Evaluate

Evaluate

Weigh the pros and cons of technologies, products and projects you are considering.

• Network programming languages Frenetic and Pyretic simplify OpenFlow

  OpenFlow can simplify networks, yet the protocol itself is complex. Network programming languages Frenetic and Pyretic streamline OpenFlow SDN. Continue Reading

• Wireless security options don't have to break the bank

  Security expert Michele Chubirka shares low-cost and free options available to help your company guard its wireless LANs against threats. Continue Reading

• How many devices can one 802.11n standard access point control?

  Expert Mike Jude reveals the technical and theoretical limitations of 802.11n access points as more enterprises upgrade to the new standard. Continue Reading

• Rob Cannistra talks OpenFlow development on the Floodlight controller

  Marist's Robert Cannistra talks SDN research and current OpenFlow development for the OpenDaylight Floodlight controller. Continue Reading

• Nexus 9000 vs. Nexus 7000: What's in your future?

  Cisco's new SDN master plan revolves around new hardware -- the Nexus 9000. Are your old Nexus switches obsolete? Continue Reading

• Your next job may be 'network programmer': What you'll need to know

  SDN brings flexibility to networking, but this will require engineers to gain new skills in order to fill the emerging role of network programmer.Continue Reading

• Competitors on Cisco SDN strategy: Is hardware really the answer?

  Cisco competitors blasted the new Cisco SDN strategy, saying it uses inflexible hardware for software-driven networks and bypasses SDN standards.Continue Reading

• User-, app-centric security key in enterprise security architecture

  Today's enterprise security architecture must become contextually aware in order to support the growth of mobile devices and cloud-based applications.Continue Reading

• Can multiple SSID Wi-Fi configurations contribute to performance woes?

  Multiple SSID network configurations can be trimmed down with dynamic policy controllers in order to boost wireless LAN performance.Continue Reading

• Bare-metal networking: Facebook shares progress of Open Compute switch

  Facebook revealed that Open Compute will likely accept contributions from Broadcom, Intel, Mellanox and Cumulus into its bare-metal switch project.Continue Reading

• As encryption standards tighten, Array retools ADC, eyes SaaS clients

  Array Networks revamps mid-level ADC as it targets Software as a Service providers for its 2,048-bit SSL-compatible appliances.Continue Reading

• Juniper Contrail's open source SDN will change the enterprise network

  Glen Kemp discusses Juniper's open source SDN controller and the impact the OpenContrail project and NFV may have on enterprise customers.Continue Reading

• Mulling enterprise SDN deployment? Not so fast

  Although SDN offers some compelling advantages, enterprises would be ill-advised to deploy the technology until it gets more mature and standardized.Continue Reading

• Cumulus Networks update: Broadcom Trident II-based bare-metal switches

  Cumulus Networks released version 2.0 of its Linux-based network OS for bare-metal switches based on Broadcom Trident II chips.Continue Reading

• Getting cloud capacity planning right in the face of oncoming growth

  Cloud capacity planning requires accurate knowledge of a cloud provider's existing infrastructure, future plans and the growth plans of its customers.Continue Reading

• NetSocket targets the branch router with network virtualization

  NetSocket has pivoted its end-to-end network virtualization product toward replacing the branch router with software.Continue Reading

• Aruba introduces reliable cloud-based network, Wi-Fi management tools

  Aruba introduces reliable cloud-based network options to the enterprise with embedded control in APs and cloud-based Wi-Fi management.Continue Reading

• SDN buyer's guide: Book chapter on what to look for in a solution

  Rajesh Kumar outlines SDN basics in his new book and includes an SDN buyer's guide with key SDN components to look for in an SDN solution.Continue Reading

• Application visibility and control tools emerge for the wireless world

  A new generation of application visibility and control (AVC) tools allows network managers to peer into applications across their WLAN infrastructures and optimize how that traffic is delivered. These new AVC tools will help network managers deliver...Continue Reading

• Bucking SDN controller interoperability will stifle innovation

  There's been lots of work on SDN southbound apps, but vendors are ignoring SDN controller interoperability and threatening progress as a result.Continue Reading

• Overcoming network functions virtualization implementation challenges

  Carriers need network functions virtualization implementation prespecification, so they'll look to TM Forum and cloud management models for help.Continue Reading

• Brocade's new Vyatta virtual router is 10x faster

  Brocade's Vyatta 5600 virtual router is 10 times faster, setting the stage for telco deployments, NFV and high-performance overlays.Continue Reading

• WAN vendor Ipanema Technologies sets cloud app performance platform

  Ipanema Technologies introduces a cloud application management platform that ensures application performance through multiple networks.Continue Reading

• Where SDN and DPI technology meet: Centralized control and automation

  When SDN and DPI technology meet, network engineers can apply monitoring and management policy to the whole network instead of individual components.Continue Reading

• Upgrading the network? Don't forget the network security tools

  Network security tools -- like firewalls-- must be upgraded when moving to a high-speed enterprise network in order to prevent bottlenecks.Continue Reading

• IETF SDN: I2RS uses traditional routing protocols in software networks

  The IETF SDN strategy relies on centralized management and distributed decision making with traditional network protocols -- departing from OpenFlow.Continue Reading

• Unified network management tools: Key features, vendor approaches

  Unified network management platform buyers should look for key product features and be aware of three different vendor approaches to the market.Continue Reading

• When network monitoring tools improve business intelligence

  As network architectures become more complex, users need network monitoring tools that provide performance data and business intelligence.Continue Reading

• The new virtualization engineer: Breaking down siloes in your skills

  As siloes break down in the IT organization, there is demand for a new job role—the virtualization engineer, who manages across converged resources.Continue Reading

• WLAN design tools prepare enterprises for optimal Wi-Fi experiences

  WLAN design tools and site surveys are prerequisites for an optimal wireless experience; Xirrus announces its cloud-based Wi-Fi design application.Continue Reading

• Virtual overlay networks: Tunneling protocols enable multi-tenancy

  Virtual overlay networks use tunneling protocols to extend isolated network segments between servers for multi-tenant data center networks.Continue Reading

• IT service-level agreements and SDN: Assuring virtualization performance

  With SDN with network virtualization, service providers can improve server virtualization performance and offer improved service-level agreements.Continue Reading

• SDN education: Universities tackle SDN course content

  Universities would like to create SDN education programs, but SDN courses are difficult to plan since the technology is rapidly evolving.Continue Reading

• IPv6 cost considerations

  Before you make the switch to the new Internet Protcol, it's important to understand these IPv6 cost considerations.Continue Reading

• SDN security strategies for network attack prevention

  With a deeper level of visibility and granular control, SDN security strategies can better prevent a wide range of network attacks.Continue Reading

• Traffic analytics in the new IT landscape: NetFlow vs. sFlow

  Traffic monitoring and analytics are imperative today for network hardware. But Is NetFlow or sFlow better for you?Continue Reading

• Understanding the relationship between SDN and NFV

  SDN and NFV are not part and parcel to each other, but when the two sets of technology meet they advance each other's capabilities.Continue Reading

• In mobile networks, SDN and NFV mean service orchestration

  In mobile networks today, it can take months to deploy infrastructure and services, but SDN and NFV allow for orchestration and dynamic provisioning.Continue Reading

• Ten essential network virtualization definitions

  SDN has sparked discussion about what network virtualization truly is. Here are 10 key network virtualization definitions that explain the basics.Continue Reading

• SDN and wireless LAN meet for unified network management, at last

  If SDN and wireless LANs both run on a controller-centric architecture, why not combine the two for unified wired and wireless network management?Continue Reading

• How network functions virtualization will revolutionize architecture

  Using NFV, engineers can virtualize devices and services in large networks to make their architectures cost efficient and flexible.Continue Reading

• The changing role of the network admin, as told by networking vendors

  Networking vendors at Interop 2013 discuss the changing role of the network administrator.Continue Reading

• Assuaging concerns about public cloud services

  In this helpful guide, cloud networking expert Amy Larsen DeCarlo delves into some of the most common concerns about public cloud services and the best ways to address them.Continue Reading

• Parsing through the software-defined storage hype

  Software-defined storage can be many technologies, but most aim for decoupled software, automated provisioning and non-proprietary systems.Continue Reading

• How to make Network as a Service a real option

  Networking as a Service may be the future of networking, but virtual network overlay and device-based NaaS has challenges to solve first.Continue Reading

• The role for XMPP as a southbound SDN protocol

  How can XMPP be used in hybrid software-defined networking as an alternative or complement to OpenFlow?Continue Reading

• Border Gateway Protocol as a hybrid SDN protocol

  Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), a well-known core Internet protocol, is being adapted for use as a hybrid SDN protocol.Continue Reading

• OpenFlow configuration protocols: Understanding OF-Config and OVSDB

  OpenFlow directs network packet flows, but OpenFlow configuration protocols, OF-Config and OVSDB, form relationships between controllers and switches.Continue Reading

• Network security assessment: Test firewalls, IDS in multiple ways

  Network administrators need to test internal systems such as firewalls and IPS/IDS devices to ensure their networks are safe.Continue Reading

• Network security assessment: 10 tools you can't live without

  The top 10 tools to protect your network against security breaches.Continue Reading

• How data center network fabric and SDN intersect

  SDN and data center network fabrics both enable converged networking and the ability to manage many switches as one. Where do the two intersect?Continue Reading

• Five ways applications benefit from enterprise WAN optimization

  These are five ways enterprise WAN optimization technology helps overcome productivity and application issues organizations face in today's workforce.Continue Reading

• Application performance monitoring tools: Three vendor strategies

  Application performance monitoring tools match user transaction time to network flow information to identify problems. But APM tools differ widely.Continue Reading

• Campus core switch comparison: How Cisco, HP, Juniper differentiate their switches

  How do three top campus core Ethernet switch vendors Cisco, HP and Juniper differentiate their offerings?Continue Reading

• Network Innovation Award: Palo Alto Networks next-generation firewalls

  Palo Alto has won the SearchNetworking Network Innovation Award for next-generation firewalls that work throughout campus and data center networks.Continue Reading

• software-defined networking monitoring application (SDN monitoring application)

  An SDN monitoring application is a software program that oversees the traffic in a software-defined network (SDN) as a component of network management.Continue Reading

• Centralized vs. decentralized SDN architecture: Which works for you?

  Two SDN architecture models -- centralized and decentralized -- have much in common, but key differences center on the use of the OpenFlow protocol.Continue Reading

• SDN application (software-defined networking application)

  An SDN application is a software program designed to perform a task in a software-defined networking (SDN) environment. SDN applications can replace and expand upon functions that are implemented through firmware in hardware devices in a ...Continue Reading

• Network functions virtualization primer: Software devices take over

  With network functions virtualization (NFV), engineers replace network devices with software on basic servers for flexibility and cost reduction.Continue Reading

• Myth vs. reality: Some clarity about overlay networks

  As new overlay networks gain momentum, some experts try to clear up several misconceptions about their performance and operational complexity.Continue Reading

• Software defined networking security enables granular policy control

  Software defined networking introduces network programmability and granular traffic management, which could contribute to enhanced SDN security.Continue Reading

• application-defined networking

  Application-defined networking (ADN) is a networking scenario in which applications have the ability to adapt network environments to meet their needs, rather than having resources allocated by the network.Continue Reading

• application-aware networking (app-ware networking)

  Application-aware networking is the capacity of an intelligent network to maintain current information about applications that connect to it and, as a result, optimize their functioning as well as that of other applications or systems that they ...Continue Reading

• Implementing Cisco ASA tools for effective network traffic monitoring

  This chapter on controlling network access explains how to implement Cisco ASA tools to ensure effective network traffic monitoring.Continue Reading

• Evaluating business and technology needs for a robust enterprise WLAN

  It is crucial to assess business and technology issues driving the need for a robust and capable enterprise WLAN to support a new mobile workforce.Continue Reading

• Evaluating wireless LAN requirements: What to consider before buying

  When considering a WLAN solution for your enterprise, you'll have to start by assessing the wireless LAN requirements necessary.Continue Reading

• Ten questions to ask WLAN vendors when evaluating WLAN solutions

  Once IT professionals have developed a mobility plan, it is crucial to address particular questions with WLAN vendors when assessing WLAN solutions.Continue Reading

• RFP process steps for selecting network carriers and equipment vendors

  These RFP process steps detail everything organizations need to include in a request for proposal to new network carriers and equipment vendors.Continue Reading

• Hardware vendors hatch software-defined-networking plans of their own

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• Networking vendor layoffs: Cisco and Juniper slash staff

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• A primer on northbound APIs: Their role in a software-defined network

  This primer explores the concept of SDN northbound APIs, their key benefits, who's using them and why.Continue Reading

• Top 5 skills SDN vendors will be looking for

  One of SDN's pioneers, Nick McKeown, offers his advice about the top skills for a job in software-defined networking.Continue Reading

• Software-defined networking washing is the new cloud washing

  Marketing pros sell every new technology as if it's software-defined networking. But this 'SDN washing' masks true innovation and insults our intelligence.Continue Reading

• Software-defined networking applications move beyond the data center

  Software-defined networking is often considered a data center technology, but new SDN applications will improve performance in the LAN and WAN as well.Continue Reading

• Floodlight primer: An OpenFlow controller

  In software-defined networks, engineers use Floodlight controllers to manage physical and virtual devices -- and each traffic flow running between them.Continue Reading

• Pros and cons of mobile optimization and cloud optimization

  IT research analyst John Burke discusses the pros and cons of mobile optimization clients and cloud optimization services.Continue Reading

• Tools to improve wireless video performance

  Seeking to improve wireless video delivery? The answer could be in proprietary network enhancements and WLAN performance measurement tools.Continue Reading

• Cloud monitoring tools: Troubleshooting with Wireshark in the cloud

  As traditional network monitoring tools slowly evolve into cloud monitoring tools, Wireshark moves gingerly into network troubleshooting in the cloud.Continue Reading

• Calculating mobile application bandwidth requirements

  Learn how to calculate the bandwidth of your mobile applications to determine your cost of wide area network operations.Continue Reading

• VPN UTM vendor comparison: Evaluating secure remote access features

  View this VPN UTM vendor comparison and understand how to manage your virtual private network infrastructure as part of a unified threat management solution.Continue Reading

• Deep packet inspection vendors: Quite the diverse crew

  Deep packet inspection vendors can vary from traditional network infrastructure vendors to third-party specialists. Here we run down a smattering of providers and their offerings.Continue Reading

• Deep packet inspection tools: Proxy vs. stream-based

  As more enterprises consider deep packet inspection tools, network managers must choose the technique that works best for them.Continue Reading

• How do I disable VPN passthrough? What are the pros and cons to disabling it?

  In this Ask the Expert response, Rainer Enders explains how to disable VPN passthrough and what the benefits and drawbacks are.Continue Reading

• Myth vs. Reality: Cloud-managed Wireless LAN

  New cloud-managed wireless LAN services have many users wondering whether Wi-Fi management as a service is dependable. Wireless expert Lisa Phifer goes on a myth-busting mission.Continue Reading

• Cisco Nexus 5596UP as a core switch: Design considerations

  The Cisco Nexus 5596UP switch may be a better replacement for the Catalyst 6500 as a network core switch than the Nexus 7000, but there are design challenges to consider before investing.Continue Reading

• Network Innovation Award: Cisco Prime for service-centric management

  Cisco Prime is the winner of the SearchNetworking.com Network Innovation Award for management. Cisco Prime integrates network, endpoint and application-level information.Continue Reading

• VoIP over WAN: Basic network considerations

  With proper configuration and good system management, VoIP over WAN delivers good voice quality.Continue Reading

• OpenFlow protocol primer: Looking under the hood

  We know the OpenFlow protocol can be used to abstract the network control plane from underlying physical infrastructure, but how exactly does the protocol work?Continue Reading

• Hardware vs. software VPNs: Choose the right enterprise solution

  Deciding between hardware vs. software VPNs is the first step in narrowing down the best VPN solution for your enterprise.Continue Reading

• Private cloud network VLAN problems: Is OpenFlow the answer?

  In order to create dynamic private cloud networks, engineers will turn to software-defined networking and control planes that integrate virtual and physical switching.Continue Reading

• The application tier of a software-defined networking architecture

  In a software-defined networking architecture, controller-based OpenFlow applications could deliver highly scalable, efficient and manageable network services.Continue Reading

• Kratos Network Solutions present network management app, DopplerVUE

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• OpenFlow applications work where network management tools fail

  OpenFlow applications beat network management tools, offering a holistic view of the network's configuration and granular control even in a dynamic virtualized environment.Continue Reading

• Cisco Integrated Service Routers Generation 2 (ISR G2)

  ISR G2 is a second generation Integrated Services Router (ISR) from Cisco Systems, Inc.Continue Reading

• Virtual network security: A vendor comparison

  In this vendor comparison, we compare the emerging options for virtual network security in your data center.Continue Reading

• Mobile broadband/SSL VPN solution keeps police officers in the field

  An Alabama police department mobilized its officers by creating a mobile broadband and SSL VPN solution, forgoing a costly private network installation.Continue Reading

• T1 circuit or MPLS network: How to choose

  The venerable T1 circuit is making way for the high-speed, easy to manage MPLS network. While the carriers are not ripping out T1 connections, they are pressuring WAN managers to abandon them.Continue Reading

• Mi-Fi and Android smartphone mobile hotspot comparison

  Wireless expert Lisa Phifer responds to a question regarding a Mi-Fi and Android smartphone mobile hotspot comparison. She provides an in depth analysis of both mobile hotspots, and also examples for uses of both.Continue Reading

• Free WAN optimization software, NetEx HyperIP, gives incentive to virtualize

  Until the end of 2011, NetEx is offering a free one-year subscription of its WAN optimization software, NetEx HyperIP -- giving enterprises even more incentive to virtualize.Continue Reading

• Choosing a next-generation firewall: Vendor comparison

  Next-generation firewalls are becoming a must. Read our comparison of application-aware firewall options available from the leading firewall vendors.Continue Reading