We kicked off an effort at the start of this year to look more closely at network research happening at university and other labs, figuring that while the technologies being worked on won't necessarily find their way into your network immediately, they might give you something to consider in making longer-term plans.

We've covered these stories in the physical and virtual pages of Network World, including on our Alpha Doggs network research blog. Here our pick of the 10 most interesting projects, in no particular order, that we've come across as mid-year approaches:

'Active cookies' to the rescue

Sharing Wi-Fi with your neighbors

Futuristic optical system tackles image processing

Using opportunistic coding to boost wireless

Saving VoIP from spam

Fighting spam zombies from outer space

Human beings that live in computers

Spintronics key to small, powerful net devices?

DWT claims to search where Google misses

Researching beyond the constraints of today's Internet

Whitepapers

• The Trend from UNIX to Linux in SAP(r) Data Centers
• Secure Wireless Printing Options
• Improve Virtual Storage TCO by Comparing Vendors
• Making IT Invisible
• Best Practices for VMware ESX Server
• Virtualizing Storage for VMware Success

View more DATA CENTER whitepapers

Webcasts

• Branch Office Trends and Best Practices
• Data Protection and Application Availability for Your VMware Environment with Veritas NetBackup and Cluster Server for VMware ESX
• Making NetBackup Highly Available with Storage Foundation HA
• Best Practices for Deploying WAN Optimization for Disaster Recovery
• Tips and Techniques for Remote Data Backup and Delivery
• WAN Optimization Landscape

View more DATA CENTER webcasts

Special Reports

• Executive Guide: Storage Heats Up
• Symantec State of the Data Center Report
• Data Centers: At the center of the action
• Executive Guide: Virtualization Reality Check
• Executive Guide: Data Center Decisions
• Get More From Your WAN

View more DATA CENTER special reports