We’ve boiled down the buzz into this quick-scan chart. Business services managementMessage archivingDe-perimeterizationMulticore processor serversGrid middlewareProduct information managementInfranetsStorage gridsLinux on the desktopWireless data servicesManaged VoIPWireless security Business services management (BSM) A next-generation network management tool that aims to help net executives automate network management, prioritize IT projects, address fixes and improve IT performance based on business need.Related buzz terms: Business process management | Business impact management Questions to ask vendors: How do you plan to incorporate business process monitoring into your software?Is change and configuration management part of your software stack?What experience do you have in business management consulting that would let you help me adequately identify business processes?What are you doing to make integration of multiple BSM tools easier for me?What are you doing to make integration between BSM tools and the back-end data sources easier for me? Top De-perimeterization A security architecture that acknowledges that the perimeter around a corporation no longer exists within today’s extended enterprise. It therefore deemphasizes the firewall, intrusion detection and other perimeter defenses to build a security architecture around policy enforcement, application-level protections and identity management.Related buzz terms: Security policy enforcement | Federated identity management Questions to ask vendors: In what ways – and at what levels – do you support encryption? In transit? While stored?Which authentication standards, such as 802.1X, do you support?How can I use this product to enforce security policies at various levels, network access and individual rights?How granular is the above policy enforcement features?How can this product be used to secure access or enforce policies over the extended enterprise?Once you know who and what is accessing your network, can you assign policies based on their individual roles?How difficult or easy is it to manage down to the individual level?Can policies also be applied to network abstracts, such as VLANs or subnets?What technologies or strategies do you offer to keep the network secure while we wait for perimeter-less networking to emerge and how difficult are they to manage? Top Grid middleware Another, more trendy term for grid software, which stitches together disparate CPUs so they can operate as one supercomputer.Related buzz terms: Grid computing | Open Grid Services Architecture | Web Services Resource Framework Questions to ask vendors: What parts of the grid management process do your product automate?What standards does it support?Which standards bodies do you belong to?What is your opinion on the merging of Web services standards with grid standards? Top Infranet A cross-industry standards effort to create a next-generation, business-class, public IP infrastructure with guaranteed quality of service (QoS), reliability and security.Related buzz terms: Hosted VPNs | Multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) | QoS services Questions to ask vendors: Are you a member of the Infranet Initiative group? If not, do you intend to join the group or support its efforts?What is the status of MPLS technology within your backbone? Does the provider of your MPLS gear belong to the Infranet Initiative group?Do you currently interconnect your MPLS backbone with another carrier’s MPLS net?Do you offer MPLS services? If so, can I use them to run multiple applications at different priorities – with different QoS parameters associated with each priority across the same connection? Top Linux on the desktop Rising market share indicates that Linux is increasingly working its way onto the desktop, although that share is still miniscule compared to Microsoft’s. Linux advocates are calling for the open operating system to take on Windows in a big way.Related buzz terms: Desktop Linux Consortium | Gnome | KDE Questions to ask vendors: What apps do you support with your Linux distribution?What type of support services do you offer? (The vendor’s support staff can be a critical lifeline as your own staff adjusts to the change.)What cost savings can I anticipate and will those be genuine or short-lived? Top Managed VoIP Service offered by a carrier in which the carrier provides the premises-based access device, such as a DSL or cable modem, remote-access router or multi-protocol multiplexer, for packetizing voice before it enters the wide area. Carriers also may bundle in IP phone handsets or the software for turning laptops and PCs into voice terminals. Carriers managed the VoIP connections end to end, providing quality-of-service guarantees.Related buzz terms: Hosted IP telephony | VPLS | Voice over VPN Questions to ask vendors: What QoS features do you offer? And if not already, when will you provide end-to-end QoS?What premises gear to we get with the managed VoIP package?Can we use any vendor’s IP telephone handsets?Can we handle our own moves, adds and changes? Can users program their own handsets?What can we expect to spend per seat to get all of the following services: local calling, long-distance, Internet access, follow me/find me, unified messaging and audioconferencing?What interface do you offer for monitoring the health of broadband links and the WAN performance? Top Message archiving Advanced electronic communication archiving and indexing tools.Related buzz terms: Compliance | E-mail retention Questions to ask vendors: Is this a stand-alone product or must it be purchased as a suite?How well does it scale?How must it be included in a disaster-recovery plan?How can it be used to search messages?How can a corporate compliance administrator use this tool to verify e-mail policy compliance? Top Multicore processor servers A multicore processor comes with two processors on a single chip. Multicore processors run at lower frequencies that burn less power than single-core processors.Related buzz terms: AMD64 | Extended Memory 64 Technology (EM64T) Questions to ask vendors: Which software vendors 32-bit products have been certified to run on this 64-bit server?What are the benefits of buying a multi-core system?Why should I buy this instead of a multi-processor system? Top Product information management Content management system that manages structured and unstructured product information, while allowing such information to be output in multiple formats and sources ranging from print catalog to XML.Related buzz terms: Enterprise content management | Fixed content Questions to ask vendors: Is the underlying engine a database, search engine, document management or workflow engine?What integration standards are supported?What output methods are supported?How does the product designate “gold” sources of data?How does the product ensure version control of all data? Top Storage grids Grid storage refers to a topology for scaling network-attached storage (NAS)-based storage capacity in response to application requirements, as well as a technology for enabling and managing a single file system so it can span an increasing volume of storage. While the name may infer a relationship with grid computing, the two technologies are unrelated.Related buzz terms: Distributed Storage Tank | Clustered storage | Intelligent storage Questions to ask vendors: Which vendors’ storage products and which server operating systems will work with your grid storage strategy?How soon will grid storage be available?Does the strategy require the rip and replace of existing file systems?Does the strategy require the deployment of new servers to host file namespace services?Will specialized agents need to be deployed on all client systems?What WAN bandwidth is required to make a distributed approach viable?Which standards does it support and who else supports those standards?What management tools will the vendor provide?How will storage allocation and de-allocation be handled?How does the solution detect and respond to application demands for storage resources or file access?How will file system metadata be managed? Is there a special agent architecture, a replacement file system or some sort of communication between storage platforms themselves?What time delays will occur in file directory data in geographically distributed environments?How will security will be preserved in a universally accessible storage environment? Top Wireless data services Wide-area high-speed data networks built on top of existing Wi-Fi or cellular infrastructures that will allow users to stay connected via the same carrier, no matter where the logon connection originates.Related buzz terms: EV-DO | Wi-Max Questions to ask vendors: On EV-DO: How can I supplement my existing cell service with support for EV-DO? And how much will that cost?Where do you provide coverage, and what’s your projected build-out plans?What average throughput speeds can I expect, and will you guarantee those in writing?Are you offering incentives for early contractual commitments?On Wi-Max: How much can I expect to pay for a base station and card?Will you assist with a site survey to help determine antenna placement, or do you provide tools for such?With line of sight, how much distance coverage can I expect? And without line of sight?How do you handle channel parsing?Do you plan on supporting mobile Wi-Max as well and, if so, when? Top Wireless security 802.11i has been ratified. It incorporates the powerful Advanced Encryption Standard in 802.11x devices, and is the long-awaited fix to the notorious shortcomings of the Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) protocol.Related buzz terms: 802.11X | One-way authentication Questions to ask vendors: How do I integrate 802.11i security with older methods of security?What is involved in upgrading my existing WLAN gear to 802.11i?Have you been tested by the Wi-Fi Alliance for compliance?Which products are have been tested to be interoperable with yours? Top Related content news TSMC bets on AI chips for revival of growth in semiconductor demand Executives at the chip manufacturer are still optimistic about the revenue potential of AI, as Nvidia and its partners say new GPUs have a lead time of up to 52 weeks. By Sam Reynolds Dec 08, 2023 3 mins CPUs and Processors CPUs and Processors Technology Industry news End of road for VMware’s end-user computing and security units: Broadcom Broadcom is refocusing VMWare on creating private and hybrid cloud environments for large enterprises and divesting its non-core assets. By Sam Reynolds Dec 08, 2023 3 mins Mergers and Acquisitions news analysis IBM cloud service aims to deliver secure, multicloud connectivity IBM Hybrid Cloud Mesh is a multicloud networking service that includes IT discovery, security, monitoring and traffic-engineering capabilities. By Michael Cooney Dec 07, 2023 3 mins Network Security Cloud Computing Networking news Gartner: Just 12% of IT infrastructure pros outpace CIO expectations Budget constraints, security concerns, and lack of talent can hamstring infrastructure and operations (I&O) professionals. By Denise Dubie Dec 07, 2023 4 mins Network Security Data Center Industry Podcasts Videos Resources Events NEWSLETTERS Newsletter Promo Module Test Description for newsletter promo module. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe