Ask the Experts

Ask the Experts

• How does Microsoft BitLocker secure local, cloud resources?

  The BitLocker encryption technology continues to evolve from its roots as a Windows Vista feature to protect resources both in the local data center and in the Azure cloud platform.  Continue Reading

• What should I know about IP address management systems?

  As networks continuously gain more devices, outdated IP address management methods face new challenges. Despite this, IPAM is still crucial for any organization's network.  Continue Reading

• How do I build a cloud-ready network?

  IT teams can prepare their networks for cloud migrations by planning around their applications, security strategies, remote users and WAN performance.  Continue Reading

• What are some Windows Server 2019 SDN security features?

  Microsoft continued to refine the software-defined networking capabilities in its latest server operating system by developing several new security features.  Continue Reading

• What's the difference between SD-branch vs. SD-WAN?

  As networking pros evaluate SD-branch vs. SD-WAN, they'll notice a key distinction between the two technologies, namely how network functions are managed and orchestrated.  Continue Reading

• Why is a data archive plan important?

  A data archiving plan might not be simply important for your organization -- it could be necessary, given legal and compliance requirements. Make sure you're ahead of the game.  Continue Reading

• What are some features in Microsoft Defender ATP?

  The threat protection platform, which underwent a recent name change, comes with some tailored features for Windows Server 2019 to stop attacks and reduce configuration issues.  Continue Reading

• 12 questions to ask about SD-WAN managed services

  When contemplating SD-WAN managed services, organizations should ask questions about network security, infrastructure compatibility and bandwidth requirements.  Continue Reading

• The importance of vCloud Connector server, interface and nodes

  The three crucial components of vCC are the interface, the server and the nodes. The interface enables admins to modify the environment, while the server acts as the go-between.  Continue Reading

• What's the difference between thin and thick SD-WAN branch offices?

  When rolling out software-defined WAN, you'll need to consider the current makeup of your branch offices. For instance, are applications on-site or in the cloud?  Continue Reading

• What is vCloud Connector and what does it do?

  VMware vCC enables organizations to move workloads, such as VMs, templates and vApps, between clouds by extending the data center, synchronizing content and managing content.  Continue Reading

• Are attitudes toward edge computing architecture changing?

  Edge computing has many advantages over the centralized running of applications and processing of data on premises and in the cloud. Are IT leaders getting the message, though?  Continue Reading

• Why should I consider an AIOps platform for my network?

  AIOps can take various tasks -- such as data collection and analysis -- off the plates of network teams. This can provide organizations with better insight into network visibility.  Continue Reading

• SD-WAN vs. DMVPN vs. IPsec tunnels: How do I choose?

  Software-defined WAN, DMVPN and IPsec tunnels each have a place among enterprises. Our network expert compares each one and explains where they can be most beneficial.  Continue Reading

• How do I choose the right network automation tools or platform?

  In your organization's search for the best network automation platform for business operations, compare the pros and cons of proprietary and open source tools.  Continue Reading

• What does HCI 2.0 mean for hyper-convergence?

  Like composable infrastructure, next-gen hyper-convergence promises to ease procurement and management by, among other things, enabling users to add disparate IT resources independently.  Continue Reading

• How do I build the right cloud network design?

  Networks look different now than they did a decade ago, and that continuous change isn't slowing down. Cloud networking plays a large role in the transformation of legacy networks.  Continue Reading

• 5 reasons why hyper-converged infrastructure could be right for you

  The reasons for going hyper-converged vary. Often, however, organizations deploy HCI technology to effectively address one or more of the five issues outlined in this article.  Continue Reading

• What is the difference between a bridge and a router?

  While a bridge and router share some similarities, the difference between a bridge and router is significant, including how the devices interpret network connections.  Continue Reading

• How can SD-WAN and edge computing services work together?

  Organizations may want to consider the effect SD-WAN and edge computing could have when combined. Make sure to consider all options before choosing a combination model, however.  Continue Reading

• What's the difference between half-duplex and full-duplex?

  A half-duplex transmission could be considered a one-way street between sender and receiver. Full-duplex, on the other hand, enables two-way traffic at the same time.  Continue Reading

• Are Nutanix products hyper-converged hardware, software or cloud?

  Nutanix may still offer branded appliances, but there is a lot more to the hyper-converged infrastructure pioneer's product offerings than that nowadays.  Continue Reading

• How realistic are compact SD-WAN appliances compared to VPNs?

  The battle between VPN vs. SD-WAN returns. In this clash, see how realistic SD-WAN appliances are for remote and mobile workers compared to VPN connections.  Continue Reading

• Which converged infrastructure vendors are businesses considering?

  Today's fast-paced business landscape has led enterprises to increasingly turn to convergence vendors. See why, which they are choosing and who leads the market.  Continue Reading

• Network security vs. application security: What's the difference?

  Different tools protect different assets at the network and application layers. But both network and application security need to support the larger security plan.  Continue Reading

• What are the Azure Stack HCI hardware and support costs?

  Organizations can cap their hyper-converged infrastructure costs when they deploy the Azure Stack HCI platform, but once they plug into the cloud, it's a different story.  Continue Reading

• What are the benefits of event-driven architecture patterns?

  See how event-driven architecture patterns can set up an enterprise application for adaptability in a way that monolithic architectures can't.  Continue Reading

• How can you prevent a cloud data breach in your AWS environment?

  Get a cloud expert's take on the technical factors involved in the Capital One data breach that exposed sensitive data of millions of the bank's customers.  Continue Reading

• Learn which edge data center types are best to virtualize

  You can implement ESXi on ARM -- or other RISC processors -- in micro and nano data centers. A nano data center is more specialized but also more limited than a micro data center.  Continue Reading

• What does an ESXi on ARM architecture look like?

  When you run a hypervisor such as VMware ESXi on ARM architecture, consolidation shouldn't be your goal; isolation, sandboxing and management should be.  Continue Reading

• What SD-WAN certifications and courses are available?

  A few SD-WAN certifications do exist, but they're heavily focused on specific vendors and their respective products. Find out why market-wide certs are unlikely.  Continue Reading

• Implement edge virtualization to ease device management

  Virtualization at the edge offers pros and cons. By virtualizing edge devices, admins can use a familiar management platform for devices both in and out of the data center.  Continue Reading

• How to compare Cisco vs. HPE Aruba switches

  Organizations have much to consider when evaluating Cisco vs. HPE Aruba switches, such as device architecture, Opex, Capex and analytics capabilities.  Continue Reading

• Choose between CISC vs. RISC processors for edge virtualization

  CISC and RISC processing architectures have different benefits and drawbacks when it comes to implementing virtualization at the edge, but RISC processors reduce power consumption.  Continue Reading

• What goes into a user story vs. use case for Agile development?

  Developers refer to software requirements to code a good product, but there are different ways to categorize user needs. What's the difference between a user story vs. a use case?  Continue Reading

• What serverless storage options are available?

  Cloud database services, object storage services and application memory cache are among the options available for storage in serverless environments.  Continue Reading

• What's the difference between API and web services testing?

  Web services and APIs aren't the same -- or are they? How do web services and API testing differ, and what does each type of test aim to achieve?  Continue Reading

• How can predictive analytics for unstructured data improve storage?

  AI-based analytics capabilities are becoming pervasive in storage arrays. Find out how they're helping get the unstructured data deluge under control.  Continue Reading

• What are the Azure Stack HCI deployment, management options?

  While the Windows Admin Center is one way to manage the Azure Stack HCI platform, you can also use traditional, battle-tested tools.  Continue Reading

• What AWS testing tools and services are available?

  There are many tools available on the AWS Marketplace for QA testing, making it difficult to determine where to begin. What should an enterprise look for when choosing among QA tools?  Continue Reading

• Do you know the difference in the Microsoft HCI programs?

  Hyper-converged infrastructure that runs on Windows Server is not a new concept, but Microsoft's Azure Stack HCI program has one big difference from earlier HCI incarnations.  Continue Reading

• What are the Azure Stack HCI features?

  An Azure Stack HCI system relies on Windows Server 2019 to deliver the software-defined compute, storage and networking technologies that integrate with the OEM hardware.  Continue Reading

• How do I create proper documentation of network automation?

  Despite network automation's advantages, organizations can face disadvantages if they have improper network documentation. These four components can help enable proper documentation.  Continue Reading

• How will BSS coloring boost Wi-Fi 6 performance?

  BSS coloring is a feature that will help accelerate Wi-Fi 6 performance. Find out how the new mechanism will help access points transmit more efficiently.  Continue Reading

• How do you choose between SDKs and APIs for enterprise apps?

  Explore the pros and cons that differentiate SDKs and APIs from each other and come to understand what types of applications call for SDKs, APIs or both.  Continue Reading

• Perform a Windows event log search with PowerShell

  Event log monitoring is vital to an IT environment's health and success, but finding a specific event in the flood is challenging. PowerShell enables admins to simplify this task.  Continue Reading

• What are some bad coding practices to avoid?

  Application development projects aren't meeting expectations, and developers are not sure why. What are some common bad coding practices that developers follow but should avoid?  Continue Reading

• What are best practices for archiving emails?

  Archiving email is crucial to the business continuity and disaster recovery process. For example, consider how cybersecurity and cloud storage can integrate with the archiving.  Continue Reading

• How do I manage ACL folder permissions with a PowerShell script?

  PowerShell scripts make short work of repetitive Windows tasks, saving admins time, effort and frustration. One simple area admins can manage with scripts is the access control list.  Continue Reading

• What are the main features of Ansible vs. Ansible Tower?

  Both Ansible and Ansible Tower offer enterprises a wealth of resources for config management, but they aren't equals. Assess their differences in crucial aspects such as security.  Continue Reading

• Can API mapping fix data integration problems?

  The more distributed and complex a modern application is, the more likely an API mapping tool should join the developers' arsenal for efficient design and troubleshooting.  Continue Reading

• Which programming practices alleviate code redundancy?

  WET code leaves apps bogged down. Learn how to reduce the challenges brought on by code redundancy by programming based on the DRY principle.  Continue Reading

• Bridge vs. switch comparison: What's the difference?

  A network bridge connects two local area networks. A network switch, on the other hand, connects multiple clients to a network. Learn more about these two network components.  Continue Reading

• How does 802.11ax security benefit from WPA3?

  Security methods like WPA3 and Opportunistic Wireless Encryption will give a boost to 802.11ax security, but securing the new wireless standard is still pretty complicated.  Continue Reading

• What are some examples of embedded hypervisors?

  A virtualization layer in an embedded system provides better efficiency for tasks such as network virtualization. Some examples of embedded hypervisors include the Xvisor and ACRN.  Continue Reading

• What are the best criteria to use to evaluate cloud service providers?

  Many cloud providers are tight-lipped about internal security control details. Learn how to evaluate cloud security providers with certifications and third-party assessments.  Continue Reading

• Embedded hypervisor use cases and benefits explained

  An embedded hypervisor offers several benefits, such as VM security, system reliability and improved hardware use, and is ideal for admins looking to simplify their environments.  Continue Reading

• What's the role of metadata in unstructured data management?

  Discover how to expand your organization's use of metadata to improve the management and storage of unstructured data to make it more organized and accessible.  Continue Reading

• Considerations for embedded hypervisor implementation

  Before incorporating an embedded hypervisor, admins must consider storage, memory, system performance and scheduling to help prevent latency issues.  Continue Reading

• Top hyper-converged platform features to look for in an HCI system

  Know software compatibility, maximum scalability and long-term potential of hardware support from vendors before buying a hyper-converged infrastructure system.  Continue Reading

• What hyper-converged network details should I consider?

  No longer a second-class citizen to compute and storage, networking is now integral to most HCIs. Keep in mind certain networking facts when adopting hyper-convergence, however.  Continue Reading

• Should admins learn about serverless computing?

  Serverless architecture is beneficial to organizations that use virtualization and function-as-a-service models. Here's what admins should know about it.  Continue Reading

• What is an embedded hypervisor and what value does it provide?

  Embedded systems and hypervisors go hand in hand. By understanding both, admins can maximize system benefits such as multiple OS support and legacy code compatibility.  Continue Reading

• What are the steps I should take for network transformation?

  The path to digital transformation has three points that all organizations should reach to ensure their network is ready for digital transformation.  Continue Reading

• What is 5G massive MIMO and how can it boost bandwidth?

  With a large array of small antennas and time division duplex communication, 5G massive MIMO is expected to support more bandwidth and users with lower latency.  Continue Reading

• How does SD-WAN analytics monitor network performance?

  With SD-WAN analytics, administrators can fine-tune their WAN connections and determine how well their network is performing.  Continue Reading

• What effect will 400 GbE have on enterprise networks?

  400 Gigabit Ethernet is the next hurdle for Ethernet capabilities to surpass. But enterprises may not be prepared for this technology yet, due to its immaturity.  Continue Reading

• How do I foster reusable code across dev projects?

  Developers don't have a lot of free time. Code reuse helps dev teams focus on the most valuable aspects of a project. So ensure your team knows how to write, and test, reusable code.  Continue Reading

• Are there tools or platforms that support AWS Firecracker?

  Although there are a handful of tools to help run Firecracker more easily, admins might find issues with the lack of major tool integration for the software.  Continue Reading

• Can I install Ansible for Windows system management?

  Even though Ansible has its roots in open source software and Linux, is it possible to use the configuration management tool for Windows environments?  Continue Reading

• How do I measure overall TCO when comparing HCI vendors?

  Comparing the TCO of deploying different HCI vendors' platforms makes it likelier you'll pick the right one for your organization. Start the process with our checklist.  Continue Reading

• What is the difference between TCP/IP model vs. OSI model?

  Use this expert advice to learn the differences between the TCP/IP model vs. the OSI model, and explore how they relate to each other in network communications.  Continue Reading

• Why would I use Micronaut framework instead of Java?

  Micronaut is JVM-based, so what does it bring to application development and test that the Java framework doesn't already address?  Continue Reading

• Which SD-WAN features truly comprise SD-WAN technology?

  How do you protect your organization and network against SD-WAN washing? Here are four key SD-WAN features that your system must have in order to be called SD-WAN.  Continue Reading

• How can network security analytics detect and thwart threats?

  Network security analytics gives organizations an additional level of protection against malicious attacks. It works closely with network analytics tools.  Continue Reading

• How do I obtain, deploy and update AWS Firecracker?

  Firecracker can assist admins with creating and operating micro VMs, but improper installation and updates can cause potential issues.  Continue Reading

• What are micro VMs and how do they benefit data centers?

  When used together, VMs and containers can provide key benefits to an admin's workload, such as isolation and security, without having to deal with typical disadvantages.  Continue Reading

• When to use a micro VM, container or full VM

  Choosing among VMs, containers or micro VMs depends on workload isolation and security needs, and admins should understand the different use cases before making a decision.  Continue Reading

• What steps should I take in the event of a network failure?

  Don't panic when the network goes down. Instead, use this checklist to go through five factors that could cause network failure, and follow tips on how to plan for them in advance.  Continue Reading

• What are Ansible roles and when and how should I use them?

  Roles are one of several functions in Ansible that simplify and streamline IT automation processes. Dig into this quick overview to learn the basics of roles and potential use cases.  Continue Reading

• How to meet QA responsibilities during a software tester shortage

  An organization facing a dire shortage of QA engineers can't just dump these tasks on developers. Here's how to keep up software quality with limited QA resources.  Continue Reading

• Erasure coding vs. RAID: Pros and cons for hyper-convergence

  Hyper-converged systems, like any other, require data protection. We describe using RAID and erasure coding for hyper-convergence to help you pick the best option for your HCI.  Continue Reading

• What does stateful vs. stateless mean in a networking context?

  When it comes to understanding state from a networking perspective, knowing the difference between stateful vs. stateless firewalls is a crucial starting point.  Continue Reading

• What does open source SD-WAN look like, and do we need it?

  Open source software has an openly available source code that users can adopt or modify. Open source combined with SD-WAN might be a perfect match or a too idealistic goal.  Continue Reading

• Can you integrate legacy network monitoring and analytics?

  Legacy network monitoring and new analytics tools don't often mix. One workaround is APIs, but a better option is to upgrade older management software.  Continue Reading

• How do I know what's test automation vs. automated testing?

  A script-based tool has replaced a daily testing exercise on some code. Is it simply an automated test, part of a test automation strategy or even DevOps-enabled continuous testing?  Continue Reading

• What's new in hybrid Azure services in Windows Admin Center?

  Trying to get the most out of Azure hybrid services? Discover Microsoft's latest developments to further centralize management in Windows Admin Center.  Continue Reading

• How do I get started with an Ansible playbook?

  An Ansible playbook boosts admin productivity when they manage configurations across machines. Learn how playbooks work and how to avoid live errors.  Continue Reading

• What do the top cloud security providers offer in 2019?

  Cloud security providers need to play catch-up with the evolving advancements in cloud technology. Find out what the top CSPs offer today and which one is right for you.  Continue Reading

• What key messaging patterns should enterprise architects know?

  An unknowable number of interactions occur to enable digitization. Applications must pass these messages according to a design pattern, and these two categories suit enterprise-scale apps.  Continue Reading

• Quality assurance testing vs. user acceptance testing

  There are differences between QA and UAT, but testers from both sides ought to collaborate and firm up test plans to resolve issues.  Continue Reading

• Does DevOps require end-to-end monitoring tools?

  While basic monitoring services and feedback loops provide critical insight for DevOps teams, an end-to-end monitoring tool gives them a more holistic view of the end-user experience.  Continue Reading

• How do I plan a network management strategy for multiple tools?

  Many IT teams deal with a bevy of network management tools, which complicates data integration and leads to errors. A network management strategy that focuses on coordination can help.  Continue Reading

• Which code quality metrics should devs track?

  Developers and testers strive to create quality, reusable code to deploy apps faster and keeps users happy. But what metrics should they track to evaluate code quality?  Continue Reading

• What roles are included in a network engineer job description?

  What is a network engineer? The role can encompass several disciplines, especially as new technologies emerge. Software knowledge, in particular, is in high demand.  Continue Reading

• HCI management layer vs. native hypervisor management

  See why inherent differences between hyper-converged and native hypervisor management tools tend to make one better suited for managing virtualized HCI resources than the other.  Continue Reading

• Essential hyper-converged backup, data protection questions to ask

  Procure a hyper-converged infrastructure, and you'll need to protect the data residing in that environment. Ask and answer these questions to determine the best HCI backup approach for your organization.  Continue Reading

• How do I avoid Exchange disk space issues?

  Exchange Server log files tend to chew up a lot of space, particularly on the later versions. Here's how to keep the mail flowing when a hard drive fills up.  Continue Reading

• Hyper-V vs. vSphere: How do the latest versions stack up?

  Microsoft recently released Windows Server 2019, so how do the features in this version of Hyper-V compare to VMware's virtualization platform?  Continue Reading

• HCI hardware or hyper-converged software: Which is better for me?

  Appliance-based hyper-convergence integrates software with hardware, while software-only HCI enables you to use the hardware of your choice. Each type has pluses and minuses.  Continue Reading