Wide Area Networking Alert

Has the time come for Ethernet as a WAN service?

11/18/09

For its entire existence as an entity, data networking has been a conglomeration of special interface and protocols. In stark contrast to the "plug and play" simplicity of analog telephony – where you simply attach the cord to an RJ-11 jack on the wall and everything "works," the intrinsic complexity of networking has forever called for specialists. Additionally, this need for special interfaces and protocols has been augmented by a ceaselessly shifting morass of governmental regulations that specified which services may and may not be offered by the "service provider."

Network-based e-mail – Ready for prime time?

11/16/09

In the prior newsletter, we raised the question of whether the time is here – or past due – for moving email from local PCs back to the network. This time we want to continue the discussion by looking at some of the key questions that need to be addressed.

Is e-mail a perfect cloud application?

11/11/09

In the beginning there was email. And email was run on a UNIX server. The network was devoid of PCs. So all email was accessed via a terminal and a command line interface.

Juniper's relationship with Packet Design

11/09/09

In our Oct. 26 WAN newsletter we discussed the fact that there were a number of rumors circulating about a dramatic move that Juniper would soon announce. On October the 29th Juniper used the New York stock exchange as a backdrop to make a series of announcements. We are doing to use this newsletter to focus on one piece of the Juniper announcements – Juniper's establishment of a close relationship with Packet Design.

Do collaboration tools enable collaboration?

11/04/09

At the recent IT Roadmap conference in Washington D.C. there was a panel discussion about how the younger generation uses tools such as texting to stay in touch with friends. One of the implications of the discussion was that the younger generation is more facile with collaboration than is the current workforce.

What's driving Application Delivery 2.0?

11/02/09

In the last WAN newsletter we pointed out our belief that we are entering a new era of application delivery – one that we refer to as Application Delivery 2.0. We also began to discuss some of the challenges that are associated with this new era of application delivery. In this newsletter we will continue to discuss the challenges that are driving Application Delivery 2.0. We will also mention some steps that IT organizations are taking to respond to these challenges.

Welcome to Application Delivery 2.0

10/28/09

In many IT organizations, the WAN does not matter. What you do with the WAN, however, matters greatly. One of the primary roles of the WAN is to enable acceptable application delivery. As will be discussed in this newsletter, we are entering a new ear of application delivery – one that we refer to as Application Delivery 2.0. As will be discussed in the next two newsletters, the challenges of the Application Delivery 2.0 era will be notably more complex and challenging than are those of the current era.

Will Juniper acquire Riverbed?

10/26/09

In our industry, rumors of mergers and acquisitions pop up all the time. For example, after Cisco recently announced that it was entering the server business, there was a wide spread rumor that IBM would acquire Juniper. So far, that has not happened. There is, however, a new rumor making it way through the industry. That rumor is that Juniper will acquire Riverbed. We will use this newsletter to discuss our thoughts on that rumor.

Will Juniper acquire Riverbed?

10/23/09

In our industry, rumors of mergers and acquisitions pop up all the time. For example, after Cisco recently announced that it was entering the server business, there was a wide spread rumor that IBM would acquire Juniper. So far, that has not happened. There is, however, a new rumor making it way through the industry. That rumor is that Juniper will acquire Riverbed. We will use this newsletter to discuss our thoughts on that rumor.

The case for and against virtualized desktops

10/21/09

As we stated in the last newsletter, the goal of cloud computing is extremely clear. That goal is to make a significant improvement in the cost effective, elastic provisioning of IT services. This newsletter will explore how desktop virtualization supports that goal and will identify some of the performance problems that are associated wtih desktop virtualization.

The scourge of complexity

10/19/09

While the definition of cloud computing is at best a bit fuzzy, the goal of cloud computing is extremely clear. That goal is to make a significant improvement in the cost effective, elastic provisioning of IT services. As will be explained in this newsletter, complexity is the enemy of cloud computing.

Fundamental research pays off

10/14/09

The recent announcement of the 2009 Nobel Prize for Physics should warm the hearts of all who have ever done fundamental research in hopes that it would eventually have a use. It should also send shivers up our collective spine as we look at the current deplorable state of funding for research.

Is your networking budget recovering?

10/12/09

Almost a year ago, it became apparent that the worsening global economy was going to have a major impact on many industries, including telecommunications. Consequently, we surveyed the Webtorials user base to try to help determine what the impact of the economic crisis would be on telecommunications budgets and plans. These results were published in our "2009 Network Plans and Priorities State-of-the-Market Report."

Be cautious - be very, very cautious

10/07/09

In our last newsletter we discussed how our research into cloud computing had sensitized us to the overwhelming concern that IT organizations have for the security and privacy of their data. We also began to analyze how the US government has been gaining increasing power to access data that once appeared to be private. In this newsletter, we will continue that analysis and will also discuss what this means for IT organizations.

The justification for paranoia

10/05/09

We normally focus on technology and its impact on business. That is our background and those are areas we feel comfortable writing about. In the next two newsletters we are stepping out of our comfort zone to write about something that gets us darn nervous – the interaction of the US government with our right to privacy and what this means for IT organizations.

Wrapping up IPv6 for now

09/30/09

We'll start with a comment from the water cooler that seemed most appropriate when someone answered the question, "What does IPv6 bring to the table other than a larger address space?" with the response, "More work for the network jocks!!!"

IPv6 – The discussion continues

09/28/09

One of the first people to comment stated flatly that "I will NEVER buy another router that doesn't support IPv6. One more [garden variety home router]? No thank you! These guys are already losing my business..." This was countered by a statement that many home routers already support IPv6.

More on IPv6 – Skepticism abounds

09/23/09

In the last newsletter we reported on a lively discussion at the Webtorials Water Cooler on the business case for IPv6. And the consensus, as noted, is that while there probably is an eventual need for IPv6, it's pretty low on the priority list for most enterprises at this point.

IPv6: Users not sold on the value

09/21/09

We've been hearing about IPv6 for several years now, and in fact more and more devices now support IPv6. But the overwhelming question remains: Is there a Business Case for this migration?

Adaptive Private Networking – Show me the money

09/16/09

This newsletter will discuss a case study that quantifies the potential APN cost savings.

Adaptive Private Networking

09/14/09

This newsletter will discuss a breakthrough network technology that builds on that concept in order to drastically lower the cost of wide area networking

Making IPSec VPNs Enterprise Class

09/09/09

The last newsletter highlighted the fact that the improvements that we have seen over the last twenty-five years in the price/performance ratio of wide area networking is nothing close to the price/performance improvements that we have seen for other areas of IT such as storage or processing. This newsletter will discuss a technique to turn low cost consumer-grade IPSec VPNs into an enterprise-class IPSec VPN.

The high cost of wide area networking

09/07/09

Given the combination of the economic malaise and the sensationalism that surrounds topics such as cloud computing and server virtualization, it is possible to surmise that nothing of significance is happening in the networking space. Nothing could be further from the truth. 

Characterizing cloud computing

09/02/09

In our last newsletter we reminded our readers that there is no universally accepted definition of cloud computing. We stated that when we think of cloud computing we focus on two key goals: saving money and providing IT services in a more elastic fashion. We added that while there is not a litmus test that indicates what is or is not a cloud computing service, there are some key characteristics that are often associated with cloud computing services. In this newsletter, we will continue our discussion of these characteristics.

No litmus test for cloud computing

08/31/09

In a previous newsletter we discussed the fact that in spite of all of the hyperbole that surrounds cloud computing, there is not a widely accepted definition of what is meant by the phrase. Further proof of that assertion comes from an article in the trade press that identified 21 different definitions of cloud computing. In order to help IT organizations analyze the viability of cloud computing in their environment, the next two newsletters will discuss what we see as some of the key characteristics of a cloud computing solution.

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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.