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• How Agile ALM tools shape business agility

  Learn how Agile ALM tools can increase agility in businesses. Continue Reading

• Six steps to create a highly available Apache Web service

  When a Red Hat cluster goes into production, you can protect it by configuring a supported high-availability service. Here's how. Continue Reading

• Set up an ADFS server to manage Office 365 identities

  As long as you know how to set it up and install it, ADFS can be a good identity management option for Office 365. Continue Reading

• Basic Linux commands for new Linux server administrators

  To manage Linux servers, administrators need a set of basic commands to view and start processes, as well as utilities that make life a little easier. Continue Reading

• How to create a successful data archiving strategy

  A good archiving process provides the automation needed to deliver the necessary application granularity while minimizing the impact to IT operations. Continue Reading

• Best practices for locking down your cloud

  Fear still holds back adoption despite inroads in enterprise cloud security. Experts' best practices can guide you through your security options.Continue Reading

• Amazon Kinesis: When to use Amazon's new big-data processing service

  In this expert answer, Chris Moyer offers advice on using Amazon Kinesis for near-real-time processing of streaming big data.Continue Reading

• Creating a quorum disk and fencing for Linux high availability nodes

  The quorum disk and fencing on a Linux high availability cluster let its nodes know when they are operational and shut them off if they are not.Continue Reading

• Should you migrate to Windows Server 2012 R2?

  It's time to seriously consider migration plans for Windows Server 2012 R2. Learn best practices, what's new and more.Continue Reading

• Deciding why and when to use an integration framework

  An integration framework is an important tool for managing the movement of data between applications and organizations.Continue Reading

• Considering migration to the cloud? Answer five key questions first

  In this Q&A, Todd DeCapua of Shunra Software Ltd. discusses considerations for minimizing risk and maximizing benefits in a migration to cloud.Continue Reading

• Social media loosens up sober BPM

  Companies are switching from closed-door BPM to a more democratic approach, and their cue comes from the madding crowd of social media.Continue Reading

• Five questions to ask when choosing a data archiving technology

  Many factors need to be considered when determining what the right archiving platform is for you. Jon Toigo highlights the most important in this tip.Continue Reading

• Building blocks of converged infrastructures

  The unifying theme of unified computing is vendor lock-in: One vendor for all or most components. But what are those pieces and what are your options?Continue Reading

• Overprovisioning in AWS? Cost-control tools and strategies can help

  For organizations that have moved to the cloud, old habits may be costing them dearly as they overprovision resources without any cost-control tools.Continue Reading

• A look inside the DevOps movement

  DevOps is a culture, not a job or procedure for an IT team. That said, there are DevOps tools and organizational strategies to help you get there.Continue Reading

• Big data storage challenges associated with rich media files

  Scale-out network-attached storage (NAS) is the primary technology to handle big data needs in the media and entertainment (M&E) space. Using scale-out NAS for rich media files can provide crucial advantages such as scalability, data protection and ...Continue Reading

• Major changes in data center fire suppression standards NFPA 75 and 76

  Fire standard changes can add a lot of work and expense to a data center operator's job, but the updates to NFPA 75 and 76 address real safety risks.Continue Reading

• Running PowerShell scripts can ease Windows virtualization tasks

  Put PowerShell cmdlets to work with Windows virtualization by automating setup, maintenance and configuration tasks in your organization.Continue Reading

• Windows Server 2012 R2 makes VM migration faster, smoother

  The Windows Server 2012 R2 release continues to push the trend of faster and less disruptive VM migrations in the data center.Continue Reading

• How Remote DMA improves Live Migration in Windows Server 2012 R2

  The RDMA feature can use high-throughput, low-latency data exchanges to improve Live Migration's performance in Windows Server 2012 R2.Continue Reading

• Five tips for selecting system management tools

  Too much granularity? Not enough? Need alerts? Maybe not. There are five considerations for systems management tools -- and cost isn't one of them.Continue Reading

• Big data storage and analytics

  There are two basic types of big data analytics—synchronous and asynchronous—but both have big data storage appetites and specialized needs.Continue Reading

• Hyper-V storage best practices to optimize your virtual environment

  Microsoft expert Brien Posey walks through the best storage tips and features to make the most out of a Hyper-V environment.Continue Reading

• How and when to enable hardware-based TPM security on servers

  Most servers include a Trusted Platform Module, but you only want to turn it on and manage TPM when the server handles high-value encrypted workloads.Continue Reading

• Facing threat from competitors, Microsoft spells out cloud plans

  With stiff competition from cloud competitors like Amazon, Microsoft is offering Azure discounts to customers who enter into enterprise agreements.Continue Reading

• API design: How to properly build an application program interface

  Don't let your entire API project go awry. Knowing the applications well is just one way to nail the design and foster developer loyalty.Continue Reading

• Networking server-based storage

  Direct-attached or server-based storage is gaining renewed attention as emerging techs offer ways to pool and share this scalable storage resource.Continue Reading

• Complete guide to Hadoop technology and storage

  Learn how Apache Hadoop works, some of its benefits and drawbacks, and what it means for big data and cloud storage.Continue Reading

• Essential Windows Server 2012 R2 system requirements

  Before upgrading to Windows Server 2012 R2, read up on hardware requirements to ensure there are enough resources to preserve performance.Continue Reading

• Erasure coding tradeoffs include additional storage, disk update needs

  Erasure coding tradeoffs include requirement for additional data storage, need to update extra disks for redundancy purposes, UC professor cautions.Continue Reading

• What's the best number of virtual machines for a data store?

  The best number of virtual machines on each data store depends on, among other things, the performance needs of each virtual machine.Continue Reading

• How the colocation data center stacks up to cloud, on-premises builds

  Colocation data centers used to be about proximity. Not anymore. C7 CEO Wes Swenson says colo is about the best location and infrastructure options.Continue Reading

• Erasure coding brings trade-off of resilience vs. performance

  IT's decision on using erasure coding in storage rests on data importance, durability more than amount of data, says storage consultant Marc Staimer.Continue Reading

• Wikibon CTO: Erasure coding can help reduce data backup costs

  Erasure coding can help reduce the data needed for backups and lower the cost of backup and recovery over the traditional approach, Wikibon CTO says.Continue Reading

• How to prepare a server cluster for Linux high availability

  With a Linux distribution supporting mission-critical business applications, it's time to set up Linux high-availability software.Continue Reading

• Guiding principles for an automated software test

  An expert in automated software testing offers guiding principles for succeeding at this most challenging of QA projects.Continue Reading

• Physical building properties to evaluate during server room design

  Does your server room have space to grow? What's the best mechanical system for it? Start with these questions to develop a good server room design.Continue Reading

• A new troubleshooting and management process with GRUB2 bootloader

  Nearly everything changed from the GRUB bootloader to GRUB2. With major enterprise Linux distributions moving to GRUB2, it's time to get acquainted.Continue Reading

• Desired State Configuration helps admins avoid configuration drift

  The new feature Desired State Configuration feature in Windows Server 2012 R2 gives admins yet another reason to learn PowerShell.Continue Reading

• Big data storage architecture: Categories, strengths and use cases

  We explore distributed nodes, scale-out NAS, all-SSD arrays and object storage as choices for a storage architecture for big data.Continue Reading

• PowerShell 4.0 further facilitates task automation for Windows admins

  Has PowerShell finally grown up? A mature PowerShell 4.0 in Windows Server 2012 R2 brings with it new parameters, simpler implementation and more.Continue Reading

• VMware vCenter Mobile Access (VMware vCMA)

  VMware vCenter Mobile Access (VMware vCMA) is a virtual appliance used by admins to manage a data center from mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.Continue Reading

• Mobile development: The pros of HTML5, hybrid, native applications

  Whether to make use of a hybrid, HTML5 or a native application depends on each specific situation.Continue Reading

• Best practices for SSD technologies

  No longer a luxury item for well-heeled data centers, SSD technologies are more affordable than ever and come in a variety of form factors with a choice of deployment options.Continue Reading

• VMware DRS quiz: Rules, settings, requirements and best practices

  Knowing how to use VMware DRS is key to getting the most out of vSphere, so quiz yourself on its features. A high score could mean high utilization.Continue Reading

• SaaS application testing: Keep performance tests in mind

  Performance testing must be a high priority for SaaS application testers. Learn why and pick up tips on how to test a SaaS system's performance.Continue Reading

• Guide: When and how to use REST

  This guide goes over RESTful APIs and basic scenarios where REST should be used instead of SOAP.Continue Reading

• "Network management news, advice and technical information" RSS feed is moving!

  As of July 1, the "Network management news, advice and technical information" RSS feed will be moving off of the Pheedo platform. Instead, please bookmark the following URL to make sure you continue to receive our content: http://...Continue Reading

• How Windows Server 2012 R2 will change storage management

  Microsoft MVP Brien Posey explains how new features in Windows Server 2012 R2, such as native tiering and deduplication, affect storage management.Continue Reading

• Hadoop clusters: Benefits and challenges for big data analytics

  Brien Posey explains how Hadoop clusters can be extremely beneficial to large amounts of unstructured data, but aren't ideal for all environments.Continue Reading

• How to synchronize SharePoint 2013 lists with Outlook 2013

  Give users access to various SharePoint 2013 lists through Outlook 2013 with just a few simple configuration steps.Continue Reading

• Q&A: Anderson talks BYOD management in Windows Server 2012 R2

  Microsoft's Brad Anderson talks about changes to expect in Windows Server 2012 R2 features, including some to security and enterprise mobility.Continue Reading

• Top tips for OpenStack Swift object storage use

  Senior cloud architect Beth Cohen offers tips on how to use OpenStack Swift object storage in the most efficient and economical ways.Continue Reading

• June 2013: Archiving to improve data storage efficiency

  Storage magazine's June issue explores data archiving technology for effective storage management, converged systems and Quality Awards for backup and recovery software.Continue Reading

• Building with modern data center design in mind

  Modern data center design involves planning carefully for the center's location, hardware and building infrastructure. It's certainly not as simple as "build warehouse, insert computers."Continue Reading

• RAID alternatives: Will erasure codes rule?

  Learn why the reliability of RAID technologies could be related to the increased use of erasure coding by both new and established storage vendors.Continue Reading

• Can object storage systems be used with file-based apps?

  Learn how to use applications such as Microsoft Exchange or SQL Server with object storage systems on the back end.Continue Reading

• How can host-based and array-based data replication techniques be compared?

  Learn the benefits and drawbacks to host-based and array-based replication methods to determine which one better suits your environment.Continue Reading

• 10 ways to improve virtual server storage

  Virtual server storage operations can have a profound effect on the storage network. Here are 10 ways to help ensure that your storage yields its best I/O for the VMs it supports.Continue Reading

• Five data center upgrade strategies to modernize your facility

  These five data center upgrade strategies can revitalize older data centers and stave off expensive construction projects.Continue Reading

• Manufacturing NAND flash chips

  NAND flash chips are made in fabrication plants known as fabs. Market oversupply or undersupply can cause manufacturers to alter production plans.Continue Reading

• PowerShell tutorial: Managing Windows Storage Spaces

  This PowerShell tutorial shows users how to fully interact with Windows Storage Spaces, which will help them script the storage provisioning process.Continue Reading

• Steps to read XML files with PowerShell

  Wondering how to get PowerShell to read XML files? Our expert explains a few methods you could use.Continue Reading

• Five ways admins can embrace Windows Server 2012 Remote Management

  As Microsoft encourages Windows admins to deal with servers offsite, here are some easy steps they can use for Windows Server 2012 Remote Management.Continue Reading

• Streaming large video files in today's big data environments

  Solid-state drives are a good choice for streaming large video files. Other factors to consider include cost and how often video will be accessed.Continue Reading

• Scrum project management: Estimating with story points

  Scrum project management expert Yvette Francino explains how teams use story points to estimate effort involved in developing a particular feature.Continue Reading

• How KVM over IP makes remote systems management easier

  Remote systems management using KVM over IP is helping businesses avoid the costs associated with travel while improving support response times.Continue Reading

• IBM SmartCloud Enterprise–Object Storage cloud plans expansion

  IBM SmartCloud Enterprise–Object Storage cloud service plans to expand and offer customers 99.999% availability with three or more copies of data.Continue Reading

• Backup challenges: Slow backup and recovery, growing capacity demands

  Our recent survey data indicates slow backup and recovery, growing capacity demands and virtual server backup remain IT pain points.Continue Reading

• Application portability in PaaS: Problems and solutions

  Even in the early stage of cloud adoption, users of PaaS services are already questioning the portability of the applications.Continue Reading

• Centralized vs. decentralized SDN architecture: Which works for you?

  Two SDN architecture models -- centralized and decentralized -- have much in common, but key differences center on the use of the OpenFlow protocol.Continue Reading

• March 2013: 10 tips for surviving a disaster

  In Storage magazine's latest issue, Jon Toigo lists 10 key points to help you build a DR plan. Also in this issue: PCIe flash storage and Quality Awards for enterprise-class arrays.Continue Reading

• Security considerations for IaaS cloud

  Learn about the necessary security considerations for IaaS cloud environments.Continue Reading

• Mobile apps development: Defining requirements is a whole new ballgame

  Software pros must address three critical issues in the requirements phase of mobile apps development: choosing a platform, security and usability.Continue Reading

• Microsoft makes improvements to SharePoint workflows

  The first thing to know about SharePoint workflows is that SharePoint 2013 actually contains two separate workflow platforms.Continue Reading

• Tips for improving Active Directory performance on servers

  Striking the right balance of memory and disk performance can help optimize Active Directory performance.Continue Reading

• VMware vApp

  A VMware vApp is a collection of virtual machines (VMs) and sometimes other vApps that host a multi-tier application, its policies and service levels.Continue Reading

• Building redundancy into your cloud outage strategy

  Any effective cloud computing strategy should include measures to protect against outages. The best defense you can have is to plan for redundancy.Continue Reading

• Can shared storage be used with Hadoop architecture?

  Storage expert John Webster discusses three ways to use shared storage together with Hadoop architecture in this Ask the Expert answer.Continue Reading

• VMware Workstation encryption prevents unauthorized VM access

  VMware Workstation encryption helps you protect information on VMs from unauthorized users. Learn how -- and when -- to encrypt virtual machines.Continue Reading

• StorSimple set to boost Microsoft cloud strategy

  Continue Reading

• Should you believe vendors’ jaw-dropping solid-state performance specs?

  The benefits of solid-state storage are clear -- cool running, space-saving and blistering performance. But just how “blistering” is that performance? Data storage vendors toss previously unheard of numbers around, like millions of IOPS, to show the...Continue Reading

• How to measure test progress: Every picture tells a story

  Seeing the big picture when it comes managing the progress of your software tests may require putting together all the little picture pieces.Continue Reading

• VMware resource pool

  A VMware resource pool is the aggregated physical compute hardware -- CPU and memory, as well as other components -- allocated to virtual machines (VMs) in a VMware virtual infrastructure.Continue Reading

• Windows Server Failover Clustering gets boost from PowerShell cmdlets

  In Windows Server 2012, there are 81 new and improved failover clustering PowerShell cmdlets. Here's how to make the most of their capabilities.Continue Reading

• Storage infrastruggle: Jon Toigo on today's data management issues

  In this video tip series, Jon Toigo outlines the seven most important data management issues that make up what he calls the 'storage infrastruggle.'Continue Reading

• Data management techniques more important than ever

  In this Storage Decisions Chicago 2012 video, Jon Toigo discusses data management techniques that can help you control the data in your environment.Continue Reading

• Common causes of a failed Hyper-V live migration

  Hyper-V live migration helps admins maintain infrastructures. But a few common configuration snafus can cause failures. Do you know what to look for?Continue Reading

• The storage-for-VDI equation: Capacity, IOPS, TCO, ROI and persistency

  A virtual desktop project can bring savings and efficiency to IT operations, but storage for VDI is a complex issue, and the wrong choices can hobble the project.Continue Reading

• How to repair a corrupt Outlook 2010 deployment

  When Outlook goes down, don’t automatically download a third-party tool. Instead, try one of these approaches suggested by our expert.Continue Reading

• Agile project management using the Cynefin framework

  Learn how the Cynefin framework facilitates problem solving, Agile project management and teamwork.Continue Reading

• Tweak Linux swap to improve server performance

  Many administrators ignore or underutilize the Linux swap settings but making the proper adjustments will make for better system performance.Continue Reading

• Pop quiz: VMware snapshots 101

  VMware snapshots play an important part in backing up many virtual infrastructures, but how well do you understand how they work? Take this quiz to find out.Continue Reading

• Protecting petabytes: Best practices for big data backup

  How do you protect the massive data sets? Learn the best practices and products used for big data backup disaster recovery.Continue Reading

• Guide to improving data center cooling efficiency

  Use these expert tips to help you improve your data center cooling efficiency from initial design to monitoring and system management.Continue Reading

• Installing a CIM provider to improve vSphere Client host monitoring

  While ESXi includes support for many popular hardware platforms, comprehensive server health monitoring with the vSphere Client sometimes requires installing the correct CIM provider.Continue Reading

• Public vs. private cloud applications: Two critical differences

  Private cloud applications are similar to public cloud applications, but there are a few key considerations, experts warn.Continue Reading

• VMware Lab Manager

  VMware Lab Manager is a software development and testing tool that enables designers and engineers to pool network and storage resources ... (Continued)Continue Reading

• Five data protection guidelines for business continuity

  Storage expert Jon Toigo offers data protection guidelines to help storage admins achieve the best possible results when protecting data in their care.Continue Reading