NetFlash: Microsoft to let users lead Longhorn forward

Opinion
May 30, 20062 mins

* Microsoft to let users lead Longhorn forward * Layer 2 VPN services not ready to fly solo * D-Link switch marks shift in WLANs * USB tokens tighten up secure-WAN links * Q&A: Healthcare exec talks security * Mixed wireless environments * Today on Layer 8

Microsoft to let users lead Longhorn forward

Microsoft plans this summer to offer special licenses to users who want to run the Beta 2 version of the Longhorn Server operating system in specific roles within their networks. Click here for more.

Layer 2 VPN services not ready to fly solo

There’s plenty of buzz about Layer 2 VPN services, especially those that boast the familiarity of Ethernet and the scalability of MPLS. But enterprises at last week’s MPLScon 2006 conference said Layer 2 services aren’t yet mature enough to support demanding service-oriented application architectures, such as those used for large-scale multicasts and utility computing. Click here for more.

D-Link switch marks shift in WLANs

D-Link’s upcoming announcement of a trio of unified wireless/wired LAN switches is the start of a major shift in the way wireless LANs will be deployed. Click here for more.

USB tokens tighten up secure-WAN links

The latest additions to corporate secure-WAN toolkits are USB tokens that authenticate and encrypt traffic, tighten security and make it simpler for users to make connections vs. using standard VPN technology. Click here for more.

Q&A: Healthcare exec talks security

George Rathbun, director of IT architecture at Pfizer, is also the CTO for SAFE-BioPharma, the pharmaceutical industry group coordinating secure sharing of information with physicians and others. SAFE members, including Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Labs, Bristol-Myers-Squibb, Proctor & Gamble, and Merck and GlaxoSmithKline, have embarked on a shared authentication approach based on public-key infrastructure cross-certification. Rathbun recently chatted with Network World Senior Editor Ellen Messmer to discuss how this security program works and what its implications are for users. Read the full interview.

Mixed wireless environments

How do you blend wireless, cellular and two-way radio into a single infrastructure? Cathy Zatloukal of MobileAccess Networks explains how it’s done on this week’s Network World Hot Seat. Watch now.

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