Cloud Field Day 18: After-Action Perspective From the Delegates

We loved Nathan Bennett’s group Cloud Field Day after-action report video and wrote up an article to go with it at Gestalt IT. The event offered a platform for tech companies to showcase their developments and gain feedback from our delegates. Juniper Networks presenting their AI integration into Apstra, while Mezmo impressed with its telemetry capabilities and user-friendly interface. Long-standing industry player, VMware, was noted for its adaptability in the multi-cloud environment, proving that the evolving tech landscape remains exciting and innovative. Get the delegate reaction to all the presentations in this video!

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Cloud Field Day 18: After-Action Perspective From the Delegates

Computational (DNA) Storage – End of Evolution Part 4

Ray Lucchesi explains the progression of DNA storage as presented by SNIA at the recent Storage Field Day event. The author explains the concept of computational storage in DNA strands and elaborates on the potential efficiency of this methodology in terms of data density and orchestration. The article implies that the technology is still in its nascent phase with accuracy rates around 70-80%, but suggests a promising future with the incorporation of innovative features like error-correcting codes (ECC).

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Computational (DNA) Storage – End of Evolution Part 4

Network Field Day – Day 2 – Fortinet

In this YouTube video, Jordan Villarreal embarks on an exploration of Fortinet’s Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) platform, aiming to gain a comprehensive understanding of the technology following their presentation at Networking Field Day 33.

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Network Field Day - Day 2 - Fortinet

Design Edge Infrastructure With NodeWeaver

In this LinkedIn post, Gina Rosenthal gives an overview of NodeWeaver’s presentations and demos at Edge Field Day 2. NodeWeaver introduced their platform, designed to behave like a public cloud, hiding hardware intricacies and making it easier for users to manage edge infrastructure. The article further delves into how NodeWeaver automates tedious specifics of deploying, managing, and operating edge compute infrastructure and concludes with how it simplifies day-to-day operational tasks as well.

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Design Edge Infrastructure With NodeWeaver

Network Field Day 33 – Day 1 – Cisco/Meraki

In this YouTube video, Jordan Villarreal explores the latest from Cisco Meraki regarding their hardware and software offerings. Presented in the context of their recent Networking Field Day 33 presentation, the video offers an in-depth analysis of these technological innovations.

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Network Field Day 33 - Day 1 - Cisco/Meraki

Network Field Day 33 – Day 1 – RG Nets

In this YouTube video, Jordan Villarreal shares his experience learning about RG Nets Inc., a company new to him, and their first-time presentation at Networking Field Day. The video promises an insightful look into RG Nets and its offerings. This is a great opportunity for those interested in the networking field to discover a potentially unfamiliar company and gain understanding of its place in the industry.

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Network Field Day 33 - Day 1 - RG Nets

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