Quantum advances its storage portfolio with Myriad, the latest software-defined solution that streamlines unified file and object storage capabilities tailored to today’s intensive workloads like AI and HPC. Myriad’s innovative architecture, built on a cloud-native foundation, promises high throughput and low latency, driven by NVMe technology to meet the rigorous demands of data-rich environments. This strategic move not only bridges the gap between Quantum’s StorNext and ActiveScale products but also redefines the company’s trajectory by catering to the burgeoning needs of capacity, performance, and scalability inherent to modern data workflows. Read more in this Gestalt IT article by Max Mortillaro, sponsored by Quantum.
Google Cloud, the Preferred Platform for Building Competitive AI Models
At AI Field Day, Google Cloud’s Brandon Royal showcased the giant’s comprehensive strategy for meeting today’s burgeoning AI demands, leveraging one of the industry’s most extensive digital infrastructures. Emphasizing the significance of AI infrastructure in conjunction with generative AI (GenAI), Google Cloud highlighted their commitment to innovation, asserting their platform as the superhighway for AI-forward companies. With Google Cloud providing robust compute power off its own infrastructure, businesses can harness AI’s opportunities without the traditionally high entry barriers of infrastructure costs and expertise. Read more in this article by Sulagna Saha for Gestalt IT.
Intel Xeon CPUs on VMware vSphere – A Powerful and Cost-Effective Twosome for AI/ML Workloads
With AI ingrained in our daily routines, Forward Networks delivered a strategic approach at Networking Field Day, demonstrating how even complex networking data can be made manageable through AI integration. Their platform uses a data-first principle, enabling AI to interact effectively with a digital twin of network infrastructure, simplifying tasks for network engineers. The innovative AI Assistant within Forward Networks’ ecosystem assists in constructing queries for the Network Query Engine, fostering trust through verifiable, human-readable outputs, and providing a gateway for more intuitive network management. Read more in this article by Sulagna Saha on Gestalt IT.
Taking on AI Inferencing With 5th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable Processors
Intel’s 5th Generation Xeon Scalable Processor, known as Emerald Rapids, offers an advantageous solution for AI inferencing, providing a compelling alternative to GPUs in certain applications. Highlighted during the AI Field Day event, Intel showcased the processor’s suitability for general-purpose AI workloads, especially for private AI deployments requiring lower latency and mixed workloads. In his presentation, Ro Shah illustrated that Xeon CPUs are well-equipped to handle AI models with fewer than 20 billion parameters, making them a cost-effective and efficient choice for many enterprises. Read more in this article from Gestalt IT.
Replacing Human-Driven Automation With One That Is Event-Driven, With Cisco
In a move to enhance network management efficiency, Cisco is replacing the existing human-driven automation with an innovative event-driven approach. Network controllers centralize operations by maintaining an inventory of network states, and event-driven automation streamlines this further by automating responses to network changes, reducing manual intervention and speeding up the resolution process. Cisco’s event-driven solutions were explored in detail at Tech Field Day Extra at Cisco Live EMEA 2024, promising elevated operational capabilities with a focus on observability and swift auto-configuration. Read more in this article from Gestalt IT.
Policy Management Gets Easier With Cisco AI Assistant
Cisco’s AI Assistant, unveiled at Tech Field Day Extra at Cisco Live EMEA 2024, promises to revolutionize policy management within Secure Access, offering swift and reliable creation and enforcement of security policies. Emphasizing simplicity and risk reduction, the AI tool handles English language prompts to generate comprehensive policies, demonstrating its capability to securely augment and automate IT administrator tasks. Showcasing AI’s monitoring role, Cisco Secure Access also ensures protected use of AI tools within organizations, preventing sensitive data breaches and incorporating intelligent user access control.
New Networking Ideas at Networking Field Day 34
Networking Field Day 34 is February 28! It promises to showcase Forward Networks’ AI-driven network operations tools, Aviz Networks’ SONiC-based enterprise solutions, and NaaS insights from Nile. With a blend of newcomer energy and returning expertise, the event offers live presentations, interactive delegate discussions on pressing industry topics, and opportunities for the audience to engage with innovative network technologies. Tune into the live stream on the event page or the Tech Field Day LinkedIn page, engage with the conversation using the event hashtag, and catch up on sessions afterward on the Tech Field Day YouTube channel.
Doubling Down on Network Observability With IP Fabric and NetBox Labs
At Tech Field Day Extra at Cisco Live EMEA 2024, IP Fabric revealed a collaboration with NetBox Labs, emphasizing a strengthened focus on Network Observability through their Automated Network Assurance Platform and a versatile NetBox plugin. This strategic alliance addresses the complexities of visualizing and managing multifaceted network environments by merging extensive visibility with dynamic topology modeling. IP Fabric’s innovative approach promises improved data accuracy and operability across network architectures, aligning observed network states with intent-based configurations to support efficient and reliable network operations.
Dell Makes Storage Multi-Cloud by Design With APEX Block Storage for Public Cloud
Dell Technologies presented their APEX Block Storage for Public Cloud at Cloud Field Day, offering a unique software-defined storage solution that bridges on-premises infrastructure and public cloud services. By advocating for reduced total cost of ownership and high performance, this solution aims to seamlessly integrate the operational experience of local storage with the flexibility and resilience of cloud storage. Proclaiming an “up to 87% cost-savings and 100 times better performance” compared to native public cloud offerings, Dell APEX Block Storage emerges as a strategic option for enterprises looking to balance cost, complexity, and performance across their hybrid multi-cloud environments.
The Year of AI at AI Field Day 4
AI Field Day returns on February 21st-23rd, giving a broad perspective on AI’s foundational technologies in a year touted to be pivotal for artificial intelligence. Attendees can expect in-depth sessions with industry giant Intel as well as key players VMware by Broadcom, Qlik, Hammerspace, Solidigm, VAST Data, and many more. This event explores revolutionary AI applications and their infrastructure demands, and will be broadcast live for a global audience. Watch live on LinkedIn and the Tech Field Day website and catch the recordings on YouTube!
Accelerating Big Data Analytics With NeuroBlade SPU
In a data-driven world where every second counts, NeuroBlade’s SQL Processing Unit (SPU) is revolutionizing big data analytics with its ability to accelerate high-throughput workloads, as Sulagna Saha writes, covering their Cloud Field Day presentation. With organizations in a race to transform data into actionable insights, the NeuroBlade SPU offers a competitive edge with its 10-fold speed increase over GPUs and seamless integration into current tech ecosystems. This breakthrough addresses the pressing demand for faster time-to-insight, ensuring businesses can harness real-time intelligence at sustainable costs, thereby marking a significant leap in analytics processing power.
Extending the Benefits of Public Cloud Into the Enterprise With SoftIron’s HyperCloud V2.0
At the intersection of cloud convenience and data privacy, SoftIron’s HyperCloud v2.0 emerges as a compelling on-prem infrastructure solution, adapting public cloud ease to private datacenters, as dissected in Sulagna Saha’s latest article based on their Cloud Field Day presentation. As the cloud industry burgeons towards a projected $1 trillion valuation, HyperCloud’s integration of complex cloud-native features simplifies the return to private datacenters without sacrificing agility or scalability. For enterprises hesitant to commit to full public cloud services due to data control and cost, this blend of minimal infrastructure burden and accelerated outcomes offers a secure and adaptable alternative. Read the full article for an in-depth understanding of SoftIron’s innovation in private cloud technology.
Achieving Operational Excellence in Hybrid Multi-Cloud With the Dell APEX Cloud Platform Family
In this article, Sulagna Saha reviews the Dell APEX Cloud Platforms, a solution engineered to expand and improve the multi-cloud experience. The APEX Cloud Platform family provides a complete set of solutions to help operate effortlessly in the dispersed world of hybrid multi-cloud. The platform aims to unify cloud and on-premise environments, ensuring operational consistency and efficiency, co-engineered in collaboration with trusted partners like Microsoft, Red Hat, and VMware. The platform promises to streamline the adoption of multi-cloud operations, integrating storage, computing, and familiar management tools within a scalable architecture, bolstered by Dell’s commitment to continuous innovation and security. To delve deeper into the operational excellence enabled by Dell’s APEX Cloud Platform family, read this review by Sulagna Saha or watch their videos from Cloud Field Day!
Qumran3D, Broadcom’s New Single-Chip 25.6T Router for Cloud to Core Applications
In this article, Sulagna Saha reviews the new Qumran3D, a single-chip router from Broadcom that combines the power and functions of multiple routing solutions into one device. Designed to address key needs for bandwidth, low power consumption, and security, Qumran3D stands out with its 25.6 Tb/s capacity, integrated design, and enhanced security features like on-chip encryption. With its revolutionary single-chip architecture, Qumran3D promises to significantly reduce energy consumption and physical space requirements, positioning itself as a pivotal hardware innovation for core to cloud applications. Read about it at Gestalt IT or watch Broadcom’s presentation of Qumran3D from our recent Cloud Field Day event.
Auto-Optimizing EKS Utilization With New Elastic Machine Pool From Platform9
Platform9’s Elastic Machine Pool (EMP) is an innovative response to the costly challenges of over-provisioning in the cloud, introduced at the Cloud Field Day event to enhance EKS deployment efficiency. EMP expertly tackles the pervasive issue of low utilization rates in Kubernetes environments, promising to virtually halve EKS costs while maintaining application SLAs by optimizing EKS cluster utilization via an intelligent, hands-off approach. Platform9’s solution signifies a major step towards cost-effective cloud management, ensuring resource optimization without compromising on performance, with aspirations to extend this savvy tool beyond AWS EKS, offering broad appeal to enterprises looking to streamline their cloud operations.
Excitement Abounds at Tech Field Day Extra at Cisco Live EMEA 2024
Tech Field Day is ready to bring more insightful content at Cisco Live EMEA 2024 in Amsterdam, making an early impact with a schedule full of authoritative presentations from Cisco, IP Fabric, and NetBox Labs. The event kicks off with Cisco Enterprise Networking, including Meraki, followed by the Mass Scale Infrastructure team with intriguing new developments. Tune in for the live streams, join engaging security and networking discussions, and for those not in Europe, replays will be available on the Tech Field Day YouTube channel, ensuring no one misses out on this must-attend tech gathering.
Improving the Accuracy of Domain-Specific Information of Large Language Models With Ben Young
Ben Young’s Ignite Talk at Edge Field Day delved into the challenges of large language models (LLMs) and introduced a potential solution through retrieval-augmented generation (RAG). Using RAG, Young crafted a chatbot that leverages the Veeam knowledge base to accurately deliver domain-specific information without the need for retraining. His work demonstrated how this AI framework can fine-tune LLM responses, ensuring accuracy and up-to-dateness by incorporating external context and authoritative data sources. Give the article a read at Gestalt IT and watch the Ignite Talk here on the Tech Field Day website.
Next-Level Client Wi-Fi Visibility With Cisco’s Three-Way Partnership
Cisco is elevating enterprise Wi-Fi monitoring and optimization through a data-centric approach, as discussed by Minse Kim at Mobility Field Day. Their strategic partnerships with leading device vendors, prominently including Samsung, Intel, and Apple, allow unprecedented access to extended device data, fostering better Wi-Fi experiences for the end user. By harnessing rich analytics from millions of devices in the Meraki Cloud, this collaboration is redefining troubleshooting and operational efficiency in Wi-Fi networks. Read about it at Gestalt IT or watch Cisco’s presentation from the Mobility Field Day event here at the website.
Catalyst Gets a Meraki Makeover With the Catalyst 9300-M Switch Series
Cisco’s Catalyst 9300 series switches have been given a “Meraki makeover,” offering the robust performance of Catalyst with the seamless, intuitive user experience of Meraki, right from Day 0. This hybrid approach promises to simplify network management for customers familiar with Catalyst’s reliability but eager for Meraki’s agile management and cloud integration, as demonstrated during Cisco’s recent Networking Field Day event. Catalyst Meraki 9300 series, touted for its adaptability and security features like Adaptive Policy, bridges hardware legacy and modern cloud management, streamlining operations for the most demanding network environments. Read the article at Gestalt IT, or watch the presentation from the Networking Field Day event here on the website.
Networking and Security Come Together With Fortinet Secure SD-WAN
At Networking Field Day, Fortinet unveiled their Secure SD-WAN solution, a unified platform that melds networking with robust security through next-gen firewall, Advanced Routing, and Zero Trust Network Access. This integrated approach is central to organizations seeking a transition to a Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) model, ensuring secure, resilient networks amid expansion. Holistically managed by FortiManager and powered by Fortinet’s proprietary ASIC for optimum performance, Fortinet Secure SD-WAN exemplifies the synergy of networking and security for operational efficiency and preemptive threat management. Watch the presentation and read more!
