Interop: The cloud, applications, switching and routing

07/01/09

One of the most frustrating byproducts of the current economic conditions is that fewer and fewer people are able to attend trade shows and conference that require significant travel.

Goodbye cloud computing, hello CEEP IT

06/29/09

In large part because of the conversations with folks like Urquhart, we strongly believe in the potential of cloud computing. However, for all of the reasons discussed in the preceding newsletters we think that the phrase cloud computing is no longer useful.

The brouhaha surrounding private cloud computing

06/24/09

At the same time that some purists argue that the phrase is an oxymoron, other IT professionals are coming up with new meanings for the phrase. Read on to find out what we think about all of this as we continue our efforts to define what cloud computing really means.

Cloud computing – What it's not

06/22/09

In a recent WAN newsletter we used the Wikipedia definition of cloud computing to frame a discussion of the various forms of cloud computing. While that was a good way to begin to add some context to an otherwise vague and constantly changing concept, we now want to go back and question the Wikipedia definition of cloud computing.

The hype surrounding cloud computing

06/17/09

Collectively Jim and Steve have been in IT for a bunch of years. The exact number is irrelevant. As we see it, the hyperbole to reality ratio that surrounds cloud computing is higher than anything that we have seen since ATM. 

Darwin Awards for Disaster Recovery

06/15/09

Many of you may already be familiar with the general Darwin Awards, where "The Darwin Awards salute the improvement of the human genome by honoring those who accidentally remove themselves from it..." In this fine tradition, Webtorials now has the "Darwin Awards for Disaster Recovery" by Gary Audin, Delphi.

The mandate for MPLS support

06/15/09

This is our last newsletter in a series of five newsletters that examined some of the factors that are driving IT organizations to rethink their approach to routing. This newsletter will discuss the need for routers to support MPLS.

Future proofing your router purchases

06/10/09

This newsletter will continue the discussion of routing and the identification of what if anything is driving the need for IT organizations to rethink their approach to routing

The need to consider a router's power efficiency metrics

06/08/09

At the recent Interop conference, Jim moderated a highly interactive panel that was entitled "Is Routing Undergoing a Mid-Life Crisis?" This is the third in a series of newsletters that is based on that panel and which continues the discussion of routing and the identification of what if anything is driving the need for IT organizations to rethink their approach to routing.

The need to rethink routing

06/03/09

Our last newsletter summarized some of the heated discussion that took place at a panel that Jim recently moderated at Interop in Las Vegas that was entitled: “Is Routing Undergoing a Mid-Life Crisis?” This newsletter will continue the discussion about what, if anything, is driving the need for IT organizations to rethink their approach to routing.

Is routing undergoing a mid-life crisis?

06/01/09

At the recent Interop conference, Jim moderated a panel that had the same name as this newsletter. We will use this newsletter to discuss what kind of mid-life crisis, if any, that the panelists thought that that routing was undergoing.

The business impact of Mi-Fi

05/27/09

In the previous newsletter we sketched out some of the fundamentals of the new personal WiFi service, called MiFi, that's being offered by Verizon and Sprint. Today we want to look at some of the implications of this service in the corporate network.

Are you ready for Mi-Fi?

05/22/09

Innovation comes in a lot of forms. Sometimes there's a totally new product or service that sends ripples through the industry. At other times, it's taking two (or more) existing services and combining them to come up with something truly unique.

Is cloud computing the answer?

05/21/09

In recent newsletters we began to address the challenge of fitting the various vendor offerings (e.g., LAN switches, WAN services, virtualized servers, virtualized desktops, SOA based applications, unified communications, etc.) together into a synergistic system. In this newsletter we will begin to look at whether or not cloud computing is the answer to that challenge.

What is cloud computing?

05/19/09

A recent newsletter featured feedback from one of our readers - Dennis Hollarn of Erie Insurance. Dennis pointed out the challenges associated with fitting the various vendor offerings together into a synergistic system. He also brought up the possibility that the solution to this problem may reside in the cloud - with offerings from the cloud computing vendors. In the next two newsletters we'll discuss cloud computing and invite our readers to share their opinions on the topic.

The network really is the platform

05/14/09

In our last newsletter we discussed the fact that the Vegas Interop conference is notably less focused on networking than it used to be and that naive people can interpret that to mean that networking is less important. We don't agree with that interpretation and will use this WAN newsletter to discuss a few sessions that Jim will moderate at Interop that highlight just how critical networking really is.

The network is dead, long live the network

05/12/09

The Las Vegas Interop conference is upon us once again. At one time, Interop was all about networking, and the conference would devote multiple tracks to network technologies such as ATM. At this year's conference, there are tracks on a wide range of topics, including Enterprise 2.0, Green IT, cloud computing and virtualization.

The siloed vendor offerings

05/07/09

In past newsletters we commented on the fact that IT organizations are typically organized around silos of technology. We recently received some e-mail from our readers who acknowledged the fact that IT organizations are siloed, but also drew our attention to the impact of the silos that surround vendor offerings. We will use the next few newsletters to talk about those siloed vendor products and services and to begin a discussion of cloud computing.

H1N1 Flu highlights lack of preparation for business continuity

05/05/09

In a just-released report, Webtorials Editorial/Analyst Division reports that most businesses are woefully unprepared for dealing with the business impact of a medical epidemic or pandemic. The April 2009 H1N1 influenza outbreak should serve as a much-needed wakeup call concerning the need for epidemics and pandemics to be an integral part of the Business Continuity plan.

The impact of VDI

04/30/09

The last couple of newsletters looked at some of the challenges associated with implementing virtualized servers. This newsletter will examine some of the challenges associated with implementing a virtualized desktop infrastructure (VDI).

The impact of server virtualization

04/28/09

In the last newsletter, we began discussing some of the challenges associated with server virtualization. In this newsletter, we will continue that discussion by talking about some of the specific WAN challenges that are associated with server virtualization.

The challenges of virtualization

04/23/09

The recent IT Roadmap conference in Chicago began with Jim and two other analysts on stage being asked questions by John Gallant. Given the current economic conditions, the question and answer session focused on cost savings. One of the questions posed to Jim was, "Should IT organizations be looking to implement virtualization as a means of saving money?" Jim's answer was yes, but only if they realize the impact that virtualization has on the WAN, on management, and on application delivery. The next few newsletters will explain exactly what that impact is.

Time Warner backs off on usage-based pricing

04/21/09

In our last newsletter, we joined the chorus of outrage at Time Warner Cable's plan to implement usage-based pricing this summer in some test markets, including Greensboro, NC. And while we won't be so presumptuous as to think that we had a major impact, we did just learn as the newsletter was being distributed that these plans have been put on indefinite hold.

Tiered pricing for cable modem services? Not so fast...

04/16/09

A couple of months ago, we wrote what we thought was a pretty convincing case for flat-rate services. After all, flat-rate services are the model that we've been accustomed to in that data world forever. You want a dedicated T1/E1 circuit, and you get your dedicated bandwidth. And as frame relay evolved, flat-rate pricing based on a committed information rate formed the basis of the pricing model.

Streaming video - Much ado about very little?

04/14/09

For the past several years, we've followed the impact of "March Madness" on corporate bandwidth consumption with interest and, from time to time, a bit of bemusement. Particularly as the first two rounds of the NCAA tourney approaches, the thoughts of corporate networking managers seem to turn to whether employees watching basketball at their desktops will have a significant adverse impact on their network's performance.

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Steve Taylor is president of Distributed Networking Associates and publisher/editor-in-chief of Webtorials. Jim Metzler is vice president of Ashton, Metzler & Associates.