Features

Features

• The evolution and history of software configuration management

  IT and software configuration management challenge tech professionals. It's been that way for decades, and best practices continue to evolve.  Continue Reading

• A look inside the official Cisco DEVASC 200-901 guidebook

  In this book excerpt, readers can explore the Cisco DEVASC 200-901 official guide and get a flavor of one of Cisco's newest exams and its blend of networking and software topics.  Continue Reading

• Is Cisco DevNet worth it? Experts say yes, it's the future

  Any IT professional who's heard the hype for Cisco's newest certification track may wonder, 'Is Cisco DevNet worth it?' Some experts say it's the future. Find out more in this Q&A.  Continue Reading

• Cognito user pools vs. identity pools -- what AWS users should know

  Familiarize yourself with user pools and identity pools in Amazon Cognito and learn how to better protect your workloads in a cloud environment.  Continue Reading

• How Amazon and COVID-19 influence 2020 seasonal hiring trends

  Retail and logistics companies must adapt their hiring strategies to compete with Amazon and respond to the pandemic's effect on shopping habits.  Continue Reading

• All-flash object storage makes its way into the enterprise

  Object storage isn't just for backups and archives anymore. All-flash offerings are being used for AI, machine learning and analytics. See what types of products are available.  Continue Reading

• A look back at re:Invent 2019 and the year since

  Catch up on some of the biggest services and feature updates AWS added to its cloud platform since re:Invent 2019 as you prepare to attend this year's virtual conference.  Continue Reading

• An AWS re:Invent 2020 handbook: What you need to know

  Re:Invent is more accessible than ever now that it's virtual, but recreating opportunities for networking could prove difficult. Check out these tips to get ready for the show.  Continue Reading

• AMD, Nvidia chip acquisitions target Intel's dominance

  AMD, Nvidia and Intel raised the competitive heat in the chip industry with all three making strategic acquisitions to run AI workloads.  Continue Reading

• The state of data center convergence: Past, present and future

  Discover if CI, HCI, dHCI or composable technology is right for your environment and workloads, and how the converged data center continues to evolve.  Continue Reading

• Infrastructure as code benefits and DevOps use cases

  Code flexibility, automation and security top the list of reasons to use IaC for DevOps use cases. But without careful management, they can quickly present problems.  Continue Reading

• Optimal architectures for intelligent storage systems

  Explore the best, most optimal architectures for intelligent storage and how these systems improve storage performance/utilization to help get more bang out of your data set buck.  Continue Reading

• How to create an effective software architecture roadmap

  For large-scale initiatives that span the enterprise, a well-planned software architecture roadmap allows development teams to navigate projects safely and efficiently.  Continue Reading

• VMware-Avi acquisition leads to spot in ADC market

  VMware acquired Avi in hopes of becoming a player in the application delivery controller market. Avi has also helped VMware transform vSphere into a comprehensive management stack.  Continue Reading

• How to negotiate with Oracle for a better cloud deal

  Set your organization up for a successful cloud deal. Learn the challenges you'll need to overcome with these insights on Oracle's cloud sales strategy from ClearEdge Partners.  Continue Reading

• Tips for attending virtual IT conferences like a pro

  The coronavirus pushed all physical gathering events into the digital realm for public safety. But this completely disrupts our prep patterns. Here are some tips to help.  Continue Reading

• SmartNIC market capitalizes on advances in programmability

  Traditional NICs are getting an upgrade, thanks to smartNICs and function accelerator cards that add programmability. But this doesn't really change things for enterprises -- yet.  Continue Reading

• Growth of enterprise Wi-Fi at home spotlights digital divide

  Remote enterprise workers need a reliable internet connection. Learn how the digital divide can touch workers and how companies can help bridge this gap.  Continue Reading

• Edge computing strategies will determine the next cloud frontier

  The public cloud providers closed the 2010s as one of the dominant forces in IT, but they'll face competition in the 2020s from networking and telco vendors at the edge.  Continue Reading

• The role of SD-WAN templates before and during deployment

  SD-WAN deployments require knowledge of network design and trust in software to take over some network maintenance duties. This is where SD-WAN templates come into play.  Continue Reading

• Learn to onboard, provision devices in Cisco's SD-WAN book

  Here's a look inside Cisco's SD-WAN book, which details design and deployment for network teams looking to deploy SD-WAN and insights for SD-WAN certification hopefuls.  Continue Reading

• Admins eye on-premises and cloud hybrid IT management

  Most organizations now support a mix of on-premises and cloud infrastructure. This has vendors and analysts reshaping tools that can address hybrid IT requirements.  Continue Reading

• How to improve the developer experience

  Developer experience matters in the fast-paced and customer-focused culture of DevOps teams. Software development leaders from major corporations share their tips for a good DX.  Continue Reading

• 3 DevOps antipatterns to avoid at all costs

  A DevOps initiative is not a single task, but an evolution of an organization's technology, processes and culture -- and without a collaborative mindset, it will likely fail.  Continue Reading

• KubeCon 2020 preview: Session guide for fine-tuning Kubernetes

  Hosted as a low-cost virtual event, KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America 2020 offers a broad array of technical sessions that can help you scale and improve Kubernetes deployments.  Continue Reading

• KubeCon 2020 preview: Session guide for Kubernetes professionals

  The virtual format of KubeCon 2020 means Kubernetes adopters can learn from their peers and take in expert presentations on Kubernetes and related technologies.  Continue Reading

• KubeCon 2020 preview: Session guide for Kubernetes beginners

  Want expert advice to kick off a container and Kubernetes implementation at your company? Many of the sessions at KubeCon North America are made for you.  Continue Reading

• The power and plights of female network engineers

  Impostor syndrome burdens female network engineers, due to discrimination, as well as a lack of representation and education. But many of these women are working to change that.  Continue Reading

• Hyper-converged edge infrastructure targets carriers, ROBOs

  Hyper-converged systems provide a way to locally process IoT data and deliver streaming content at the network's edge while maintaining service and application performance.  Continue Reading

• Composable, an IoT infrastructure paradigm with potential

  Composable infrastructure can stand up and down virtual servers depending on the varying needs of workloads. Learn why composability is a good for IoT.  Continue Reading

• How to implement Scrum the right way

  Not sure where to start with Scrum? Check out a book that covers Scrum implementation from pre-development work through retrospectives, and details the frameworks to scale Scrum.  Continue Reading

• Cloud performance testing is necessary for app migration

  So, you're moving your app to the cloud. Is it ready for that? Here's how to test it to see if it will meet performance goals once deployed off premises.  Continue Reading

• How 5G could change cloud computing

  The major cloud providers have embraced the push for 5G in the cloud with partnerships and offerings. Learn about the benefits and early limitations of 5G in the cloud.  Continue Reading

• Amazon S3 vs. Google Cloud Storage vs. Azure pricing, features

  See how storage pricing and features stack up in this comprehensive look at the three major cloud service providers.  Continue Reading

• Bare-metal container clusters: Infrastructure for next-gen apps

  Learn the requirements, designs and software stacks used to build bare-metal clusters for containers using dedicated 1-2U HCI hardware instead of existing virtual machine servers.  Continue Reading

• How to evaluate VDI hardware requirements

  VDI has specific hardware needs that servers hosting other virtualized workloads may not meet. Learn how to gauge VDI hardware requirements for servers, storage and more.  Continue Reading

• Book details API design best practices

  APIs are designed for people you've never met to solve problems you didn't know existed. With that in mind, how do you design and build them well?  Continue Reading

• You can now run a Nvidia vGPU on VMware infrastructure

  VMware's partnership with Nvidia aims to make machine learning more accessible. By pairing Nvidia vGPUs with vSphere, companies can accelerate computing and maintain management.  Continue Reading

• NVMe and SCM: Implications for the future of storage

  Explore the various ways NVMe technology vendors are preparing the way for organizations to transition to storage class memory in their computing environments.  Continue Reading

• VSphere 7 Kubernetes capabilities ease move toward modern apps

  VSphere 7 comes with a variety of updates -- most notably, native Kubernetes functionality. This helps developers deploy applications more efficiently, and also adds automation.  Continue Reading

• Best practices for multi-cloud optimization

  Optimizing multi-cloud environments is essential to ensuring performance and low costs. There are several best practices organizations can use, including governing cloud resource usage.  Continue Reading

• US-China 5G competition hinges on enterprise apps, services

  In the U.S.-China competition over 5G, the infrastructure deployment race sets the stage for a larger struggle over the application layer. Here's why enterprise IT teams should care.  Continue Reading

• NSX distributed firewall ensures security across VMs, containers

  The security rules and policies within VMware's NSX software enable admins to implement security measures for both VMs and containers to prevent malicious attacks and malware.  Continue Reading

• Private cloud networking creates public cloud UX on premises

  Organizations can run a private cloud like a public cloud with the help of the right networking and security tools and achieve agility and flexibility on premises.  Continue Reading

• TechTarget announces Best of VMworld 2020 Award winners

  The Best of VMworld 2020 Awards highlight the most innovative products from VMware ecosystem partners. Here are the winners of all six categories and the Best of Show.  Continue Reading

• Essential mobile app development tools and programming languages

  Learn about the tools available for hybrid and native iOS and Android mobile app development and testing, as well as the programming languages developers use.  Continue Reading

• How public cloud vendors tackle confidential computing

  Confidential computing is an emerging cloud technology, and the major cloud platforms have all addressed it with different strategies around usability and scale.  Continue Reading

• Teleworkers need enhanced home internet access in the US

  The COVID-19 pandemic has increased reliance on home networks and highlighted the need in marginalized communities for dedicated resources to enable reliable internet access.  Continue Reading

• An introduction to Alibaba cloud offerings

  Learn about the fourth largest public cloud provider with this look at some of Alibaba's core computing, networking, storage and database offerings.  Continue Reading

• Network monitoring market converges with security analytics

  As cyber attacks increase and enterprise networks require threat detection and protection, network monitoring and security analytics are converging for more comprehensive visibility.  Continue Reading

• VM performance monitoring tools boost infrastructure insights

  Learn how virtualization management and monitoring tools from ManageEngine, SolarWinds and Veeam compare when it comes to features that address system health and performance.  Continue Reading

• 3 key ways DevOps benefits a business

  DevOps adoption can strain an organization. Is it worth the effort? Here's what a business should expect to gain when implementing DevOps and continuous delivery.  Continue Reading

• Managed SAN services aim to ease storage chores

  Offloading SAN management to an MSP partner could free IT admins from an infrastructure component that sometimes gets short shrift among other data center priorities.  Continue Reading

• COVID-19 stresses healthcare data storage resources

  Healthcare organizations face new obstacles to effectively manage and store their data resources. See how they're using cloud, hybrid cloud and on-premises storage models.  Continue Reading

• New Amazon grocery stores run on computer vision, apps

  Amazon dives deeper into the grocery business with its first 'new concept' grocery store, driven by automation, computer vision and sensors.  Continue Reading

• Get to know low-code/no-code tools from major cloud vendors

  With the help of low-code or no-code services, application development doesn't have to be so painstaking or strenuous. Learn why cloud providers are getting in on the action.  Continue Reading

• Evolving DevOps roles demand Kubernetes, CI/CD skills

  The rapid rate of change in IT coupled with the newness of many DevOps practices and technologies creates barriers for those who seek a career in DevOps. These skills can open the door.  Continue Reading

• 16 DevOps books to level up your skills

  Is your organization and IT staff ready to tackle DevOps, from culture to strategies and toolchains? Start with these 16 books from learning DevOps basics to fine-tuning specific DevOps skills and practices.  Continue Reading

• Top 15 DevOps blogs to read and follow

  The DevOps community is big, but here are some of the top DevOps blogs to read that cover everything from tips for beginners, the latest news and how-tos.  Continue Reading

• Telecommunications book highlights spectrum, fiber cabling

  5G touts faster download speeds and new application types, but other major 5G changes will be in spectrum and fixed wireless. Learn more in this telecommunications book excerpt.  Continue Reading

• Multimedia data and 5G drive network transformation

  Emerging networking trends and touted innovations always showcase faster speeds and new use cases. Yet, new challenges keep pace, too, such as security and privacy issues.  Continue Reading

• Top 2020 data center industry trends include edge, private cloud

  IT infrastructure isn't just an on-premises data center anymore. The '2020 State of the Data Center' report shows growing interest in private cloud, edge and colocation.  Continue Reading

• Just what can AI in IT operations accomplish?

  How should the 'AI' in 'AIOps' work? The idea is for it to identify and solve problems in ways similar to how the human mind would -- except faster and without prompting.  Continue Reading

• COVID-19 puts IT infrastructure spending in flux

  As the pandemic continues, research firms state that organizations must realign IT budgets to support projects that maintain operations and put nonessential initiatives on hold.  Continue Reading

• Law firm makes compelling case for Pure Storage all-flash

  CSK Legal first used Pure Storage all-flash arrays to move VMs to VMware vSphere. Primary Pure FlashArray replicates VMs to second target used exclusively for backups.  Continue Reading

• How to craft a cloud testing strategy

  As more applications and workloads ascend to the cloud, organizations need to validate performance, functionality and other metrics. Here's a primer on testing in the cloud -- and on the cloud.  Continue Reading

• High-performance interconnects and storage performance

  Should you use InfiniBand or RDMA over Converged Ethernet as an interconnect? We discuss each technology's effect on performance features such as latency, IOPS and throughput.  Continue Reading

• See if Azure Arc fits in your hybrid and multi-cloud strategy

  Azure Arc is central to Microsoft's hybrid cloud strategy. Discover how it compares to competing services from AWS and Google and see where it might be headed next.  Continue Reading

• Securing Active Directory also involves good backup practices

  The 'Active Directory Administration Cookbook' covers what admins can do in advance to bring the identity and access management platform back online after an attack.  Continue Reading

• Amazon's sustainability initiatives: Half empty or half full?

  Amazon's public perception and investment profile are at stake as altruism and self-interest mix in its efforts to become a more sustainable company.  Continue Reading

• Chart an Azure administrator certification path

  Advance your career as an IT administrator with Azure certifications. Review the requirements and exams associated with Azure administrator roles with this guide.  Continue Reading

• Get a quick rundown of 12 cloud developer tools from AWS

  With so many available options, it can be difficult to keep track of all the developer tools AWS has to offer. Check out 12 tools that are a part of AWS' toolkit.  Continue Reading

• Composable benefits from infrastructure-as-code techniques

  Learn why composable infrastructure is an effective infrastructure as code delivery model and can serve as a foundation for orchestrating and automating IT resource provisioning.  Continue Reading

• VMware vs. Nutanix on HPE GreenLake: Comparing approaches

  See how Synergy composable infrastructure with VMware Cloud Foundation and ProLiant DX on Nutanix Enterprise Cloud take different approaches to HPE GreenLake pay-per-use IT.  Continue Reading

• The top software developer skills, tools and certifications

  Now tasked with managing complex enterprise software systems, the depth of skills and breadth of knowledge needed by developers has never been more profound.  Continue Reading

• Overcome these 5 DevOps challenges

  DevOps adoption isn't easy, but the results are worth it. Learn how to collaborate, cooperate and coordinate with better organization and DevOps tooling.  Continue Reading

• Adopt and secure the cloud in a work-from-home world

  Set up a remote work infrastructure with the cloud. This article highlights cloud adoption strategies for beginners, tips to reduce latency and the benefits of cloud backup.  Continue Reading

• Enterprises prefer private 5G networks over network slicing

  Large enterprises are wary of network slicing within public 5G networks because of potential security risks. But SMBs see network slicing as a viable 5G option.  Continue Reading

• Application architecture changes force IT to adjust focus

  IT teams should focus on developer needs to control security and cost management and prevent vendor lock-in as businesses demand faster application turnaround, a consultant advises.  Continue Reading

• 5 leading data virtualization tools offer integration strategy

  Learn which features and capabilities your organization should consider in order to select the data virtualization platform that will best fits its needs.  Continue Reading

• Data center storage adoption reacts to pandemic pressures

  Read on to learn how data center and storage administrators use cloud services, remote management and automation to overcome today's COVID-19 challenges.  Continue Reading

• Memory management techniques improve system performance

  Prior to using memory management strategies, admins should familiarize themselves with approaches to ensure they implement techniques suited to their specific circumstances.  Continue Reading

• 10 top hyper-converged infrastructure vendors and products

  Determining which hyper-converged infrastructure platform is right for your organization should include analyzing your workloads and assessing technology from top HCI vendors.  Continue Reading

• 10 cloud computing experts you should follow

  Get up to speed on what's happening in the cloud by following some of the top voices in the industry, including those who are building the technologies and other industry experts.  Continue Reading

• Use cases for object storage ramp up to meet emerging demands

  Computational and storage advances are expanding the role of object storage beyond traditional HPC and cloud to emerging data analytics, machine learning and deep learning use cases.  Continue Reading

• On-premises STaaS shifts storage buying to Opex model

  Storage as a service enables organizations to access on-premises storage in various ways, such as pay as you go, subscription buying and metered payments. Learn the pros and cons.  Continue Reading

• How Amazon launched the warehouse robotics industry

  In 2012, the warehouse robotics industry consisted of Kiva Systems, the sole supplier to serve all e-commerce companies. When Amazon devoured Kiva, a wellspring of startups bubbled up in response.  Continue Reading

• 8 network diagramming tools for architects

  Network design tools help architects map out the company infrastructure but only with the right product. Explore these eight vendors and their tools to make the right buy.  Continue Reading

• Agile FAQ: Get started with these Agile basics

  Check out these tips on Agile basics for a quick catch-up or a great head start on maximizing the value of using Agile methods in your organization.  Continue Reading

• Top 5 cloud news stories of 2020 -- so far

  As cloud outages and acquisitions rolled on in early 2020, it seemed like the news cycle would never slow down. Review the top news articles to prepare for the rest of the year.  Continue Reading

• 5G for enterprises requires other tech to reap full benefits

  5G won't solve all an organization's problems or fully replace existing 4G LTE architecture. In fact, 5G needs other technology for it to truly succeed and be useful.  Continue Reading

• What IT pros can expect from 5G core network architecture

  5G is the first 'G' in the cloud, which means its network architecture can enable functions, services and capabilities past cellular generations couldn't. Here's what to expect.  Continue Reading

• 5 edge computing basics you need to know

  Edge computing is forcing IT teams to rethink legacy architectures. In this guide, explore edge computing basics, including its pros and cons and its effect on enterprise networks.  Continue Reading

• Follow Google's lead with programming style guides

  Code style guides shield developers from dangerous programming approaches and confusion. Here's how Google cultivates style guides, and why you should too.  Continue Reading

• 4 FAQs to help master KVM management

  When it comes to managing KVM, admins should do their homework and research common questions to better understand the technology and ensure peak performance.  Continue Reading

• Modern HDD technologies that are bringing hard disks back

  Don't write off HDDs just yet. Energy-assisted technologies such as MAMR and HAMR may keep hard disk drives competitive in an evolving secondary storage market.  Continue Reading

• A mechanical refrigeration system primer for admins

  Mechanical cooling is a necessity to keep data centers efficient year-round. The system type you use depends on the refrigerant, number of heat exchanges and airflow requirements.  Continue Reading

• How certifications, remote work affect cloud computing salaries

  How many certifications you have and where you live will likely drive what you make as a cloud engineer. Catch the latest cloud salary and hiring trends.  Continue Reading

• HAMR vs. MAMR, and the future of high-capacity hard drives

  Energy-assisted hard drive technology is here, and heat-assisted and microwave-assisted magnetic recording technologies are about to bring even more changes to the HDD market.  Continue Reading

• Network security in 2020 highlights zero trust, SD-branch

  In this roundup of networking blogs, experts explore various aspects of network security -- from old and evergreen to new and innovative -- and the roles they play in 2020.  Continue Reading