Featured White Paper: How to Create a Policy-Driven, High-Performance Edge with KulCloud’s PRISM
A new white paper from KulCloud introduces a powerful new software approach to abstract legacy IP routing and forwarding using OpenFlow.
Featured SDN Use Case Solution: Application Optimization for Cloud Enterprise Networks
In this edition of featured SDN use cases, Brocade shares how to optimize cloud applications on the enterprise network using Brocade offerings.
PlexxiPulse—Have you heard of Bimodal IT?
The networking space is buzzing about “Bimodal IT.” Simply defined, Bimodal IT is the segmentation of application deployments into cloud (public and/or private). Ben Kepes of Forbes included the concept in a recent deep dive on enterprise IT in the cloud. The network underpinning bimodal initiatives is critical and as Kepes pointed out in his article, tough to achieve if operating a legacy network. Our own Director of Solutions Marketing, Bob Noel, agrees with Kepes and highlights the importance of scalable and agile networks in response to the piece: “Those left to run (Bimodal deployments) on the legacy infrastructure is a fantastic idea that unfortunately has an Achilles heel inhibiting success for the approach…Until there is a fundamental shift in networking, companies will struggle to support Bimodal IT.” What are your thoughts on bimodal IT? Do you agree with Kepes and Bob?
Below please find a few of our top picks for our favorite news articles of the week. Enjoy!
BetaBoston: New Hampshire tries to reclaim tech vibe
By Staff Writer
MANCHESTER, N.H. — In one corner, a guy was hunched over his laptop, working on a pitch for a smartphone app that would allow golfers to Continue reading
Software-Defined Networking will be a critical enabler of the Internet of Things
This vendor-written tech primer has been edited by Network World to eliminate product promotion, but readers should note it will likely favor the submitter’s approach.
Organizations are excited about the business value of the data that will be generated by the Internet of Things (IoT). But there’s less discussion about how to manage the devices that will make up the network, secure the data they generate and analyze it quickly enough to deliver the insights businesses need.
Software defined networking (SDN) can help meet these needs. By virtualizing network components and services, they can rapidly and automatically reconfigure network devices, reroute traffic and apply authentication and access rules. All this can help speed and secure data delivery, and improve network management, for even the most remote devices.
To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
72% of Networking Performance Statistics Are Misleading
Like my tongue-in-cheek title, performance statistics are often misleading or, at best, meaningless without context. As a savvy consumer of any networking product, you should look at performance statistics as little more than a rough indicator of how a { box | software package | interface } performed under a specific test circumstance. Hint: the tests are usually rigged.Preparing for your Windows Server upgrade
This vendor-written tech primer has been edited by Network World to eliminate product promotion, but readers should note it will likely favor the submitter’s approach.
f you’ve been clinging to Windows Server 2003 trying to ignore the fact that Microsoft will officially end support July 14, 2015, you’re playing with fire. One the updates stop, you’ll be exposed to troubling security and compliance risks. Take note that in 2013 alone, 37 updates were issued by Microsoft for Windows Server 2003/R2.
Yet upgrading servers is a resource challenge as well as a mindset issue. The top barrier for migration, according to a survey, is the belief that existing systems are working just fine, and many users worry about software incompatibility.
To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
IF { you like this blog } THEN { donate to my annual charitable campaign }
I am raising money for the Mt. Washington Observatory (MWO), a non-profit organization engaged in weather research in New Hampshire. I am joining the 15th annual Seek The Peak fundraiser for the MWO. The idea is simple: hike to the summit, with pledgers backing the adventure. If you've gotten value from the Packet Pushers podcast or this blog, I'd appreciate it if you'd donate to my Seek the Peak campaign. For the first three networking vendors that donate $1,000 or more, I'll have my picture taken at the Mt. Washington summit sign with your wearable and thank you in a blog post here.Breach detection: Five fatal flaws and how to avoid them
IT Security today is not about defending a (non-existent) perimeter, but about protecting the organization’s attack surface, which has changed dramatically due to the cloud, mobility, BYOD, and other advances in corporate computing that have caused fundamental shifts in network architecture and operations.
Practically speaking, it means you need to monitor what is occurring inside the firewall just as much (if not more) than what is outside trying to make its way in. Think of it as a post breach mindset based on a “1,000 points of light” model as opposed to a “moat and castle” model of defense.
In theory its evolutionary, but given the accelerated pace in which security organizations have matured, it is not necessarily an easy transition to make. Not only has the threat landscape changed, but there has been constant flux in the leadership, skills, tools and budget required.
To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Symantec Does Security Orchestration for NSX, With CIO ‘Pushing’ for ACI
The future of security lies in orchestration, Symantec believes
Cisco Live the final countdown, Last minute tips!
With Cisco Live 2015 literally right around the corner, now is the perfect time to grab a few last minute items! Portable chargers – The days a long, much longer than you expect and let’s face it smartphone batteries don’t last as long as we would like. While there are charging stations at CLUS it’s […]
AnsibleFest Presentations
First, we'd like to thank EVERYONE who attended, was a sponsor, or just followed along online via the AnsibleFest hashtag. While we will have a more in-depth recap, which will include video, we wanted to make sure the speaker's slides were easily available to everyone.
From Ansible:
Bill Nottingham - Ansible Tower 2.2
James Cammarata - Ansible V2 and beyond
Brian Coca - Ansible Tips & Tricks
Alan Norton - Betterment - Cyansible
Walter Bentley - Rackspace - Operating Your Openstack Cloud Using Ansible
Irakli Nadareishvili - API Academy- Building a Docker-ized Microservice In Node, Using Ansible
Worth Reading 06:04
It’s been a bit of a crazy week — out to SFO, where I saw a lot of old friends, for NANOG. I picked up the top shirt on my pile this morning, and discovered it’s an old NANOG shirt, SFO in 2004 (!). The good news is the NANOG folks get their videos on line really fast — and all of them are worth watching. The channel is here, but I’d like to especially point out the talks on active monitoring, QUIC, and OpenConnect. Yes, my presentation is there, too.
One point to remember is that as the “network guy,” you stand between people and their funny cat videos. While people get mad about plumbing, they seem to get irate about their network access — because it’s all virtual it all seems so easy, I guess. It doesn’t help that the modern face of IT tends to be large companies that have a virtual monopoly and totally horrible customer service. But whatever the reason, it means you have to be extra careful not to step on people’s toes when you’re doing network engineering — the perception doesn’t have to be reality to impact your life.
Notes from NANOG 64
Some notes from NANOG 64, held in San Francisco in early June.Video: Scale-Out NAT
Network Address Translation (NAT) is one of those stateful services that’s almost impossible to scale out, because you have to distribute the state of the service (NAT mappings) across all potential ingress and egress points.
Midokura implemented distributed stateful services architecture in their Midonet product, but faced severe scalability challenges, which they claim to have solved with more intelligent state distribution.
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