Stop talking and start doing

Talking about fighting spam or dreaming about utility computing is one thing, but how do you actually go from talking and dreaming to doing. Network World has published a special section called simply “How To.” The edition provides a step-by-step guide to addressing the most pressing network issues of the day, including patch management, wireless LANs and networked storage. Here are some highlights:

* The new data center

Senior Editor Ann Bednarz and Senior Writer Denise Dubie find that the first step to utility computing is having a clear picture of what already has been deployed before starting to roll out new, intelligent services.

The data center of the future will look very different to the one today, with self-configuring, self-monitoring and self-healing features. Analysts say that building a true utility computing infrastructure is at least a seven-to 10-year effort.

Find out what’s involved by reading their story:

https://www.nwfusion.com/research/2003/1201howtouc.html

* Getting good deals from your carrier

Senior Editor Denise Pappalardo spoke to Hank Levine, a Washington D.C., attorney with Levine, Blaszak, Block & Boothby, who shared some tips on how to get more bang for your telecom bucks. Levine, who for years has helped large companies squeeze carriers, suggests that users need to be willing to move some traffic to a second-tier carrier and be willing to change. He also says that diversity is a good bet.

Read their Q&A: .

https://www.nwfusion.com/research/2003/1201howtotelecom.html

* Keeping up with the patches

The first step to keeping up with the never-ending patching chore is to make an inventory or document what machines run what software, finds Senior Editor John Fontana.

He spoke to industry experts and network executives at Centura Bank and Pitney Bowes about best ways to handle the patch mess. Among their suggestions include establishing a team or individual to monitor for new vulnerabilities, create a process to evaluate and deploy patches and putting into quarantine bugs/worms on network segments in an emergency.

You can read more at: https://www.nwfusion.com/research/2003/1201howtopatch.html

Also, check out the other “How To” stories:

Linking SAN islands

https://www.nwfusion.com/research/2003/1201howtosans.html

Fighting spam

https://www.nwfusion.com/research/2003/1201howtospam.html

Lock down your WLAN

https://www.nwfusion.com/research/2003/1201howtowlan2.html

Adding ‘oomph’ to your network

https://www.nwfusion.com/research/2003/1201howtooomph.html