Evaluate

Evaluate

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

• ONUG 'Great Debate': The pro-software transcript

  Check out the pro-software side of ONUG's debate at its Fall 2015 conference in a hardware versus software faceoff. Continue Reading

• Palo Alto WildFire: Malware sandbox product overview

  Tightly integrated with existing Palo Alto next-generation firewalls, the Palo Alto WildFire cloud-based malware sandbox service supports both public and private cloud deployments. Continue Reading

• FireEye AX series: Sandbox product overview

  The FireEye AX series sandbox products are capable of up to 16,000 analyses per day, are available for multiple OSes and come with 24/7 support for mission-critical deployments. Continue Reading

• Filtering IPv6 extension headers is sometimes necessary

  IPv6 extension headers cause public Internet servers to drop packets, but such filtering is sometimes necessary for security purposes. Continue Reading

• Google's Ubernetes assists with software container management

  Ubernetes -- part of Google's evolving container management project -- uses network virtualization to unite container clusters across virtual and physical locations. Continue Reading

• Wi-Fi Aware and its impact on the enterprise

  Wi-Fi Aware offers application-driven, personalized, proximity-based services that detect local capabilities. What does the new face of Wi-Fi innovation look like?Continue Reading

• AT&T's NetBond offers secure transit via network cloud

  AT&T's NetBond service, geared toward providing secure data transfer through multiple cloud providers, offers some compelling benefits.Continue Reading

• SDN orchestration with Anuta Networks' NCX platform

  Anuta Networks' NCX allows for orchestration in a multivendor environment. Expert Keith Townsend says that makes it one of the more interesting SDN products on the market.Continue Reading

• SDN and OpenFlow improve broadband deployment

  Broadband deployment is time-consuming and complicated, but SDN and OpenFlow could change that. Networking expert Nick Buraglio explains.Continue Reading

• Is 25 Gigabit Ethernet the cure for data center oversubscription?

  With reduced hardware costs and more flexible lanes in the physical architecture, 25 Gigabit Ethernet may offer answers in oversubscribed data centers.Continue Reading

• Is it time to 'software define' your wide area network?

  Software-defined WAN aims to make WANs simpler and less expensive to design, build and operate. But is it right for your network? This technical guide defines SD-WAN, explains its pros and cons, and helps networking professionals decide if it's ...Continue Reading

• DLP tools essential to sensitive data protection strategy

  Data loss prevention tools that guard sensitive data are a security administrator's friend. But what exactly do they do?Continue Reading

• SDN monitoring can help meet new network visibility demands

  To keep pace with the demands of next-generation networks, management systems must be scalable, dynamic and intelligent. Expert Lee Doyle says SDN monitoring tools can help.Continue Reading

• Do wide area networks need to get software-defined?

  Should you upgrade your wide area network to SD-WAN? Learn what factors you should consider before making the leap.Continue Reading

• Wireless LAN technology: A buyer's guide

  This SearchNetworking buyer's guide explores wireless LAN technology to help you buy the right wireless LAN equipment for your enterprise.Continue Reading

• Can the NETCONF protocol give OpenFlow a run for its money?

  OpenFlow is no longer the undisputed king of the SDN castle, with alternative standards like the NETCONF protocol challenging its hegemony.Continue Reading

• The role of ARM in NFV platform development

  Semiconductor manufacturer ARM wants to be one of the top two sources for NFV platform silicon. Networking analyst Lee Doyle says the company and its partners will likely succeed.Continue Reading

• Ruckus SmartZone wireless access points: Product overview

  Ruckus SmartZone wireless access points and controllers are designed for a wide range of environments, including indoor and outdoor AP deployments.Continue Reading

• Aruba wireless controller: Product overview

  The Aruba wireless controller product line is designed for small, midsize and large enterprise deployments.Continue Reading

• Cisco wireless controllers: Product overview

  Cisco wireless LAN controllers are designed for a wide range of environments, including small and midsize businesses and large enterprises.Continue Reading

• IPv6 filtering threatens impact of new protocol

  IPv6 extension headers give the protocol additional versatility, but widespread IPv6 filtering is threating the new protocol's ability to survive in the public Internet.Continue Reading

• Virtual routers find evolving carrier network uses

  Virtual routers work well in some parts of carrier networks, but not everywhere. Now, mobile, cloud and SDN offer evolving uses for virtual routing.Continue Reading

• How to make yours a cloud-ready network

  Network managers today must get ready, fast, for the cloud. This technical guide reviews what networking professionals must consider in their move to the cloud: security, availability, software-defined networking and more. Networking pros must get ...Continue Reading

• Using quality of experience to boost mobile user experience

  Quality of experience is a handy way to measure mobile users' experience with application performance. But understanding all of the components that comprise QoE is another task entirely.Continue Reading

• How to find the best network management tools today

  Finding the best network management tools today can be a challenge. Here's guidance on how to proceed.Continue Reading

• Is a hybrid WAN architecture right for you?

  Hybrid WANs have a lot of benefits, but make sure you understand how they can work in your organization.Continue Reading

• Do managed software-defined WAN services make sense?

  By offering managed software-defined WAN services -- and potentially hastening MPLS' demise -- are providers sabotaging themselves? Our expert says no.Continue Reading

• How will software-defined WANs impact the enterprise?

  SD-WAN has a lot of potential for enterprises, especially as developers cobble together custom services and capabilities.Continue Reading

• Choose your own network operating systems? IT pros weigh bare metal

  Enterprise networking pros tend to favor uptime over innovation. Many see bare-metal switches with third-party network operating systems as risky. Can they be swayed?Continue Reading

• Cisco CCNA quiz: Take Part 2 of the advanced practice exam

  In this CCNA quiz, we present you with 10 questions on a variety of advanced CCNA topics, including IPv6, OSPF, router security, NAT, GLBP and more. Make sure you answer all 10 questions and assess your readiness to take the CCNA exam.Continue Reading

• SDN monitoring means new transitions for engineers

  SDN network management means tools are transforming from listening mode to active mode.Continue Reading

• Do software containers spell trouble for SDN?

  In the brave new world of software containers, you might not notice SDN, but that doesn't mean it isn't there.Continue Reading

• SDN business case: How software-defined WANs save money

  Build a strong SDN business case in the wide area network, with potential for significant return on investment in both savings and performance.Continue Reading

• Big data impact on network operations probed in study

  Big data is big news, but it's also influencing networking pros' capacity planning, according to an Enterprise Management Associates study.Continue Reading

• ALU, HP and Juniper virtual router review

  How do virtual routers from Alcatel-Lucent, HP and Juniper stack up? See where they might fit in your organization.Continue Reading

• The tools that network cloud managers need now

  If the trend continues, enterprises could have more than half of their applications in the cloud by 2020. Increased cloud adoption introduces the issue of how to manage the network for high-quality performance across a variety of access links. This ...Continue Reading

• SDN and Openflow: Is the protocol dead?

  SDN and OpenFlow were once practically synonymous, but today the protocol is conspicuously absent. Its evolution offers an important lesson for networking pros.Continue Reading

• SN blogs: Cybersecurity vendors the new Pets.com?

  Analysts say the addition of Cisco and Accenture will help efforts to standardize IoT wireless efforts, but hurdles remain.Continue Reading

• Successful NFV platforms hinge on middleware selection

  When selecting NFV platforms, communication service providers should look for highly reliable middleware that allows them to adapt their networks over time.Continue Reading

• SDN blogs: Arista SDN cloud release could work

  This week, analysts discuss Arista's new SDN controller for cloud networks as well as SD-WAN's effectiveness in computing best path.Continue Reading

• Juniper introduces peering router for content providers

  Juniper Networks has introduced a compact peering router aimed at service providers looking to speed up content delivery.Continue Reading

• ICYMI: Dynatrace APM tools bolstered with Keynote combo

  Dynatrace expands while Extreme adds role-based policy management to its Summit line of enterprise and data center switches.Continue Reading

• Cisco, Brocade virtual router review

  Virtual routers can be measured by platforms, features and price. Kevin Tolly reviews VRs from Brocade and Cisco.Continue Reading

• SN blogs: New Cisco CEO Robbins' strategy praised, panned

  An analyst says incoming Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins' move to prioritize strategies will help the vendor. But there are areas that still need attention.Continue Reading

• Arista launches network automation tools for enterprises

  Arista introduces network automation tools with enterprise features like network-wide rollback.Continue Reading

• OpenStack Heat jumpstarts SDN learning, but still needs work

  OpenStack Heat -- an orchestration project -- uses SDN to launch applications in the cloud. It's one step closer to mainstream SDN, but we're not there yet.Continue Reading

• Next-generation Wi-Fi: How SDN changes the wireless landscape

  The future is now. SDN technologies are quickly becoming central to vendors' next-generation Wi-Fi products and services -- and their role will only increase.Continue Reading

• BYOD, MDM streamlined with Xirrus Wi-Fi

  Wi-Fi vendor Xirrus introduces EasyPass, a set of cloud-based Wi-Fi security services for enterprise customers.Continue Reading

• Silver Peak launches gear to boost hybrid WAN performance

  Silver Peak has released an appliance that lowers networking costs by providing more traffic control in a hybrid WAN.Continue Reading

• The new cloud network: More than an Internet link

  Learn about the virtual WAN, the software-defined WAN and other new cloud network possibilities.Continue Reading

• Data warehousing projects benefit from cloud and Hadoop

  SN blogs: This week, analysts discuss a new way to network a campus LAN and if ACI and NSX can work well together.Continue Reading

• How software-defined WAN architecture is changing the market

  SDN principles are transforming the wide area network, with a number of networking companies -- both startups and established players -- offering software-defined WAN technologies to enterprises.Continue Reading

• Brocade app ups performance of OpenDaylight SDN

  Brocade makes generally available an OpenDaylight SDN app that improves network performance through more efficient traffic flow.Continue Reading

• Buying data center-class switches: What you need to know

  Choosing the right switches for your data center can be difficult in an increasingly virtual environment. In this article, we explore the purchasing criteria for data center-class switches.Continue Reading

• Making the business case for data center-class switches

  Choosing the right data center-class switch depends on your needs. This article breaks down the benefits and uses for data center-class switches in emerging data center architectures.Continue Reading

• What are data center-class switches?

  Choosing the right switch for your data center can be a difficult task. This article looks at how data center-class switches are evolving in the enterprise to offer flexibility and speed for new traffic flows.Continue Reading

• Understanding the basics of a hybrid VPN

  In part two of a three-part series, an expert looks at how hybrid VPNs are impacted by the shift from private services to the public Internet.Continue Reading

• Will IT generalists replace network engineering jobs?

  Network engineering jobs have moved from crimping cable to managing traffic between VMs. Software-everything means another seismic shift. Is the network engineer still relevant?Continue Reading

• The science behind virtual routers and their emerging roles

  The evolution of virtualization has now hit the router market. Here's what you need to know to make virtual routers work for you.Continue Reading

• NFV basics: Hold the specialized hardware

  John Burke writes that network functions virtualization goes way beyond merely deploying a physical appliance.Continue Reading

• What to consider when choosing the best Ethernet switch

  IT pros need to consider new developments in technology like software-defined networking and the Internet of Things when choosing the best Ethernet switch for their current and future network.Continue Reading

• IT managers should focus on capacity, not wireless throughput

  Wireless throughput is getting faster, but capacity is the measure you should really be studying.Continue Reading

• Service providers take cautious approach to NFV implementation

  Service providers' strategies for NFV implementation are designed to minimize disruption while transitioning legacy architectures to a virtualized world.Continue Reading

• The evolution of Carrier Ethernet service chaining offers new options

  Operators looking to service chaining for Carrier Ethernet must assess both the issues and opportunities for use via NFV or as hosted network edge services.Continue Reading

• Shattering the 'single pane of glass' myth of network management

  Vendors claim that their network management systems can do it all, but in a world of virtualization and cloud, is that still true?Continue Reading

• MPLS fabric is natural fit for ISP backbone overlays

  While data centers typically use an IP fabric under their network overlays, ISPs may find that MPLS fabric makes more sense as backbone underlays.Continue Reading

• How network overlays could benefit provider backbones

  ISPs are weighing potential benefits of network overlays in the backbone, including increased agility, faster service provisioning and lower Opex.Continue Reading

• Overlay networks could revolutionize ISP backbone

  Overlay networks have already taken the data center by storm, but they also offer advantages to the ISP backbone network, including more agility and reduced Opex.Continue Reading

• SN blogs: OpenStack deployments still lacking

  SN blogs: This week, a research director explains that even though OpenStack is a popular open source framework, it's not seeing as many deployments as one might expect.Continue Reading

• NFVi: Virtual networks drive changes in telecom infrastructure needs

  Expert Lee Doyle explains why service provider networks need NFV infrastructure -- high-performance, reliable and scalable platforms to support virtual network functions.Continue Reading

• What is SDN? The answer now includes automation and virtualization

  What is SDN? What software-defined networking really means has evolved dramatically and now includes automation and virtualization.Continue Reading

• Cisco vs. VMware vs. BYOC: Bright-box war heats up

  Big vendors like HP are jumping on the bright-box bandwagon, which could represent a new angle in the Cisco ACI-VMware NSX showdown.Continue Reading

• WAN 2.0: Say goodbye to network provisioning delays

  Network engineers have long suffered the consequences of slow provisioning times for many traditional wide area network (WAN) connections like point-to-point T1 lines or MPLS networks. They're at the mercy of carriers that can take as long as three ...Continue Reading

• Virtual network functions, not network functions virtualization, belong in enterprise

  While network functions virtualization is exclusively a service provider technology, virtual network functions are at home in the enterprise space.Continue Reading

• Facebook, Google use SDN to boost data center connectivity

  Internet content providers like Facebook and Google are already using SDN to improve hyperscale data center connectivity. But more could be done.Continue Reading

• Are OpenStack and NFV MANO interchangeable?

  Network functions virtualization and cloud management systems appear to overlap, but whether or not the latter can manage and orchestrate a virtual network is open to debate.Continue Reading

• Advent of 2.5, 5 Gigabit Ethernet switches roiling market

  Faster wireless has opened the market for a new breed of switches. Expert Craig Mathias will tell you what you need to know.Continue Reading

• SDN load balancer debate: Controller or ADC?

  Expert David Jacobs discusses whether software-defined networking will render application delivery controllers obsolete or complement evolving SDN.Continue Reading

• SN blogs: Lenovo Superfish security breach unnerves customers

  SN blogs: Analysts this week discussed why big data analytics needs to be reassessed and why Lenovo's response to Superfish spawned consumer distaste -- and distrust.Continue Reading

• Virtual network function development: Ecosystem or silo?

  The future of virtual network functions depends on how easily they can be deployed. Consensus is still a ways off.Continue Reading

• Ten recommendations to improve your NFV network evolution

  As providers move into network functions virtualization, these 10 recommendations can help guarantee a successful NFV network transition.Continue Reading

• With wave 2 Wi-Fi on the horizon, is your network ready?

  Wave 2 Gigabit Wi-Fi will usher in speeds of up to 7 Gbps. Expert Lisa Phifer explains what you need to do to get ready.Continue Reading

• SDN blogs: Overlay networks can be scaled

  In this week's SDN blogs, experts talk about the scalability of overlay networks and ask questions about SD WAN, and an open source SDN website is launched.Continue Reading

• SN blogs: Vendors focusing on SD WAN, but WAN optimization still key

  SN blogs: This week, an analyst urged vendors to keep focus on WAN optimization; the rise of big data analytics is forcing firms to see what's next.Continue Reading

• How to buy: What IT needs to look for in data center switches

  IT needs to know what to look for when buying data center switches that support high speeds and lower latencies to pave the way for agile data center network consolidation.Continue Reading

• Seven wireless networking trends to remember

  Wireless networking is empowering, but it comes with a fair amount of complexity. Stay clear-headed and understand your own needs and constraints, even as the fog gathers around you.Continue Reading

• Opportunistic encryption: The IETF's 50 shades of protection

  The IETF is asking for help as it defines the opportunistic security standard. What does this mean to the enterprise?Continue Reading

• Open NFV toolkit Snabb Switch offers virtual Ethernet programming

  Snabb Switch, an emerging open NFV toolkit, enables Ethernet function programming in a software switch. Could it leave vendor-developed hardware in its wake?Continue Reading

• Named Data Networking project wants to retire TCP/IP

  TCP/IP is buckling under the demands of today's Internet, according to researchers who want to replace it with a new Internet protocol stack. Their solution: Named Data Networking.Continue Reading

• Recent flurry of slower Ethernet speeds focuses on strategy, not acceleration

  For the first time, Ethernet innovation isn't about higher speeds. The recent push for 2.5 and 5 Gigabit Ethernet show it's all about use cases.Continue Reading

• New Ethernet speeds, 2.5 and 5 GbE, ready campus LAN for 802.11ac

  The next generation of Wi-Fi technology, 802.11ac Wave 2, will be able to push multiple gigabits of data per second, but most enterprise networks wouldn't be able to take full advantage of it with the infrastructure they have in place today. That's ...Continue Reading

• Mitigating IPv6 neighbor discovery attacks

  You might be vulnerable to IPv6 neighbor discovery attacks. But there are tools you can use to counter those threats.Continue Reading

• Five SDN starter kit options you should know

  SDN starter kits are designed to help enterprises evaluate the technology before they begin transitioning their networks to the new architecture. What should you look for?Continue Reading

• SN blogs: WebRTC browser applications boost enterprise networking

  SN blogs: This week, an analyst discusses why browser-based communication is enhanced with WebRTC applications.Continue Reading

• How to protect your IPv6 address management

  Expert Fernando Gont explains how to probe whether your IPv6 address components are vulnerable to attack.Continue Reading

• IT network management and SMBs: What to look for

  Resource-challenged small, medium-sized businesses need special tools to help them oversee their networks. What to look for.Continue Reading

• The journey to next-generation networks begins now

  Network operators will see real change in their next-generation networks in 2015, moving SDN and NFV from science project status to serious trials, while mobile networks get the lion's share of investment, and new regulations affect all of it.Continue Reading

• What is the security impact of enterprise IoT?

  Software management at the device level is key to mitigating security risks in the enterprise when IoT arrives.Continue Reading

• Managing mobility means understanding EMM

  As enterprises become more mobile, enterprises need to understand the tools available to help them manage that growth.Continue Reading

• SN blogs: Software infrastructure products to blossom in 2015

  SN blogs: This week, an analyst gives his 2015 IT infrastructure predictions; an engineer discusses when to use a router versus a switch.Continue Reading