Thinking About… Storage in 2023

Jim Jones discusses the ways storage has developed in 2023 and beyond. He predicts dramatic improvements in capacity and access speed due to developments in technologies like NVMe and CXL and also foresees advancements in how storage is managed and consumed, highlighting the emergence of hybrid-approaches involving on-premises, edge, and cloud deployments.

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Thinking About… Storage in 2023

AI Workload Networking With Intel

Tim Bertino discusses the challenges and requirements of networking for AI workloads, as presented by Intel Corporation at Networking Field Day. Intel highlights the difficulty in monitoring and predicting issues in AI networks, emphasizing the need for advanced anticipation and pre-emptive solutions. The article also illustrates Intel’s architectural perspective, favoring the use of Ethernet for managing these high-demand networks.

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AI Workload Networking With Intel

Centralizing Network Services With RG Nets

In this LinkedIn article, Tim Bertino discusses the unique approach RG Nets, Inc. takes to address the issue of tool and service sprawl in networks. He outlines RG Nets’ strategy of consolidating network services into a singular platform, either natively or via the platform acting as the front-end management plane for external services. Additionally, Bertino highlights how RG Nets enables automatic network provisioning, thus easing the workload for IT staff, and sees great potential in their unique solution.

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Centralizing Network Services With RG Nets

Meraki and Catalyst Living in Harmony

Tim Bertino explores the collaborative evolution of Cisco Meraki and Catalyst in his recent LinkedIn article. The piece emphasizes the augmentation of cross-platform support between the brands without compromising on their individual product offerings – effectively a ‘best of both worlds’ approach. Bertino celebrates the flexibility this provides customers, allowing them to select the hardware platform that meets their needs while managing it through the Meraki Dashboard, and he highlights the unification of the security solution across platforms.

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Meraki and Catalyst Living in Harmony

Network Field Day 33 – Day 1 – Graphiant

Jordan Villarreal reacts to the Graphiant presentation at Networking Field Day in this YouTube video. He was impressed by their phenomenal presentation, especially for a new company just launching.

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Network Field Day 33 - Day 1 - Graphiant

Building AI Data Platforms With WEKA

Matyáš Prokop examines the development of AI data platforms in this LinkedIn article, documenting WEKA’s advancements. Focusing on aiding data scientists, WEKA builds user-friendly platforms, allowing data scientists to focus on data science work rather than infrastructure management. Prokop emphasizes WEKA’s ability to streamline the data handling process, reducing the need for complex IT infrastructure architecture or manual data management.

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Building AI Data Platforms With WEKA

Getting SASE With Fortinet

Tim Bertino reflects on a presentation by Fortinet at Networking Field Day, focusing on the importance of security in increasingly complex network architectures. The piece discusses Fortinet’s efforts to simplify their security solutions, particularly through their implementation of Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) and SD-WAN solutions. The benefits of converging networking and security, as well as the growing adoption of Zero Trust Network Architecture (ZTNA), are noted as crucial factors in this sector’s evolution.

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Getting SASE With Fortinet

A New Approach to Private Connectivity With Graphiant

In this LinkedIn article, Tim Bertino discusses Graphiant, a Network as a Service company that aims to offer customers private connectivity in an as-a-service model. Graphiant aims to reduce complexity by implementing fewer tunnels in its private cloud with multiple global locations, and also offers end-to-end encryption without the need for packet decryption in their core. Bertino views Graphiant’s solution as a less complex means for connecting both the private enterprise and customer implementations in the public cloud.

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A New Approach to Private Connectivity With Graphiant

AMD Fuels the Cloud-Native Revolution With Chiplet-Based Architectures

Following their Cloud Field Day presentation, Sulagna Saha explores how AMD is leveraging its chiplet-based architecture to support cloud-native solutions. AMD’s innovative approach involves the use of smaller “chiplets” assembled into a new server chip, allowing for flexibility and tailored configuration based on specific product demands. Saha believes this chiplet architecture aligns with the four core tenets of cloud-native—microservices, containerization, continuous delivery, and DevOps—paving the way for the next evolution in cloud computing.

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AMD Fuels the Cloud-Native Revolution With Chiplet-Based Architectures

Lab as Code With Nokia and Containerlab

Tim Bertino examined a presentation by Nokia, which introduced the concept of ‘lab-as-code.’ This approach uses Nokia’s ‘containerlab’ to create topology files, deploying each device in a lab as a container linked together to form a single topology. Bertino highlights the advantages of this method—including quick set-up and tear-down, reduced footprint compared to full virtual machines, and the ability to collaborate and share via GitHub—and notes its potential for use beyond network infrastructure.

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Lab as Code With Nokia and Containerlab

Network Field Day – Day 2 – Nokia

In this YouTube video, Jordan Villarreal expresses great enthusiasm for the developments in labbing from Nokia. The video is positioned as a deep dive into the latest innovations and improvements in this area. This is an exciting opportunity to explore and appreciate the strides Nokia has made in advancing labbing technology.

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Network Field Day - Day 2 - Nokia

Regaining Network Sanity Amongst the Clouds With Prosimo

Jon Hildebrand dives into the challenges of multi-cloud networking and how Prosimo aims to address these. Prosimo’s multi-cloud platform is designed to simplify the process of setting up secure connections among major cloud platforms. However, Hildebrand expresses some concerns over the long-term business model, such as the need to constantly sync with developments from multiple cloud providers and the potential risk of service deprecation.

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Regaining Network Sanity Amongst the Clouds With Prosimo

Does Automation Require Reengineering?

Tom Hollingsworth explores the nuanced relationship between automation and pre-existing systems. He argues that while automation can expedite processes and reduce errors, it doesn’t necessarily improve or fundamentally change a system with inherent issues. He suggests that instead of investing valuable time in automating a flawed system, resources could be more effectively spent on reengineering the processes in a way that truly solves underlying issues and generates more value.

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Does Automation Require Reengineering?

Solidigm Presents Optane Replacement

W. Curtis Preston reviews Solidigm’s solution to the gap left by Intel discontinuing its SSD offering Optane. Solidigm, created by SK Hynix after buying Intel’s NAND business, recently introduced the D7-P5810, a new ultra-fast SSD with impressive endurance and performance features. Solidigm is positioning this product in conjunction with their Cloud Storage Acceleration Layer as a viable replacement for Optane.

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Solidigm Presents Optane Replacement

CTERA’s Proactive Solution to Ransomware

W. Curtis Preston evaluates CTERA’s proactive solution to malware, as presented at the last Storage Field Day. CTERA uses a hybrid storage system which monitors anomalies in user behavior as an early detection method while providing an immutable data copy stored in the cloud as a second layer of protection. If unusual behavior is detected, the system isolates the user and can recover any altered files swiftly from the ‘golden copy’ of the data.

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CTERA’s Proactive Solution to Ransomware

Cloud Field Day 18 – After Action Report

This “after-action report” is a YouTube video featuring a group of Cloud Field Day delegates discussing the presentations and content from our recent event. Organized by Nathan Bennett, these videos give an immediate and unvarnished look at the presentations.

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Cloud Field Day 18 - After Action Report

BackBox- Network Vulnerability Manager

Girard Kavelines delves into the technical advantages of BackBox’s Network Vulnerability Manager, a system designed to proactively combat cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities. The Network Vulnerability Manager can identify and prioritize vulnerabilities as they appear, automating patches and upgrades across network devices for efficient remediation. The tool also enables multi-step upgrades in a seamless process, cutting down on intervention and enhancing the overall security of networks.

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BackBox- Network Vulnerability Manager

Prosimo: A Game-Changer in Cloud Networking CFD18

Chris Hildebrandt presents an in-depth review of Prosimo, a modern cloud network delivery and security platform designed to optimize application performance, security, and reliability. Chris highlights Prosimo’s key features, such as application performance optimization, strong security through Zero Trust Network Access principles, multi-cloud integration scope, scalability, and simplified management. He lauds Prosimo as a game-changer for enterprises seeking to enhance user experience, increase security, reduce network infrastructure costs, and future-proof their set-up.

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Prosimo: A Game-Changer in Cloud Networking CFD18

Do Processors Matter in the Cloud?

Keith Townsend delves into the relevance of hardware selection, specifically processors, in cloud services in this LinkedIn article. Noting that although AWS has commoditized the cloud underlay, Townsend argues that processor choice still plays a crucial role, particularly when aiming to optimize cost, performance, and application portability. However, for those firmly invested in a specific Cloud Service Provider or prioritizing avoiding optimization costs at the infrastructure level, the cloud provider’s processor may be the more convenient choice.

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Do Processors Matter in the Cloud?

VMware Is at CloudField Day. Will They Be Back Under Broadcom?

Ken Nalbone’s LinkedIn article recaps VMware’s appearance at Cloud Field Day 18. He discusses the company’s ambitious approach to modernizing applications and consistent infrastructure and its innovations like Tanzu Transformer, Tanzu Hub, Tanzu Guardrails, and Tanzu Insights. Nalbone also comments on potential changes under the impending Broadcom acquisition, highlighting the importance of executing VMware’s vision for multi-cloud environments.

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VMware Is at CloudField Day. Will They Be Back Under Broadcom?