Small Business News, Features, and Interviews

• HPE to buy Cray, offer HPC as a service

  High-performance computing offerings from HPE plus Cray could enable things like AI, ML and digital twins for entire enterprise networks.

• Cisco boosts SD-WAN with multicloud-to-branch access system

  Cisco's SD-WAN Cloud onRamp for CoLocation can tie branch offices to private data centres in regional corporate headquarters via colocation facilities for shorter, faster, possibly more secure connections.

• Cisco goes all in on WiFi 6

  The Cisco Catalyst 9100 family and Meraki MR 45/55 WiFi-6 access points are built on Cisco silicon and communicate via pre-802.1ax protocols.

• Venerable Cisco Catalyst 6000 switches ousted by new Catalyst 9600

  Cisco introduced Catalyst 9600 switches that let customers automate, set policy, provide security and gain assurance across wired and wireless networks.

• What is 5G? How is it better than 4G?

  5G networks will boost wireless throughput by a factor of 10 and may replace wired broadband. But when will they be available, and why are 5G and IoT so linked together?

• Russia demands access to VPN providers’ servers

  10 VPN service providers have been ordered to link their servers in Russia to the state censorship agency by April 26

• Cisco forms VC firm looking to weaponize fledgling technology companies

  Decibel, an investment firm focused on early stage funding for enterprise-product startups, will back technologies related to Cisco's core interests.

• Cisco spreads AI across WebEx meetings

  Cisco WebEx has rolled out a package of AI-based features designed to make business meetings more efficient and intuitive.

• How SDN, SD-WAN and security fit in VMware's strategy

  VMware networking and security chief Tom Gillis looks at competing with Cisco and how the tech giant will bolster NSX and more.

• How to shop for CDN services

  Five questions to ask to get the right content delivery network for your organization

• Survey: Cloud monitoring, management tools come up short

  Cost and complexity are the top shortcomings of tools enterprises need for monitoring and managing their cloud services, according to Enterprise Management Associates.

• CCIE relevancy: Is Cisco's venerable network certification on top of programmability, automation trends?

  The Cisco Certified Internetwork Experts (CCIE) certification is a career pinnacle for many network professionals. But not everyone thinks it's worth the investment in time and money.

• VMware preps milestone NSX release for enterprise-cloud push

  VMware's NSX-T 2.4 includes network-configuration automation among 100 new features to better support corporate hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

• Cisco pushes silicon photonics for enterprise, webscale networking

  The combination of Cisco’s and Luxtera’s capabilities in 100GbE/400GbE optics, silicon and process technology will enable customers to build future-proof networks optimized for performance, reliability and cost.

• Edge computing best practices

  Edge computing requires a change in thinking from the current IT environment dominated by data centers and cloud-based services. Here are some best practices to consider when building a strategy for the edge.

• Cisco bets US$660M on silicon-photonics firm Luxtera

  Cisco says the US$660 million it's paying for optical semiconductor company Luxtera will address the need for speed in data centers and webscale networks.

• How to tame enterprise communications services

  Voice, video, e-mail, file sharing, collaboration – organizations need a solid strategy to assure more manageable, cost-effective, and secure enterprise communications.

• What is an SSD? How solid state drives work

  Solid state drives use interconnected pools of flash memory that are managed by an SSD controller to deliver speeds far beyond what a hard disk drive (HDD) can offer.

• Is an SD-WAN managed service right for you?

  Managed SD-WAN can be an appropriate solution for the enterprise, but due diligence is necessary to determine if it is the best fit.

• 10 useful and free networking tools that are Windows 10 apps

  Easy-access network tools are simple but essential and can be downloaded from the online Microsoft Store and pinned to the Windows 10 Start menu