows 10's debut edition, the version launched in July 2015.Rather than end support for Windows 10 v. 1507 -- Microsoft labels the OS by year and month -- in March, as announced last year, the company will issue the version's final security updates in May, probably May 9, that month's Patch Tuesday.[ Further reading: Support family and friends with Windows 10’s new Quick Assist app ] The new date was posted as a revision to a mid-January blog post by Nathan Mercer, a senior product marketing manager for Microsoft. In the original entry, Mercer had tapped March 26 as the end of 1507 "servicing," a company synonym for updating and patching.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

The 7 security threats to technology that scare experts the most

What happens if a bad actor turns off your heat in the middle of winter, then demands $1,000 to turn it back on? Or even holds a small city’s power for ransom? Those kinds of attacks to personal, corporate, and infrastructure technology were among the top concerns for security experts from the SANS Institute, who spoke Wednesday during the RSA conference in San Francisco.+ MORE FROM RSA: Hot products at RSA 2017 +Some of these threats target consumers directly, but even the ones that target corporations could eventually “filter down” to consumers, though the effects might not be felt for some time.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

The 7 security threats to technology that scare experts the most

What happens if a bad actor turns off your heat in the middle of winter, then demands $1,000 to turn it back on? Or even holds a small city’s power for ransom? Those kinds of attacks to personal, corporate, and infrastructure technology were among the top concerns for security experts from the SANS Institute, who spoke Wednesday during the RSA conference in San Francisco.+ MORE FROM RSA: Hot products at RSA 2017 +Some of these threats target consumers directly, but even the ones that target corporations could eventually “filter down” to consumers, though the effects might not be felt for some time.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

5G progress at Ericsson could help enterprises work worldwide

The Swedish network giant Ericsson will have a lot of prospective 5G equipment to show to gearheads at Mobile World Congress later this month, but the future cloud capabilities it demonstrates may be just as important for a subscriber’s experience.In addition to fast broadband speeds, Ericsson’s technologies for next-generation networks will be able to guarantee enterprises the same type of service around the world and shift applications to the edge of a network to shrink transmission delays, the company said in an MWC preview on Wednesday.Those concepts aren’t brand new, but building the back-end infrastructure to support them – much of it defined by software – is part of the ongoing move toward true 5G deployments coming around the end of this decade.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

5G progress at Ericsson could help enterprises work worldwide

The Swedish network giant Ericsson will have a lot of prospective 5G equipment to show to gearheads at Mobile World Congress later this month, but the future cloud capabilities it demonstrates may be just as important for a subscriber’s experience.In addition to fast broadband speeds, Ericsson’s technologies for next-generation networks will be able to guarantee enterprises the same type of service around the world and shift applications to the edge of a network to shrink transmission delays, the company said in an MWC preview on Wednesday.Those concepts aren’t brand new, but building the back-end infrastructure to support them – much of it defined by software – is part of the ongoing move toward true 5G deployments coming around the end of this decade.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

The 17 most useless gadgets of all time

All too often the latest gadget is a solution looking for a problem that doesn't exist. You won't believe (we still can't believe) the piece of utter rubbish at number one in our list of the most useless gadgets of all time.We've listed the products in only a rough order (although our #1 most useless product is an absolute belter), and we've given each a uselessnes score out of 5 in which 1 could be conceivably of some use, and 5 is a chocolate tea pot. And, yes, we are more than happy to say that the Apple Watch makes the list - you are of course entitled to disagree.Most useless products of all time #17: Gear 2 Face facts, Samsung fans. Samsung has a unique way of reacting when a new product category appears (or when Apple hints that it might make a new category device). It floods the market with products of various flavours, sees what works and then concentrates only on the winners. And so it is with smartwatches.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Behold the awesome office of the future

The office of the futureImage by JAKO5D via PixabayThe workplace environment known as “the office” has gone through a good deal of change over the years. Consider the timeline of props: Typewriters. Switchboards. File cabinets. Mimeographs. Desktop computers. Fax machines. Cubicles. Exercise desks. Nap stations. The coffee maker seems to have endured. And, of course, the stapler.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Should security pros get special H-1B visa consideration?

New U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions may disagree about whether there is a shortage of skilled IT workers in America, as he has asserted at hearings over the past two years, but talk to most CISOs and they will confirm that when it comes to cybersecurity talent in particular, the skills shortage is very real.“There’s no doubt about it,” says John Masserini, CISO at equity derivatives marketMIAX Options in Princeton, N.J. “We’ve had two positions open for three months now,” a security operations center analyst and a security engineer position. The company’s location between two major metro areas – New York City and Philadelphia – makes the competition for cybersecurity talent especially tough, he says. Meanwhile, the firm’s security workload keeps growing. “I already know that by the end of this year I’m going to have a couple more openings,” he says.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

Should security pros get special H-1B visa consideration?

New U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions may disagree about whether there is a shortage of skilled IT workers in America, as he has asserted at hearings over the past two years, but talk to most CISOs and they will confirm that when it comes to cybersecurity talent in particular, the skills shortage is very real.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

7 ways MDM threatens employee privacy

Controlling BYODImage by PexelsFor years, organizations have turned to Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions with the hope of wrapping their arms around BYOD. MDM is a technology that enables organizations to control every aspect of a mobile device, from permitted apps to outbound communications. But with that complete control comes the potential for abuse.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

7 ways MDM threatens employee privacy

Controlling BYODImage by PexelsFor years, organizations have turned to Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions with the hope of wrapping their arms around BYOD. MDM is a technology that enables organizations to control every aspect of a mobile device, from permitted apps to outbound communications. But with that complete control comes the potential for abuse.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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