Sulagna Saha explores the socio-economic implications of automation, questioning whether advancements in technology can guarantee economic well-being for all. She discusses the potential benefits and challenges posed by increased automation in various sectors. This article was based on a delegate roundtable discussion at Cloud Field Day 21. For further insights, check out more articles by Sulagna Saha on Gestalt IT.
Technology Silos Are a Thing of the Past
Enterprise IT has long been divided into silos. This is because of scarce resources and specialized knowledge required to perform some IT operations tasks. The world of today is much more focused on outcomes and the need for silos is waning. In this episode of the Tech Field Day Podcast, Stephen Foskett, Alastair Cooke, and Tom Hollingsworth discuss how enterprise IT has moved away from silos due to increased resource availability and cross training. They also look ahead to new challenges from advances like AI and quantum computing.
How Aviz Networks Cracked the Strictest Quality Code and Made Entry into the Japanese Telecom Sector
Sulagna Saha explores Aviz Networks’ strategic breakthrough in one of the most challenging markets, the Japanese telecom sector. Highlighting the company’s adaptation to Japan’s rigorous quality standards, the article details how Aviz Networks successfully aligned its technology and business practices to meet these demands. This entry not only underscores Aviz Networks’ commitment to excellence but also sets a precedent for other tech companies aiming to penetrate similarly tough markets. Read more coverage of Networking Field Day 36 on Gestalt IT!
Cisco to Add Ultra-Reliable Wireless Backhaul to Wireless APs in 2025
Sulagna Saha recently covered an upcoming development from Cisco: the introduction of ultra-reliable wireless backhaul for their Wireless Access Points, set to launch in 2025. This enhancement aims to significantly boost network resilience and performance, catering especially to environments where wired connections are impractical. Cisco’s initiative is poised to set a new benchmark in wireless network infrastructure, reflecting their ongoing commitment to innovation and improved connectivity solutions. Read more coverage of Mobility Field Day 12 on Gestalt IT!
Behind Nile Access Service’s Robust Day 2 Automation Is a Little-Known Solution
Sulagna Saha explores the robust day 2 automation capabilities of Nile Access Service, highlighting a lesser-known solution integral to its efficiency. She details how this solution simplifies the management and scaling of network operations. Throughout the article, Saha emphasizes the solution’s potential to revolutionize approaches to network automation with its innovative features and user-centric design. Read more coverage of Mobility Field Day 12 on Gestalt IT!
Automated Visibility: PathSolutions’ Formula for a Swift RCA and Prompt Debugging
Sulagna Saha explores how PathSolutions leverages its automated visibility tools to enhance Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and debugging processes, promoting faster problem resolutions within IT networks. She delves into the software’s capability to intelligently diagnose issues and provide clear guidance, thereby reducing downtime and improving network performance. The article underscores the importance of quick RCA in maintaining efficient and reliable network operations in modern enterprises. Read more Networking Field Day 36 coverage at Gestalt IT!
Company Acquisitions are a Necessary Evil in Enterprise Tech
The IT industry’s reliance on acquisitions is a necessary driver of innovation, though they often seem to get in the way of competition and progress. This episode of the Tech Field Day podcast, recorded during Cloud Field Day 21, features Ray Lucchesi, Jon Hildebrand, Ken Nalbone, and Stephen Foskett considering whether acquisitions in the IT industry are a necessary evil or a detriment to innovation. Acquisitions are often seen as a double-edged sword, with both positive and negative implications. On one hand, acquisitions can fuel innovation by providing smaller companies with the resources and market access they need to scale their ideas. On the other hand, they can stifle competition, lead to cultural clashes, and sometimes result in the disappearance of promising technologies or products.
There’s a Gulf Between Storage and AI
There is a significant gap between storage companies and their ability to effectively support AI infrastructure. In this episode of the Tech Field Day podcast, recorded during the AI Data Infrastructure Field Day 1 in Santa Clara, host Stephen Foskett and guests Kurtis Kemple, Brian Booden, and Rohan Puri explore the evolving relationship between storage and AI. The discussion highlights a significant gap between storage companies’ current capabilities and the demands of AI applications. While storage vendors are pivoting to support AI, many lack deep AI expertise, often focusing on cost and efficiency rather than offering integrated, AI-specific solutions. The panel emphasizes the need for storage companies to move beyond being mere data repositories and instead develop end-to-end solutions that address AI workflows, data preparation, and metadata management. They also stress the importance of education, partnerships, and hiring AI specialists to bridge the knowledge gap and drive innovation. The conversation underscores the early stage of this convergence, with a call for clearer strategies, open standards, and more cohesive integration between storage and AI to meet the growing demands of data-driven applications.
Arista Networks’ Visibility Goal with CloudVision
In her latest article for Gestalt IT, Sulagna Saha delves into Arista Networks’ strategic advancements with CloudVision, particularly in enhancing network visibility and orchestration. She discusses how CloudVision is designed to provide real-time, granular insights into network operations, catering to the demands of modern enterprises for efficient network management. Saha also outlines the implications of such advancements for network administrators and the potential for streamlined workflows and improved network reliability. Watch for more Networking Field Day 36 coverage on Gestalt IT!
Meter’s Pricing Model: Can It Make Networking More Affordable for Businesses?
In her latest analysis on Gestalt IT, Sulagna Saha delves into Meter’s innovative pricing model, exploring its potential to reduce networking costs for businesses. She evaluates how Meter’s strategy of combining hardware, software services, and maintenance into a single, predictable monthly fee could simplify budgeting and operations for companies of all sizes. The piece provides a thorough insight into how this model stands to disrupt traditional networking cost structures, potentially offering significant savings and efficiency improvements. Read more coverage from Networking Field Day 36 by Sulagna Saha at Gestalt IT!
Intential’s Automation-as-a-Service Solution for Operationalizing and Standardizing Infrastructure Automation
Intential’s Automation-as-a-Service solution is revolutionizing how organizations handle infrastructure automation by operationalizing and standardizing processes. This platform aids enterprises in eliminating the variability in automation strategies, ensuring consistency and reliability across deployments. By leveraging Intential’s service, companies can streamline their IT operations, boost efficiency, and significantly reduce manual intervention. Read more coverage from Networking Field Day 36 by Sulagna Saha at Gestalt IT!
WiFi isn’t Always the Best Solution
Wi-Fi is the most dominant client connectivity option on the market today. The growth of ubiquitous computing has only happened because of the mass deployment of Wi-Fi. However, Wi-Fi isn’t the only wireless solution and isn’t always the best way to connect devices. In this episode, Tom Hollingsworth is joined by Lee Badman, Troy Martin, and Ron Westfall as they discuss what other options exist and what workflows they can improve.
Making the Most of Mobility Field Day 12
Tom Hollingsworth emphasizes the value of participating in Mobility Field Day 12, highlighting the unique opportunity it presents for professionals in the wireless networking field to gather insights from leading technology companies. He discusses how this event fosters deep dives into new products, technologies, and strategies that are shaping the future of mobility. Watch live as Tom and the Tech Field Day delegates hear from Cisco, Nile, and more at Mobility Field Day 12 next week!
AI Doesn’t Make App Dev Any Better
Generative AI is transforming many industries where people create content. Software development is no different; AI agents are in almost every development platform. But is AI improving application development and software quality? This episode of the Tech Field Day Podcast looks at some of the issues revolving around AI and App Dev with Alastair Cooke, Guy Currier, Jack Poller, and Stephen Foskett. The ultimate objective of a software development team is to deliver an application that fulfills a business need and helps the organization be more successful. An AI that can recommend basic code snippets doesn’t move that needle far. More sophistication is needed to get value from AI in the development process. The objective should be to have AI handle the repetitive tasks and allow humans to focus on innovative tasks where generative AI is less capable. AI agents must handle building tests and reviewing code for security and correctness to enable developers to concentrate on building better applications that help organizations.
Platform9 Launches Private Cloud Director
On the Gestalt IT Rundown, Stephen Foskett reported on Platform9’s release of their new product, Private Cloud Director. This solution provides enterprises with a seamless way to manage private cloud resources, aiming to simplify cloud infrastructure operations. Private Cloud Director is positioned to enhance scalability and provide robust management tools for diverse IT environments. Watch this video, inspired by Platform9’s presentation at Cloud Field Day 21, to learn more!
AI is the Enabler of Network Innovation
Artificial Intelligence is creating the kind of paradigm shifts not seen since the cloud revolution. Everyone is changing the way their IT infrastructure operates in order to make AI work better. In this episode of the Tech Field Day Podcast, Tom Hollingsworth is joined by John Freeman, Scott Robohn, and Ron Westfall as they discuss how AI is driving innovation in the networking market. They talk about how the toolsets are changing to incorporate AI features as well as how the need to push massive amounts of data into LLMs and generative AI constructs is creating opportunities for companies to show innovation. They also talk about how Ethernet is becoming ascendant in the AI market.
There are Too Many Clouds
Public Cloud computing is a large part of enterprise IT alongside on-premises computing. Many organizations that had a cloud-first approach and are now gaining value from on-premises private clouds and seeing their changing business needs leading to changing cloud use. This episode of the Tech Field Day podcast delves into the complexity of multiple cloud providers and features Maciej Lelusz, Jack Poller, Justin Warren, and host Alastair Cooke, all attendees at Cloud Field Day. The awareness of changing business needs is causing some re-thinking of how businesses use cloud platforms, possibly moving away from using cloud vendor specific services to bare VMs. VMs are far simpler to move from one cloud to another, or between public cloud and private cloud platforms. Over time, the market will speak and if there are too many cloud providers, we will see mergers, acquisitions or failures of smaller specialized cloud providers. In the meantime, choosing where to put which application for the best outcome can be a challenge for businesses.
Automation Is Progressing, but at a Less-than-Breakneck Speed – A Conversation with Nokia
In a recent conversation featured on Gestalt IT, Sulagna Saha explores the state of automation within the tech industry, focusing on insights from the delegates who attended the Networking Field Day Exclusive event with Nokia. While automation is undoubtedly advancing, the pace is described as steady rather than rapid, reflecting a careful approach to integration and development. This discussion highlights the nuanced progression of automation technology and its implications for the future of network management and efficiency. Read more, and watch the video of this important roundtable discussion!
