How to build an SMB network in 9 easy steps

Small businesses typically lack full-time IT staff. Taking a self-proclaimed techie who serves another role in the business and assigning that person to provide network and tech support can be a great idea. I call these people the business’s resident tech, someone who can help with first-level support. An outside IT service provider can be called in to help when more complex support is required. Here are nine key steps in building a successful small business network.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

Software-Defined IXP with Laurent Vanbever on Software Gone Wild

A while ago I started discussing the intricate technical details of fibbing (an ingenious way of implementing traffic engineering with traditional OSPF) with Laurent Vanbever and other members of his group, and we decided to record a podcast on this topic.

Things never go as planned in a live chat, and we finished talking about another one of his projects – software defined Internet exchange point (SDX), the topic of Episode 41 of Software Gone Wild.

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Software defined WAN (SD-WAN) is really about Intelligence ..

Lets admit that most of us in the networking domain know as much about SD-WAN as an average 6th grader on fluid mechanics — which is to say pretty much nothing. We take it as something much grander and exotic than what it really is and are obviously surrounded by friends and well-wishers who wink conspiratorially that they “know it all” and consider themselves on an intellectual high ground to educate us on matters of this rich and riveting biological social interaction. Like most others in that tender and impressionable age, i did get swayed by what i heard and its only later that i was able to sort things out in my head, till it all became somewhat clear.

The proverbial clock’s wound backwards and i experience that feeling of deja-vu each time i read an article on SD-WAN that either extols its virtues or vilifies it as something that has always existed and is being speciously served on a platter dressed up as something that it is not. And like the big boys then, there are men who-know-it-all, who have already written SD-WAN off as something that has always existed and really presents nothing new here. Clearly, i disagree with that view.

I Continue reading

Software defined WAN (SD-WAN) is really about Intelligence ..

Lets admit that most of us in the networking domain know as much about SD-WAN as an average 6th grader on sex — which is to say pretty much nothing. We take it as something much grander and exotic than what it really is and are obviously surrounded by friends and well-wishers who wink conspiratorially that they “know it all” and consider themselves on an intellectual high ground to educate us on matters of this rich and riveting biological social interaction. Like most others in that tender and impressionable age, i did get swayed by what i heard and its only later that i was able to sort things out in my head, till it all became somewhat clear — surely i am nowhere close to Mr. Hefner who has, and am willing to wager large amounts here, gamed it entirely and has acquired a skill that only a few of us get blessed with.

The proverbial clock’s wound backwards and i experience that feeling of deja-vu each time i read an article on SD-WAN that either extols its virtues or vilifies it as something that has always existed and is being speciously served on a platter dressed up as something that it is not.

I presume, perhaps a trifle rashly, that you are already Continue reading

Beginning of the end for the Peeple app?

Rage on, Internet, and the Peeple app may die before it can even be launched.The Washington Post reported: When the app does launch, probably in late November, you will be able to assign reviews and one- to five-star ratings to everyone you know: your exes, your co-workers, the old guy who lives next door. You can't opt out — once someone puts your name in the Peeple system, it's there unless you violate the site's terms of service. And you can't delete bad or biased reviews — that would defeat the whole purpose.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Beginning of the end for Peeple app?

Rage on, Internet, and the Peeple app may die before it can even be launched.The Washington Post reported: When the app does launch, probably in late November, you will be able to assign reviews and one- to five-star ratings to everyone you know: your exes, your co-workers, the old guy who lives next door. You can’t opt out — once someone puts your name in the Peeple system, it’s there unless you violate the site’s terms of service. And you can’t delete bad or biased reviews — that would defeat the whole purpose.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Back to Basics: How to Rack a Switch

This article is the first in a new mini-series where I will be doing semi-deep dives on some of the simpler, but often overlooked, aspects of network and datacenter engineering. Approx Reading Time: 3-4 Minutes It is quite commonplace these days to see equipment mounted incorrectly in a rack. Even though we are not mechanical […]

The post Back to Basics: How to Rack a Switch appeared first on Packet Pushers.

Scottrade had no idea about data breach until the feds showed up

When an organization gets hacked, ideally they'll realize it promptly and warn their users right away. Take crowdfunding site Patreon, which was hacked on Monday and has already informed the world about the problem. Scottrade, an investment brokerage company, is different, and not in a good way.The company announced Friday that it suffered a security breach over a period of several months from late 2013 to early 2014, affecting approximately 4.6 million customers. But in a statement, Scottrade said it had no idea that the breach had occurred until law enforcement officials told them about it.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

PlexxiPulse—VMUG Reflections

We like to attend conferences and events to stay current on trends, learn new things, make connections and to hear what’s happening in our industry. We were at the VMUG conference in Chicago last month and had some great conversations with networking and storage decision-makers and administrators. Our own director of product marketing, Bob Noel, was at the show and was impressed by the emphasis on the hyperconvergence and discussion around how the network needs to deliver agility that can keep pace with storage and compute. Bob wrote a blog post on his time at the event—take a look here. We’ll be at the Boston VMUG event on December 8, 2015. We hope to see you there.

Below please find a few of our top picks for our favorite news articles of the week. Enjoy!

FierceEnterpriseCommunications: SDN promises operational ease, cost reduction
By Chris Talbot
If recent vendor claims are to be believed, software-defined networking is starting to take off in a big way in the enterprise. There are still years ahead of tweaking and improving those deployments, as well as security concerns to overcome. The reason is clear: SDN promises several benefits over the old way of designing networks. Continue reading

IDG Contributor Network: How keystroking style could replace passwords for authentication

The username and password mix that we've been using for authentication is on its way out, some people think.As we all know, problems include outright theft, the loss of password, phishing, and bots.Alternatives that have proven a bit more successful have included adding an extra element of authentication — such as an object that has to be in the possession of the user. A bank card at an ATM is an example of this. That's called two-factor authentication.But a new biometric typing keystroke algorithm that knows how you type could be a better authentication method, some scientists say.Biometrics Biometrics promise the most security, experts say. A fingerprint, or a voice print, is unique — it's theoretically inseparable, unlike the easily copied magnetic card.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Your Docker Agenda for October

Wow, Docker Global Hack Day #3 was a huge success! Over 2,000 community members attended the over 50 local editions organized by Docker meetup groups. Many thanks to all of the amazing people who made these events possible and our awesome Docker community who … Continued

Sprint layoffs likely as part of cost-reduction plan

Sprint will likely cut its 31,000-person workforce as part of up to $2.5 billion in cost reductions in the next six months, a company spokesman said Friday."It's likely some jobs will be impacted by this [cost-cutting] process, but it's premature to talk about details," said Sprint spokesman David Tovar in a telephone interview on Friday.In addition to 31,000 workers, the company also employs about 30,000 contractor employees, he said. Sprint, with 57.7 million customers, fell to the nation's fourth largest wireless carrier in August, behind T-Mobile.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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