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• Will network management functions as a service arrive soon?

  Network management as a service isn't widespread, at least not yet. But if past history is any indication, its popularity is bound to grow, once certain hurdles are overcome. Continue Reading

• Serverless infrastructure demands new roles for IT admins

  Serverless technology is going to disrupt the data center, and IT administrators will need to shift their expertise from management to configuration and from servers to services. Continue Reading

• Choose the cloud computing deployment model that fits your data center needs

  Organizations looking to the cloud to update their data center should consider the future development of systems management providers when selecting a cloud computing deployment model. Continue Reading

• Fail at scale: Build failure into virtual infrastructure design

  It's better to be over-prepared than surprised. Design virtual infrastructure around the possibility that it might fail and have a plan in mind for when it does. Continue Reading

• How can network analytics tools benefit IT staff?

  Network analytics tools can help IT managers proactively pinpoint network performance issues and trends -- even before the underlying problem is revealed. Continue Reading

• Definitions to Get Started

  • What is an API (application programming interface)?
  • What is a SAN? Ultimate storage area network guide
  • What is a data retention policy?
  • What is multi-access edge computing? Benefits and use cases

  • What is 5G?
  • What is 6G? Overview of 6G networks & technology
  • phase-locked loop (PLL)
  • What is millimeter wave (mmWave)?

  View All Definitions

• Does software-defined networking architecture need network overlays?

  Network overlays and software-defined networking architecture share a history. But while overlays offer flexibility, they also bring extra overhead and troubleshooting complications.Continue Reading

• Five AWS IAM best practices to bolster cloud security

  To mitigate risks and protect cloud resources, many organizations rely on AWS IAM policies. Use these five tips to learn the basic features -- and limitations -- of the service.Continue Reading

• How do I know if cloud-based archiving is the right choice?

  If you don't need to access old data much, cloud archiving could work out well. That's just one consideration, though, for deciding which archival platform to employ.Continue Reading

• How gRPC improves microservices load balancing on Kubernetes

  Kubernetes networking can be a challenge, but the gRPC protocol can help software pros focus on the application logic rather than worry about how to handle network request calls.Continue Reading

• SDDC architecture basics and deployment considerations

  Software-defined data centers accelerate hardware provisioning and maintenance. These benefits are reason enough for admins to familiarize themselves with SDDC components.Continue Reading

• NetApp FlexPod

  NetApp FlexPod is a reference architecture for server, storage and networking components that are pretested and validated to work together as an integrated infrastructure stack.Continue Reading

• Amazon GuardDuty

  Amazon GuardDuty is a managed cloud security monitoring service that detects behavior or threats that can compromise Amazon Web Services (AWS) accounts, resources or workloads.Continue Reading

• Amazon Neptune arms analytics teams with graph databases

  Turn to a graph database to put aside table joins for good. With Amazon Neptune, a developer can assess and query relationships between data sets.Continue Reading

• Why is Docker's container approach so important?

  The name has become synonymous with containers, but there are other container management tools available.Continue Reading

• Create a shielded VM template in SCVMM in four easy steps

  SCVMM templates simplify the process of deploying shielded VMs. Prepare the disk to use shielded VM technology before creating the template.Continue Reading

• How to build a layered approach to security in microservices

  Make your microservices-based app as secure as possible by adopting an in-depth, layered security strategy because no single traditional approach can reliably do the job.Continue Reading

• How a bastion forest limits exposure of admin privileges

  A Windows Server 2016 feature called a bastion forest is the centerpiece of Microsoft's privileged access management model that limits the exposure of admin rights.Continue Reading

• Test your hyper-converged networking knowledge

  Network hyper-convergence is racing to catch up to the level of virtualization of compute and storage. Test yourself on your HCI networking knowledge.Continue Reading

• Serverless vs. containers: What's best for event-driven apps?

  Serverless and containers give teams new options to host event-driven applications, but each has pros and cons. Decide which platform is best for your app to avoid a costly mistake.Continue Reading

• How to control state for so-called stateless microservices

  How do you control state in a stateless microservices environment? Front-end and back-end state control can be two viable approaches, and one requires less work than the other.Continue Reading

• What are the Microsoft IRM requirements for Exchange 2016?

  Before a company can take advantage of information rights management on the Exchange 2016 platform, administrators must ensure the server setup meets the technical requirements.Continue Reading

• How do you use Outlook IRM to protect email content?

  The information rights management feature in Exchange prevents unauthorized parties from viewing sensitive content. Admins can tailor the settings to fit the company's needs.Continue Reading

• Modern service management, DevOps streamline app administration

  DevOps and service management are synonymous in modern IT, insofar as their guidelines match. Regardless of the term, ensure organizational practices are built for today's reqs.Continue Reading

• Set up Hyper-V nested virtualization for production

  There are several considerations for using nested virtualization in Hyper-V production environments, including system requirements, networking, storage and memory considerations.Continue Reading

• Configuration as code specifies and simplifies IT deployment

  Infrastructure as code means not having to worry about those tedious and complicated duties typically involved in provisioning IT services.Continue Reading

• How infrastructure as code benefits and eases provisioning

  Being able to provision services with code means a simplification to sometimes complicated processes. Plus, you won't need to worry about the platform that service will run on.Continue Reading

• Use SQS to trigger functions in Lambda -- finally

  The wait is over, as you can now trigger Lambda functions with SQS messages. Follow these steps to get up and running with this new capability.Continue Reading

• Zabbix monitoring requires experience for best results

  Not every IT tool is as easy to learn as it is potentially useful. Zabbix offers several views into an environment, but that flexibility comes at the price of admin experience.Continue Reading

• Test your Cohesity storage systems knowledge

  Taking the principles of hyper-convergence and applying them to secondary storage systems enabled Cohesity to create a hyper-converged platform for data recovery and backup.Continue Reading

• With progressive web applications, developers blur the lines

  With progressive web applications, single-page apps, motion UI and other innovations, app development meets the moment, giving users what they want, where they want it.Continue Reading

• Web app development morphs as apps and websites merge

  The lines between web and mobile app and websites are blurring, so development silos are out, and boning up on building progressive web apps and single-page apps is in.Continue Reading

• What are the Windows Defender management tools?

  If you're using Windows Defender AV to protect your company, it's imperative to configure the malware protection properly. This tip lays out the management options for admins.Continue Reading

• Taking stock of Windows Server management tools

  Microsoft provides a mix of server management tools that administrators can choose from to control the machines that run the business. This comparison can help steer your decision.Continue Reading

• Manage Google cloud instances with images, templates

  Recent additions to Google Compute Engine, particularly around images and templates, streamline how admins can create and manage VMs.Continue Reading

• Master AWS CloudFormation templates with these five tips

  AWS CloudFormation enables businesses to automate much of their cloud infrastructure. Read this expert advice to ramp up with the service.Continue Reading

• Use HashiCorp's Terraform tool and companions for production IaC

  Developers want isolated systems for prototyping. Testers want mimicry of production. And IT operations wants to configure this infrastructure for them without reinventing the wheel.Continue Reading

• Use AWS tags to sharpen your cloud visibility

  AWS resource tags provide admins with more visibility into their cloud deployment. Learn how to implement them with these best practices.Continue Reading

• Is there an alternative to error correction and detection codes?

  Errors in NAND flash memory can be corrected, but that becomes more difficult as NAND reaches the end of its life. Are you utilizing every available error correction tool?Continue Reading

• Simplify the production deployment process with these tips

  DevOps shops emphasize production-ready code, which doesn't cause a stir when it moves from dev to test to prod. Experts share how to deploy top-notch code swiftly and accurately.Continue Reading

• How is the future of PowerShell shaping up?

  Microsoft no longer develops PowerShell behind closed doors. While there are perks to the tool's move to open source, users must cope with the consequences of the shift.Continue Reading

• SIEM software basics and use cases for IT administrators

  Security information and event management products use algorithms to stop cyberattacks in their tracks, but they also offer other workflow benefits for admins.Continue Reading

• Is NaaS the answer to bolster network infrastructure security strategy?

  Network security as a service can be a beneficial part of a network infrastructure security strategy, but you have to ask the right questions.Continue Reading

• Test your knowledge of serverless computing

  It's time to get familiar with the term serverless and everything it encompasses. Test your knowledge on serverless computing and how it will impact your software projects.Continue Reading

• Use service-linked IAM roles to simplify user permissions

  While AWS IAM enables control over a cloud environment, it can become a management nightmare. Automate part of this process via service-linked roles to free up time for other tasks.Continue Reading

• Cloud applications demand a new IT operations strategy

  Business and software development trends are putting more pressure on IT operations staff and changing the way teams deploy applications.Continue Reading

• Three goals of multiple cloud management and how to reach them

  Attaining the benefits of the cloud is getting ever more complex. Learn ways to enable efficient and effective management of hybrid and multi-cloud environments.Continue Reading

• How to build a Packer image for Azure

  Packer is an open source tool that automates the Windows Server image building process to give administrators a consistent approach to create new VMs.Continue Reading

• Open source log management options for Linux distributions

  Open source log management tools provide a variety of options and capabilities for admins who want customizable Linux log management functions in a server or cloud environment.Continue Reading

• How AWS Fargate reduces container management burdens

  Enterprises face a number of management challenges when they adopt containers. While AWS Fargate eliminates some of these hurdles, be sure to mind your bill.Continue Reading

• Evaluate converged vs. hyper-converged infrastructure benefits

  Many IT admins wonder if their data center can benefit from hyper-converged or converged infrastructure. To choose the right one, evaluate uses and scalability.Continue Reading

• Do I need converged or hyper-converged infrastructure appliances?

  Scalability, risk tolerance and cost all factor into the decision between converged and hyper-converged infrastructure. The two technologies have very different use cases.Continue Reading

• How do I get access to Office 365 preview versions?

  Your power users will want to be the first in line to try out upcoming features through the Office 365 targeted release program. Set up early access with this step-by-step guide.Continue Reading

• Kubernetes books put container deployments on the right track

  Whether you're tasked to set up and manage or deploy applications with Kubernetes, these books offer guidance and support. Co-author Brendan Burns shares insights from the texts.Continue Reading

• The fundamental elements of security in microservices

  No one-size-fits-all method exists to defend microservices apps, but you can be confident in your security by adopting specific strategies that thrive in a microservices setting.Continue Reading

• A comparison of microservices and functional programming concepts

  While often seen together, microservices and functional programming are two different animals. Find out where these disciplines overlap and, more importantly, where they don't.Continue Reading

• Who needs a multi-cloud environment and how best to deploy one

  Multi-cloud deployments let IT pick and choose among services from a variety of cloud providers to meet the storage and workload requirements of specific business units.Continue Reading

• Work a command-line interface in Linux with these permissions and prompts

  The command-line interface is an integral part of the Linux management environment. With sudo permissions and remote connectivity, working with a command line is easy.Continue Reading

• Challenges of blockchain muddle understanding of the technology

  There is a lot of hype about blockchain and how it might be used within networking operations. But just understanding the technology and what it actually does might be among the biggest challenges of blockchain.Continue Reading

• What is the Hyper-V VHD Set format and how is it optimized?

  VHD File Set -- a file format new to Windows Server 2016 -- is helpful for IT administrators using guest clusters. Get up to speed on the basics and learn how to optimize it.Continue Reading

• Clarifying network disaggregation and related technologies

  Trying to explain network disaggregation and related trends -- like SDN, NFV and white boxes -- can be complicated. Our expert pins the terms down and explains the tradeoffs.Continue Reading

• What are containers and how do they work?

  Containerization is a new approach to application provisioning for many enterprises and requires a fundamental understanding of how containers operate, where they differ and the pros and cons.Continue Reading

• What is the future for Microsoft Exchange Unified Messaging?

  As its cloud services have matured, Microsoft has adjusted the unified messaging features in Exchange Server. What will unified messaging look like on Exchange Server 2019?Continue Reading

• Create a Java executable JAR with the Tomcat plug-in for Maven

  In this embedded Tomcat example tutorial, Cameron McKenzie uses the Tomcat plug-in for Maven to create a Java executable JAR file.Continue Reading

• How to get the most out of automation in the cloud

  Getting the most out of a cloud deployment will almost certainly require some automation and orchestration. And that will require some specific actions on your part.Continue Reading

• Let cloud orchestration tools do the hard work

  A smart cloud strategy requires a smart automation strategy. These steps will help position your cloud to benefit from automation and orchestration technologies.Continue Reading

• Kubernetes in Azure eases container deployment duties

  Using containers in the cloud will require an orchestration tool. Azure Kubernetes Service helps create and manage the clusters when running containers on the Azure platform.Continue Reading

• MAMR hard drives could shake up the storage industry

  Microwave-assisted magnetic recording technology may be the next breakthrough HDD technology, promising lower cost and higher reliability than heat-assisted magnetic recording drives.Continue Reading

• Software-based networks lay foundation of networking's future

  Software-based networks are evolving, reshaping how companies do business and blending into legacy networking. Enterprises will have to sort out which approaches work best.Continue Reading

• What is the best DevOps tool for my career?

  I have no prior knowledge on DevOps. I'm doing an online course and understand Unix. I get the concepts, so what tool should I concentrate on learning to advance my DevOps career?Continue Reading

• Three ways to prepare applications for serverless platforms

  Compared to those that run in more traditional PaaS or IaaS environments, apps on serverless platforms bring a unique set of demands around performance, storage and more.Continue Reading

• Edge computing technology can ease bandwidth pressure points

  Stockpiling data at endpoints makes sense in a growing number of applications. With storage at the edge, concerns about storage bandwidth and data costs can be mitigated.Continue Reading

• How can SSD garbage collection help preserve drive speeds?

  The rumors are true: SSD speeds can slow down over time. Luckily, there are processes available that can help prevent this from happening and maintain the speedy nature of SSDs.Continue Reading

• Cost to run EC2 instances vs. Docker containers

  Fans of Docker claim it has many advantages for application deployment. But how does this translate in AWS? We do a trial run to compare costs.Continue Reading

• A refresher course on white box networking equipment

  This white box networking review sheds some light on the variations, as it's all too easy to confuse the intricacies of white boxes, universal CPEs and brite boxes.Continue Reading

• Optical interconnect DCI frameworks need more flexibility to keep pace

  An optical interconnect framework can support high-speed DCI deployments. But it's important that optical networks become programmable to ensure reliability.Continue Reading

• App delivery controllers are vital networking hardware tools

  With new capabilities, the future of ADCs is bright. Learn what features this networking workhorse has acquired and what it means for data center networking.Continue Reading

• Set up BSD jails as a form of virtualization

  Using the ezjail tool, you can easily create and install a BSD jail. Execute these simple commands to get started and take advantage of key ezjail features.Continue Reading

• What cloud compatibility issues can arise with VM migration?

  Many compatibility issues can arise when moving VMs to the public cloud. Watch out for compatibility problems with partitions, OSes and image formats to ensure a smooth migration.Continue Reading

• Forget the DevOps mindset, and change habits and behaviors instead

  DevOps is not a state of mind, but rather a series of behaviors and practices. Expert Rob Lambert explains how a focus on habits can be a DevOps game-changer.Continue Reading

• How do you use forklift migration to move VMs to the cloud?

  To migrate a VM and its dependencies from a local data center to a public cloud, use the forklift method to prepare the VM for migration, deploy the right tools and import.Continue Reading

• Azure Availability Zones enable more resilient cloud apps

  'Downtime' is a dreaded word for mission-critical applications. Learn how availability zones in Azure can promote uptime and keep your workloads running.Continue Reading

• Which VM migration techniques prepare VMs for the cloud?

  Prepare your VMs with cloud migration best practices that examine how suitable a VM is for migration, what groundwork needs to be prepared for it and the costs of migration.Continue Reading

• How do you prepare for a VM migration in cloud computing?

  Prepare for a VM migration by examining the requirements of your VMs and your cloud provider. Configure the VM for migration and match the settings to the cloud provider.Continue Reading

• How can learning scripting languages help junior testers?

  As a junior tester, I think learning scripting languages could make me more valuable to my team and enhance my career. But how do I pick the scripting language to learn?Continue Reading

• Cloud certifications play supporting role in IT hiring decisions

  Certifications that are specific to a particular cloud provider are a great way for IT professionals to grow their foundational knowledge, but they shouldn't stop there.Continue Reading

• Private CDN services fill specific needs for some businesses

  In addition to shared CDN service options, private CDNs with dedicated edge servers are the obvious answer for businesses with specific content delivery needs.Continue Reading

• How do I improve my network programming knowledge?

  When it comes to SDN and programmable network skills, combining training with practice and hands-on experience can help advance your programming knowledge.Continue Reading

• Integration drives Red Hat 3scale API Management platform roadmap

  Red Hat's Steve Willmott discusses the evolution of 3scale and gives advice for organizations looking to prepare for the future of API management.Continue Reading

• The top 5 unheralded Windows Server 2016 features

  Windows Server 2016 is still a novel operating system for many administrators. Check out some of its new and enhanced features that might have slipped under the radar.Continue Reading

• Remove AWS security credentials for outgoing employees

  Personnel changes are inevitable at an enterprise, and security teams need to revoke AWS credentials accordingly to ensure the integrity of their cloud data.Continue Reading

• Will Exchange Server 2019 address admin issues?

  As Exchange Server 2019 draws closer, one administrator hopes Microsoft will incorporate some of the feature requests from the Exchange technicians in the field.Continue Reading

• Why personal alignment is the secret sauce in top DevOps teams

  It's not magic, exactly, but there is a little-known secret at the heart of successful DevOps teams. Try personal alignment to improve team performance.Continue Reading

• How to protect PowerShell credentials in task automation

  When administrators use unencrypted credentials in PowerShell scripts, they expose sensitive information. Find out the ways to secure credential use with automated tasks.Continue Reading

• How do I avoid Windows Defender compatibility issues?

  Microsoft offers a free antimalware tool for client and server systems, but administrators need to tune the layers of protection to avoid problems.Continue Reading

• Q3 Cisco financials show another uptick in sales, services

  Cisco financials show a 4% boost in sales as Cisco records its second consecutive quarter of revenue growth and continues to embrace software services.Continue Reading

• Are you on the right cloud computing career path?

  As more advanced cloud technologies and deployment models emerge, it's important to future-proof your career. Check your resume against these expert suggestions.Continue Reading

• DevOps is a culture, but here's why it's actually not

  What DevOps needs today isn't more culture or more technology. It needs standards to help companies do a better job with implementation. Expert Aymen El Amri explains.Continue Reading

• Five critical tests for cloud application performance, security

  To keep end users happy, dev teams should regularly test the performance and security of cloud-hosted applications. Tools from cloud providers and third-party vendors can help.Continue Reading

• SN blogs: Is Arista making right move with campus switches?

  Bloggers discuss Arista's new strategy to market campus switches, examine container security risks and ask the question of whether networking is a commodity.Continue Reading

• Helping enterprises adapt to open source switching

  Enterprise adoption of open source switching hasn't kept pace with cloud providers and telcos. What are some of the barriers blocking the use of disaggregation?Continue Reading