Tips

Tips

• Managing service providers for multicarrier networks

  If you run a global network, chances are you deal with managing service provider relationships. Use these tips to reduce network complexity.  Continue Reading

• WAN file protocol optimization: Three ways to accelerate CIFS and NFS

  View these three tips for accelerating file protocols CIFS and NFS over WAN.  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

• New vision of cloud calls for new cloud architecture design

  It's unlikely that IaaS will generate much savings for users or profits for providers, so providers must consider reshaping their vision of cloud.  Continue Reading

• Best practices for VM backups: A cloud provider perspective

  By becoming more diligent about virtual machine backup and archiving, cloud providers can better meet SLAs and launch more premium services.  Continue Reading

• QFX3500 vs. EX4550: Juniper's two top-of-rack switches

  Juniper's QFX3500 and EX4550 are both capable 10 Gigabit Ethernet, top-of-rack switches. Deciding which to buy may mean choosing between traditional and fabric architectures.  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

• Three SSL acceleration questions answered

  SSL acceleration requires making changes to traditional WAN optimization tools so that they can read through encryption.  Continue Reading

• VXLAN monitoring: How to gain virtual network overlay visibility

  Network pros need VXLAN monitoring tools for new network overlays. Until these tools arrive, they'll have to adapt existing monitoring strategies.  Continue Reading

• SDN and OpenFlow may hold the key to improving cloud automation

  Cloud automation is critical to provide optimal service delivery in a highly elastic model, and software-defined networking (SDN) may be the glue that holds it together.  Continue Reading

• IPv6-ready cloud providers have edge over competitors stuck in IPv4

  IPv6-ready cloud providers offer technology advantages to enterprises planning to deploy public or hybrid cloud services, according to an IPv6/cloud analysis.  Continue Reading

• Four ways providers can improve cloud computing energy efficiency

  Although environmental issues might not be a priority for some providers, improving cloud computing energy efficiency is a great operational strategy.  Continue Reading

• Ensuring wireless network optimization for application performance

  Wireless LANs are faster than ever, but engineers must still ensure wireless network optimization for maximum application performance.  Continue Reading

• Essential elements in an internal SLA

  An internal SLA helps enterprise IT teams set the parameters for Quality of Service and uptime.  Continue Reading

• Application awareness in cloud networking: Real or imagined?

  As cloud application performance is especially sensitive to network irregularities, it demands a more sophisticated approach to application awareness.  Continue Reading

• Hardware vs. software WAN optimizers: Advantages and disadvantages of each form factor

  What are the advantages and disadvantages of hardware vs. software WAN optimizers? Find out in this tip.  Continue Reading

• Four virtual desktop infrastructure networking best practices

  Networking pros must be brought into virtual desktop infrastructure projects during planning in order to implement VDI networking best practices.  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

• WLAN design for optimized Wi-Fi video delivery

  Wi-Fi video can tax networks, so engineers should use a number of WLAN design tactics to optimize wireless video delivery for enterprise users.  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

• Locator/ID Separation Protocol primer: Routing for seamless migration

  Once the Locator/ID Separation Protocol is finalized, engineers will have routing that moves VMs or mobile devices without changing device software.  Continue Reading

• Adding wireless to your WAN: Is it worth the effort?

  Adding wireless to a wide area network (WAN) involves more than a wireless WAN card. This tip explains where WWANs are most useful to enterprises.  Continue Reading

• Deliver XaaS: What cloud providers need in a service delivery platform

  The service delivery platform (SDP) may have a role in the cloud, but it must evolve to remain relevant to providers.  Continue Reading

• How mobile networks complicate the WAN edge and what to do about it

  Mobile networks and roaming wireless devices complicate the WAN edge. Learn what IT can do to enable mobility in the enterprise.  Continue Reading

• Technical and strategic tips for achieving FedRAMP authorization

  While FedRAMP offers clarity for cloud providers competing for government customers, many still face obstacles when trying to meet its complex requirements.  Continue Reading

• Network traffic analysis in a virtualized environment

  There's no need to toss out SNMP, NetFlow and packet analysis when doing network traffic analysis in a virtualized environment.  Continue Reading

• OpenFlow tutorial for cloud providers

  In this OpenFlow tutorial, networking expert Tom Nolle shows how OpenFlow can be a competitive advantage and outlines steps for providers to test it.  Continue Reading

• Securing the Internet-connected branch office

  Consider appliance, cloud and hybrid approaches when you're deciding how to secure your Internet-connected branch office.  Continue Reading

• 10 essential questions to ask potential cloud computing vendors

  Cloud providers getting ready to make decisions on cloud infrastructure products should ask potential cloud computing vendors these 10 essential questions before buying.  Continue Reading

• RFP technology decisions: Buying a cloud platform and components

  Providers must use care when buying cloud components and platforms for their infrastructure so they can offer the services customers will want to buy.  Continue Reading

• Choosing cloud infrastructure for business and technology flexibility

  By purchasing flexible cloud infrastructure components, providers can offer services that address evolving business problems using technical solutions.  Continue Reading

• Five challenges in private cloud networking

  To achieve application performance in private cloud networking, cloud networks must tackle dynamic address mapping and access security, creating several network challenges.  Continue Reading

• Implementing cloud computing architecture: A holistic overview

  Building a cloud computing architecture that enhances worker productivity and provides cost management means re-evaluating the network as a whole.  Continue Reading

• Agile cloud networks are key to application performance and access

  It takes agile cloud networks, integration of public and private clouds and QoS management to ensure seamless application access and performance.  Continue Reading

• Cloud's dirty secret: Its effects on data center energy consumption

  Cramming scores of VMs onto fewer servers has its benefits, but it's not without drawbacks -- particularly in terms of data center energy consumption.  Continue Reading

• Tier 3: Cloud federation enables providers to expand service footprint

  In part three of this series on cloud federation, network services expert Rebecca Wetzel explains how Tier 3's platform enables providers to rapidly expand their footprints.  Continue Reading

• OnApp: With federated cloud, CDN services possible for providers

  In part two of this three-part tip series on cloud federation, expert Rebecca Wetzel explains how OnApp enables its partners to sell cloud CDN services via cloud federation.  Continue Reading

• SpotCloud: Federation unites cloud services broker's marketplace

  In part one of this three-part series on cloud federation, network services expert Rebecca Wetzel discusses cloud services broker Enomaly and its marketplace, SpotCloud.  Continue Reading

• Three paths to the federated cloud: Which is right for you?

  In this three-part tip series, learn about three trail-blazing players in federated cloud, their distinct business models and how they work with cloud providers.  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

• Are application signatures the new firewall-rules bloat?

  We've all heard of firewall-rules bloat, but the problem could get worse considering all of the application signatures that must be maintained in next-generation firewalls.  Continue Reading

• Do you need virtual firewalls? What to consider first

  With virtual firewalls, you can avoid routing traffic out of the virtual environment to pass through a physical firewall. But there are challenges to consider in going virtual.  Continue Reading

• Defining Workplace as a Service: Supporting BYOD customers with cloud

  The bring your own device (BYOD) trend has caught many enterprises off-guard, but cloud providers have an opportunity to present a solution: Workplace as a Service.  Continue Reading

• Where are top Internet service providers with IPv6?

  In light of World IPv6 Launch Day, we've investigated the top Internet service providers (ISPs) of the U.S. to determine where they are with IPv6 support.  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

• Selling SaaS: Evaluating DevOps tools and models for cloud providers

  Without using DevOps tools and principles, the task of building and sustaining SaaS applications can quickly create an operational nightmare for cloud providers.  Continue Reading

• WAN Ethernet deployment tips

  Use this checklist of WAN Ethernet deployment tips to ensure a smooth network transition.  Continue Reading

• Ethernet advantages and disadvantages for WAN connectivity

  Learn the advantages and disadvantages of Ethernet in WAN environments -- Ethernet advantages include low costs and disadvantages like more resources needed.  Continue Reading

• MPLS advantages and disadvantages for WAN connectivity

  MPLS advantages include reliability and quality of service (QoS) compared to other WAN connectivity options. Learn other pros and cons in this tip.  Continue Reading

• The new virtualization: The storage and network hypervisor

  The demands of managing virtualization call for a more flexible, virtualized network infrastructure. Does the solution lie in storage and network hypervisors?  Continue Reading

• Network performance testing considerations for a 40 GbE upgrade

  Migrating to 40 GbE will require network performance testing that will take into consideration backplane throughput, jitter and the needs of an FCoE environment.  Continue Reading

• Do we need a network hypervisor for virtualization?

  To handle mass server virtualization and Infrastructure-as-a-Service, IT teams need network virtualization with fluid provisioning. Will that require a network hypervisor?  Continue Reading

• Is OpenStack architecture really the best choice to build IaaS clouds?

  The OpenStack architecture could alter the relationship between cloud computing and the network, but is it over-hyped? That is a critical question, but it's hard to answer.  Continue Reading

• Selecting WAN application visibility solutions

  Weigh your options between the various WAN application visibility solutions you need to achieve better WAN management and security.  Continue Reading

• Achieving application visibility through wide area network visibility

  To achieve application visibility across a WAN, an enterprise needs overall wide area network visibility.  Continue Reading

• Understanding application performance monitoring and management

  Understand how application performance monitoring and management (APM) solutions work and what they enable IT departments to accomplish.  Continue Reading

• vSphere networking tools: Gaining control of virtualization

  Growing server virtualization environments require engineers to learn vSphere networking intricacies, including vSwitch architecture and new CLI strategies.  Continue Reading

• The storage hypervisor: Virtualization is about more than the server

  Implementing a separate storage hypervisor can make it easier to manage both wide-scale storage virtualization and the server virtualization environment.  Continue Reading

• Mobile expense management: How to measure mobile costs

  Network managers can properly analyze the costs of remote and mobile workers with mobile expense management. Learn how in this tip.  Continue Reading

• Improving cloud computing performance: A path for revenue growth

  Instead of seeing customers' cloud-computing-performance concerns as a barrier, providers should regard it as an opportunity to offer application acceleration services.  Continue Reading

• A provider's guide to building behavior-based mobile cloud services

  Behavior-based mobile cloud services are a $500 billion opportunity, but it requires strategic decisions about virtualization, network architecture and OSS/BSS platforms.  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

• Cloud computing and mobile behavior: A new services opportunity

  Cloud computing should be the processing engine -- not the service itself -- for highly personalized, dynamic applications based on mobile behavior.  Continue Reading

• Data center WAN optimization must relieve new traffic pressures

  Data center WAN optimization may relieve enterprises of the pressures currently plaguing inter-data-center WAN links.  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

• Cisco Nexus 5500: A viable core switch for the midsized enterprise?

  As virtualization and new storage arrays place greater demand on the network, engineers may find that the Cisco Nexus 5500 is a better core switch than the Cisco Catalyst 6509.  Continue Reading

• Cloud storage management: It's more than just capacity planning

  Enterprises are eying cloud storage to support ongoing data growth. This presents a clear opportunity for providers, but only if they can master cloud storage management.  Continue Reading

• Inter-data center optimization: Three ways to accelerate WANs without optimizers

  Before you buy a solution for inter-data center optimization, consider these steps to accelerate WAN links between data centers.  Continue Reading

• Network access security challenges: Mobility requires new strategies

  With employees accessing core applications on personal devices, engineers are facing new network access security challenges that require intelligence on all components.  Continue Reading

• Software-defined networking could make Network-as-a-Service a reality

  Software-defined networking could solve the problems that Ethernet and IP networking pose to Network-as-a-Service by centralizing a connection permission policy.  Continue Reading

• Leasing data center space: How it may affect cloud service delivery

  Rather than spend millions building out their own facilities, more cloud providers and MSPs are choosing to lease data center space. But how will that affect service delivery?  Continue Reading

• LAN QoS: Access switches get intelligent for high-stakes applications

  LAN QoS has become a necessity now that applications like video conferencing and IP telephony must be delivered beyond the desktop and onto the mobile device.  Continue Reading

• Newest IT trends drive need for next-generation WAN optimization

  Next-generation WAN optimization is needed to address the effects of newer IT trends like enterprise video, mobility, cloud computing and virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI).  Continue Reading

• How to optimize voice over WAN

  Enterprises must learn how to architect their wide area networks in order to optimize voice over WAN environments.  Continue Reading

• How to use iPerf to measure throughput

  Learn how to use iPerf, a network testing tool to measure throughput and benchmark your WAN links.  Continue Reading

• How to calculate the cost of VPN links

  Do you need to upgrade the bandwidth of your virtual private network (VPN)? Calculating link capacity will help control the cost of VPN links.  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

• Building the IPv6 cloud: Two interdependent inflection points

  An IPv6 cloud is the foundation for agile and scalable next-gen services, which means cloud providers and MSPs should develop their IPv6 and cloud strategies concurrently.  Continue Reading

• Ensuring private cloud performance assurance

  Ensuring performance assurance becomes part of IT's responsibilities when enterprises choose to adopt hybrid or private cloud computing environments.  Continue Reading

• How to design and tune a WLAN to support mobile VDI clients

  In order to support tablets and smartphones as mobile VDI clients, engineers will have to build WLANs with plenty of bandwidth and as little interference as possible.  Continue Reading

• Testing VDI network performance to avoid application meltdown

  Ensuring VDI network performance is central to providing a good VDI user experience, so engineers must start by testing the impact of VDI on bandwidth and traffic flow.  Continue Reading

• Converged storage networking for virtual desktop infrastructure

  Implementing FCoE converged networking for virtual desktop infrastructure can mean managing one network instead of two, but there are complications to consider.  Continue Reading

• Securing the data center: How to overcome the lack of cloud standards

  The lack of cloud standards for security makes it hard for cloud providers to illustrate how secure their data centers are, but some industry efforts offer a starting point.  Continue Reading

• Cloud access: Alternatives to Internet connectivity

  The Internet's unreliability and questionable security keep many enterprises from adopting cloud services. But companies can consider these alternative cloud access options.  Continue Reading

• Myth vs. reality: Controlling VM sprawl in the cloud

  Cloud providers are at high risk of becoming victims of VM sprawl. But when it comes to controlling VM sprawl in the cloud, can you separate fact from fiction?  Continue Reading

• First-hop security in IPv6

  Understand the concept of first-hop security and the challenge of trying to apply the techniques currently enforced in IPv4 networks to emerging IPv6 deployments.  Continue Reading

• Optimizing network performance for WLAN real-time applications

  Transitioning to WLAN calls for network infrastructure upgrades, making supporting real-time applications tricky. This guide explains strategies for optimizing network performance.  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 art of cloud balancing: Interconnect data centers to be one cloud

  Cost-effectively load balancing, or "cloud balancing," traffic among multiple data centers carries implications for cloud provider networks, storage and management.  Continue Reading

• Cloud data center switching fabric could ease data center complexity

  A growing number of cloud providers and operators are asking if their data center networks need a cloud data center switching fabric to simplify design and ensure connectivity.  Continue Reading

• Top 10 wide area network (WAN) tips for 2011

  What were the top 10 wide area network (WAN) tips for 2011? We tracked the most popular pieces to give you the best WAN advice from experts in the industry.  Continue Reading

• Building a private cloud: aIs the physical network hostile?

  In building a private cloud, engineers seek dynamic provisioning and automation for wide-scale virtualization, but are physical networks hostile to this type of dynamism?  Continue Reading

• Hadoop enables distributed 'big data' processing across clouds

  The Hadoop framework enables distributed 'big data' processing across servers that can improve application performance and offer up redundancy.  Continue Reading

• Video conferencing bandwidth requirements for the WAN

  In this tip, learn to calculate video conferencing bandwidth requirements for all of the sites in your company across the enterprise wide area network (WAN).  Continue Reading

• Building a secure cloud: What customers want from providers

  Customers may be willing to compromise with a cloud provider on pricing or performance guarantees, but evidence of a secure cloud will always be non-negotiable.  Continue Reading

• Ping latency test results: How slow is your WAN link?

  Understand your ping latency test results to determine whether your WAN link needs WAN optimization, QoS or other technologies.  Continue Reading

• How to test if software-defined networking standards are really open

  If software-defined networking standards are to work, they must be truly open. But how can users and developers be sure software-centric networking standards are really open?  Continue Reading

• Software-defined networking with open APIs will mean real integration

  The answer to cloud networking is more than software-defined networking; it's network-centric software with open APIs that could result in deeper network systems integration.  Continue Reading

• IPv6 firewall security: Fixing issues introduced by the new protocol

  As IPv6 gets rolled out on enterprise WANs, so will IPv6 firewalls. However, IT should be aware of IPv6 security loopholes to adequately protect WANs.  Continue Reading