The recent fusion of Cisco’s Catalyst and Meraki technologies caught the eye of Girard Kavelines, with the launch of the Catalyst 9300-M series switches presented at Cisco Live EMEA—a hybrid that combines the robust Catalyst hardware and the simplicity of Meraki’s cloud-managed dashboard. This range stands out with its impressive features such as up to 90W of PoE per port, 1T StackWise capabilities, and zero-touch provisioning, all integrated seamlessly into the Meraki interface for unparalleled power and user-friendly operation. With Cisco Meraki’s commitment to innovation and cloud integration, the new series not only streamlines network management but also sets a new standard for engineering excellence in the cloud era, available to order beginning February 13th.
Security Field Day 10- Forward Networks- Double Trouble for Network Security!
Forward Networks presented their Network Digital Twin technology at Security Field Day, impressing Girard Kavelines. According to Girard, the solution excels in processing and analyzing every possible network scenario, creating a detailed replica of an organization’s entire infrastructure to identify and mitigate threats and vulnerabilities. The post highly recommends viewing Forward Networks’ presentation from the event for its integrative capabilities and efficient threat remediation.
Catalyst & Meraki: Together at Last!
Girard Kavelines explores how Cisco’s acquisition of Meraki has facilitated leveraging Meraki’s cloud capabilities on both Catalyst and Meraki switch platforms. With offerings such as the MS130 and 130SR, and the introduction of the rugged MS13OR switch, mixed environments now have a unified, scalable solution with enhanced security, connectivity, and performance. The blog post also highlights zero-touch provisioning as a key feature, simplifying network management and deployment through Cloud configuration.
Security Field Day 10- Event Preview
Girard Kavelines previews Security Field Day in this post, expressing excitement for gaining new insights into the security industry and hearing about new solutions. He highlights presentations from Druva and Forward Networks, expecting learning about different approaches to protecting data and predictive infrastructure behavior analysis.
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.
Cisco Live 2023 Highlights- Opengear & LightHouse Enterprise!
Girard Kavelines recently attended Cisco Live 2023 and had the opportunity to learn about Opengear’s networking solutions. Opengear is a leader in Out of Band Management (OOB) solutions, providing hardware and software for visibility into networks without downtime. Their new product, LightHouse Enterprise, offers simplicity, security, and immediate access to network devices across multiple data centers and the edge. I highly recommend checking out Opengear’s booth and experiencing their commitment to resiliency firsthand.
Tech Field Day Extra- Automating & Securing With BackBox!
According to Girard Kavelines, BackBox is the ultimate automation solution that every organization needs to streamline their infrastructure and improve security. With over 2,000 pre-configured automations and scalability for any need, BackBox simplifies networking tasks and ensures timely updates. By leveraging BackBox, organizations can have the equivalent of a dedicated DevOps team to automate workflows and achieve guaranteed results. Check out their presentations at Networking Field Day and Cisco Live to learn more about their powerful features and capabilities.
Networking Field Day 32- A.I., Bandwidth, Automation & More!
In this blog post, Girard Kavelines reflects on his experience at Networking Field Day and highlights two standout presentations from Broadcom and Anuta Networks. Broadcom showcased Ethernet Fabric for AI at Scale, offering improved network performance, congestion management, and packet spraying for optimized traffic flow. Anuta Networks presented their cross-domain automation solution, Anuta ATOM, which enables low-code automation across multiple vendor networks and domains. Read more to get the Field Day experience first-hand from Girard!
Networking Field Day 32 Event Preview
Girard Kavelines is excited to return for Networking Field Day next week. The event will feature presentations from industry leaders like Broadcom, Nile, and Anuta Networks, offering insights into networking innovations and solutions. Girard looks forward to learning more about the latest developments in network-as-a-service, automation, and monitoring. See you at Networking Field Day next week!
Active Defense Against Ransomware With RackTop Systems’ BrickStor SP
RackTop Systems’ BrickStor SP is an active cyberstorage solution safeguarding data assets against cybersecurity breaches. The software leverages a zero-trust architecture built on continuous validation before access grant. BrickStor SP’s data-centric zero-trust principle analyzes every user interaction for potential security alerts and provides real-time detection and quick response and recovery against threats such as insider theft and ransomware attacks through built-in encryption, policy-based key rotation and auditing, and user and entity behavior analysis. This article by Gerard Kavelines, sponsored by RackTop, explores BrickStor from the perspective of a network security expert.
Cisco Live 2023- Tech Field Day Extra- Event Preview
Girard Kavelines is getting excited for an in-person Cisco Live event, not to mention that Tech Field Day will be there. The event will include two-action-packed days, with presentations and demos from a host of well-known vendors. These will include Opengear and BackBox, both of whom will present their latest products and services to delegates. And of course there will be hours of deep dives into the latest from Cisco!
Cisco Live 2023- Lets Go to Vegas Baby!
Girard Kavelines shares his excitement and anticipation for Cisco Live 2023, an event that he describes as “Disneyland for IT professionals.” This post highlights the possibilities this event presents for networking and connecting with talented individuals from all around the world, in-person learning opportunities and access to sessions and presentations, community engagement, and the Tech Field Day exclusive event. He also discusses the personal significance of attending the event as a symbol of his own professional and personal growth. Girard encourages others to register for the event, pack up, and get ready for an unforgettable experience!
Networking Field Day 30- Delegate Roundtable
In this article, Girard Kavelines writes about his favorite part of Networking Field Day in January…The Future Of Networking in 2023 Delegate Roundtable. Read his thoughts on the value of Networking as a Service (Naas) on his website.
Ep 112 – NFD30 Special!
Networking Field Day Delegates A.J. Murray, Tim Bertino, and Girard Kavelines share their thoughts on this event in this episode of the Art of Network Engineering Podcast. Listen to their thoughts here!
I’ve Got 99 Problems but a Fortinet Isn’t One
Girard Kavelines raves about FortiSwitch, FortiManager, and FortiLink as “making onboarding the easiest thing you’ll ever experience.” Check out his full review of Fortinet’s presentation at Networking Field Day in January on the TechHouse570 website.
Networking Field Day 30- Event Preview
Girard Kavelines gave us a quick preview of what to have expected on the presentation schedule for this past Networking Field Day. Girard gives some quick thoughts about each company and what he was most excited to hear about. For all full presentations, head over to the Tech Field Day website, and be sure to check out Girard’s blog for more Networking Field Day content!
2023 New Year, New Opportunities
Girard Kavelines was a delegate at both Tech Field Day and Security Field Day last year and attended January 2023’s Networking Field Day! In this post, he talks through some highlights of last year and shares a few plans for the upcoming year. Check out what he has to say!
FortiReady- Securing the Future One Solution at a Time
Girard Kavelines tuned in live for the Fortinet presentation at this past Security Field Day, now he is sharing his thoughts on his personal blog. He goes into detail on both the FortiRecon and FortiDeceptor technologies that are changing the game in the way we detect, respond, and remediate multiple threats! If you want to learn more from Girard about Fortinet’s newest platforms, check out his article here!
Tech Field Day 26- Recap- Part 2
Check out part two of Girard Kavelines’ recap of Tech Field Day joining the CXL Forum at OCP Summit and be sure to catch all of the latest recaps and updates from Tech Field Day on the Tech Field Day website!
Tech Field Day 26- Recap- Part 1
In his latest post, Girard Kavelines gives us a great recap on Day 1 of October’s Tech Field Day. All delegates visited the OCP Summit where Micron, and other companies like MemVerge and Broadcom, delivered their CXL forum presentations. Girard says “Micron never fails to deliver” because they play a huge role in bringing Summit to life! Check out more thoughts from Girard here on CXL.
