Cisco Subnet: An independent Cisco community

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  The Cisco Connection

  Cisco still dragging feet on OpenFlow by Jim Duffy

  Cisco's software defined networking strategy is still vague after the company stated last fall that it planned to add the OpenFlow protocol and API to its Nexus switches, and with this week's much anticipated debut of network virtualization start-up Nicira.And last week, Network Computing ran a story that said Cisco's SDN strategy and implementation may be proprietary and not based on OpenFlow, the open source network programmability technique developed at Stanford and UC Berkeley.On the...

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  Networking Nuggets and Security Snippets

  IT Networking Organizations In a State of Transition by Jon Oltsik

  In a number of recent blogs, I’ve described an ESG thesis called data center networking discontinuity. Simply stated, data center networking discontinuity describes the growing gap between data center scale and complexity on one hand and legacy data center networking equipment and manual management and operations on the other. According to ESG Research, enterprise organizations are addressing data center networking discontinuity, albeit quite tactically. For example, many firms are...

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  No Interference

  Nicira peels back the curtain on the future of networking - Interview with Nicira CTO Martin Casado by Art Fewell

  Openflow and software-defined networking are being considered by many to be the architecture that will define the future of networking, and nobody is closer to the center of this technology movement than Nicira's Marin Casado, who is considered by many to be the father of OpenFlow. Nicira has been operating in stealth mode, but this week Nicira issued its first press release, providing insight into what it is that they have been up to. One of the things I am most excited about with the press...

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  Networking Nuggets and Security Snippets

  Software-Defined Networking Evolution (Not Revolution) Under Way by Jon Oltsik

  Is it too early or too late to declare 2012 the year of SDN? A few weeks ago, IBM and NEC introduced integrated technologies around OpenFlow for enterprise data centers. Last week, HP announced OpenFlow support with 16 switch models. Finally, early this week, Nicira went public with its Distributed Virtual Network Infrastructure (DVNI). Now I’m a cynic by nature but there seems to be a fundamental transformation in progress here. Why? Because legacy data center networking equipment and...

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  Network Intelligence

  The When, Where and How of Cisco versus Microsoft for Unified Communications by Zeus Kerravala

  Earlier this week I was at a CIO conference in Europe and one of the big topics of conversation was Unified Communications. Remote working, collaboration initiatives and cost cutting have all made UC a more important topic over the past twelve months. There was lots of discussion about deployment issues, the ROI of UC, training issues, etc. but the biggest point of discussion was Cisco versus Microsoft and where to use which. Based on the conversations I had at the CIO summit plus others,...

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  The Cisco Connection

  Cisco sued again by services company by Jim Duffy

  Independent service organization Multiven this week filed another antitrust complaint against Cisco alleging again that the networking king abuses its dominant position in the market by denying opportunities for third-parties to service Cisco gear.You might remember Multiven as the ISO founded by Peter Alfred-Adekeye, the former Cisco engineer at the center of a twisted episode in which Cisco allegedly orchestrated his arrest on hacking charges to force a settlement in a similar 2008 suit...

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  Networking Nuggets and Security Snippets

  Anticipating the RSA Conference 2012 by Jon Oltsik

  It’s now February although you’d never know it from the balmy winter here in Boston. Aside from Valentine’s Day, February is significant because it is when security geeks from around the world get together in San Francisco for the RSA Conference. The show doesn’t start until 2/27 but you can feel the anticipation in the air across the whole security community. That’s a good thing since 2011 was an especially difficult year – some have even labeled it, “the year of the breach.” Hmm, what...

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  Networking Nuggets and Security Snippets

  F5 Shakes Up the Firewall Market by Jon Oltsik

  The high-end of the firewall market has really been dominated by two companies: Crossbeam Systems (with Check Point Software) and Juniper Networks. Over the past few years, these two firms won most of the high revenue/high margin enterprise and service provider deals. Of course, others took notice and wanted their own piece of the pie. Cisco came out with its ASA 5580 a few years back. Network security guru Sourcefire introduced a high-end hardware architecture and a firewall in 2011....

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  Putting Realism Into Your Network

  Riverbed announces new Steelhead Platform in CX/EX and Product in Granite by Larry Chaffin

   Today Riverbed is announcing what I think is their best product to date in Granite. They are also showing two other steelhead models today in the CX and EX. I had the chance to sit down and chat with Bob Gilbert of Riverbed to ask a few questions and learn a little more. Please tell us about your background at Riverbed and what your current position entails. I joined Riverbed in early 2003 when we were a tiny Silicon Valley startup with less than 10 employees. As the company's first...

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  Networking Nuggets and Security Snippets

  Cybersecurity Lessons from the Battlefields of Europe by Jon Oltsik

  At the beginning of WWI, battlefield tactics had not advanced much since the U.S. Civil War. The general goal was to continually advance on the enemy with waves of infantry attacks and eventually break through the lines by overwhelming enemy defenses. It didn’t take long until both sides realized that things had changed. With the invention of the water-cooled machine gun and pill box fortification, human waves were not only ineffective; but also resulted in mass casualties. The sides...

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