Tips

Tips

• Heuristic automation prevents unmitigated IT disasters

  IT automation isn't about doing everything faster -- although that's how it started. Heuristics make automation smarter and responsive to changes in the IT environment.  Continue Reading

• Evaluate Google Cloud TPUs for machine learning apps

  Machine learning apps have prompted a paradigm shift in the world of public cloud. Google is an early market leader with its TPUs and TensorFlow, but can it stay on top?  Continue Reading

• Which software testing tool best fits your project?

  Learn what developers should look for in AI testing tools and which style is best for a project. Expert Tom Nolle compares Applitools and Functionize.  Continue Reading

• New generation of network analytics software starting to emerge

  Some of the newest network analytics tools can learn how a network is supposed to operate, warn managers of potential problems and offer ways to solve issues.  Continue Reading

• Hyper-converged infrastructure software aids IT flexibility

  Implementing a software-based hyper-converged platform can make it easier to scale components separately, but it has drawbacks as well, like multiple support sources.  Continue Reading

• Overcome app deployment challenges in a multi-cloud strategy

  Looking to adopt a multi-cloud model? Be sure to address these common app deployment, redeployment and scaling challenges first.  Continue Reading

• How to simplify your overly complex networking design

  If you flood your networking design with extraneous features and don't have a firm understanding of the overall system, you might fall into a complexity wormhole.  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

• Ten Linux process management commands that simplify admin workflows

  If you work in Linux, chances are you have to do some process management. Here are some commands to simplify that workflow.  Continue Reading

• Harden cloud apps with a secure software development lifecycle

  Wouldn't it be nice if every application were 100% cloud-ready? Unfortunately, that's often not the case, which can lead to security risks down the line if not properly addressed.  Continue Reading

• Craft a converged secondary storage strategy with care

  Secondary storage vendors have been offering converged technologies and products for a few years now, and the systems have become more feature-rich and cloud-capable.  Continue Reading

• Evolve IT staff, skill sets for a multi-cloud strategy

  To effectively implement and manage a multi-cloud architecture, enterprises first need IT team members who hold a unique mix of technical and business skills.  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

• How to ensure hyper-converged infrastructure security

  To secure data in an HCI system, it requires tools and techniques that account for the unique features of hyper-convergence, such as shared resources and virtualized management.  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

• Istio service mesh tech boosts Kubernetes' work, with trade-offs

  Why wouldn't IT teams use a tool that enables developers to focus on writing app code and operations to focus on IT resources? For all its benefits, Istio does require a study on pros and cons.  Continue Reading

• Build an IT infrastructure plan from the ground up

  IT infrastructure improvements require careful planning that includes evaluating new technologies, such as converged and hyper-converged, and building for future flexibility.  Continue Reading

• Four ways to improve network security for modern networks

  The green padlock on websites doesn't improve network security, so our expert addresses four ways to secure the modern network that move beyond the castle-wall analogy.  Continue Reading

• Agile workflows shift admins' IT procurement strategy

  Changing business needs and the move toward Agile workflows affect how data center managers make decisions about daily operations and IT purchasing.  Continue Reading

• Four misconceptions regarding the benefits of SD-WAN

  It's all too easy to get sucked into the buzz and misconceptions around software-defined WAN technology. Here are four points to be aware of about the touted benefits of SD-WAN.  Continue Reading

• IT pursues zero-touch automation for application support

  The best and most efficient approach to IT automation features as little human intervention and interaction as possible.  Continue Reading

• IPaaS tools aim to alleviate app integration troubles

  With the rise of hybrid cloud architectures, there's a heightened need for more sophisticated app and data integration tools. IPaaS can help but isn't necessarily a cure-all.  Continue Reading

• Assess AWS serverless costs and learn how to reduce them

  Serverless architectures help teams deploy to production faster but also introduce an entirely new cost structure. Use this step-by-step example to know what to expect on a bill.  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

• 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

• Breadth of AWS features acts as a double-edged sword for IT

  AWS offers a wide variety of cloud tools but, in some cases, still lacks the core IT management and ops features that enterprises crave.  Continue Reading

• What would win an AI testing face-off? Applitools vs. Functionize

  Expert Tom Nolle compares two AI testing tools that both interact with -- plus utilize -- applications' GUIs for more comprehensive testing.  Continue Reading

• Four signs you need a third-party cloud management platform

  In a multi-cloud deployment, IaaS providers' native tools for admins often fall short. These four signs indicate it's time to invest in a third-party cloud management tool.  Continue Reading

• A deep dive into guest clustering for shared virtual storage

  When using shared VHDX files to host a guest cluster shared volume, there are some considerations to take into account, such as physical connectivity and potential limitations.  Continue Reading

• Bolster multi-cloud security with these data privacy tips

  Data privacy is always a top priority for enterprise IT teams. And those with a multi-cloud model should adopt a mix of security techniques -- from erasure coding to encryption.  Continue Reading

• Business IoT applications benefit from SD-WAN prioritization

  Business IoT applications require prioritized traffic flows and low-cost connectivity. SD-WAN lets IT teams assign policies to prioritize traffic and use cheaper connectivity links.  Continue Reading

• AWS Shield provides DDoS attack protection as threats mount

  DDoS attacks continue to grow in sophistication, and enterprises need to be on alert. AWS Shield provides two tiers of automatic protection, but are they enough?  Continue Reading

• Azure PaaS strategy hones in on hybrid cloud, containers

  Microsoft's PaaS offerings might have a leg-up in terms of support for hybrid deployments, but the vendor still faces tough competition in a quickly evolving app-dev market.  Continue Reading

• How the Nagios monitoring tool tracks IT environment details

  Nagios users can monitor diverse components of an IT infrastructure, across Linux and Windows OSes, networks and servers, so long as they roll up their sleeves and dig into agents and plug-ins.  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

• How to tackle an email archive migration for Exchange Online

  A move from on-premises Exchange to Office 365 also entails determining the best way to transfer legacy archives. This tutorial can help ease migration complications.  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

• Three ways to ensure app portability in a multi-cloud strategy

  As multi-cloud adoption grows, developers need to be careful they don't sacrifice application portability for the sake of using provider-native services.  Continue Reading

• Consider Hyper-V live migration requirements before configuration

  An effective live migration setup is key to a complete Hyper-V configuration. Consider these expert recommendations, such as limiting concurrent live migrations, to ensure success.  Continue Reading

• Modern deployment models put a new spin on componentization

  Developers can use containers, serverless and microservices to strengthen app composability, but there are tradeoffs to consider. Discover the brave new world of componentization.  Continue Reading

• Address network scalability requirements when selecting SD-WAN

  Selecting an SD-WAN option that suits business needs can be daunting, but diving into network scalability requirements, like bandwidth needs and the number of sites, is a good start.  Continue Reading

• Enterprises wrestle with OpenStack backup, DR challenges

  To work around the manual and often tedious processes associated with OpenStack DR and backup, some enterprises have turned to third-party tools.  Continue Reading

• Options for dedicated cloud interconnects and their benefits

  There are clear benefits to replacing existing VPN tunnels now. Discover the advantages to dedicating cloud interconnects to improve your enterprise traffic flows.  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 ease the pain of Kubernetes upgrades with automation

  Although Kubernetes aims to automate container management, Kubernetes upgrades are still a tedious, manual process. Learn about the tooling that helps automate this task.  Continue Reading

• Prepare a Hyper-V configuration report with PowerShell

  Generate a report with valuable Hyper-V configuration information, such as the virtual disk path, using a PowerShell script to ensure your server settings match the design documentation.  Continue Reading

• A QA team finds continuous testing benefits worth the effort

  QA teams can gain a lot from continuous testing. While successful continuous testing requires all of an organization to get on board, the results are worth it.  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

• AWS low-code strategy hones in on back-end services

  AWS has yet to unveil a native and general-purpose low-code platform, but some of its services, such as Lex and Sumerian, seem to endorse that model.  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

• AWS termination protection acts as resource safety belt

  In the push to get applications to production quickly, mistakes can happen. But you can avoid potentially disastrous AWS resource deletion through these features and strategies.  Continue Reading

• Three tools enable DevOps for Windows shops

  DevOps isn't just the domain of open source Linux experts. These three tool options tailor DevOps to how Windows applications and systems operate.  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

• Carrier cloud needs 5G wireless networks, other drivers for success

  While 5G wireless networks appear to be the biggest driver in building the necessary carrier cloud, two other short-term drivers can help complete the carrier network transformation.  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

• KVM troubleshooting in six simple steps

  To troubleshoot common KVM issues, start by checking the logs. Then, isolate the issue and check the VM status using virsh commands. Finally, check the disk space, memory and networking.  Continue Reading

• Thorough Exchange Server testing regimen eliminates doubt

  Don't assume your Exchange 2016 implementation will work because you bought the right gear. Follow these pointers to execute a successful Exchange 2016 migration project.  Continue Reading

• Organize Active Directory with these strategies

  Administrators tasked with cleaning up the Active Directory user group structure need not search any further. Use these tips to avoid Active Directory maintenance headaches.  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

• Manage Switch Embedded Teaming in Windows Server 2016 Hyper-V

  You can create and manage a Switch Embedded Team in Hyper-V using just a few PowerShell commands, but there are specific requirements and limitations you should be aware of.  Continue Reading

• Enterprise software developers: Forget minor software bugs

  Many enterprises think software isn't perfect unless they eliminate minor defects. However, this approach won't prevent major disasters, and it hinders the practices that would.  Continue Reading

• How to adapt API management for serverless architecture

  It's critical to understand what will happen to legacy APIs when you transition to a serverless architecture. Discover how to properly adapt API management for this new paradigm.  Continue Reading

• Map hybrid cloud applications to your VPN address spaces

  Enterprise networks can easily become your Achilles' heel in hybrid cloud. Follow this advice to effectively manage your VPN, as well as scale and redeploy hybrid cloud apps.  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

• Use Sysprep to generalize Hyper-V VMs for rapid deployment

  Microsoft's Sysprep tool enables rapid Hyper-V VM configuration and deployment through image generalization. Use commands to speed up configuration and disaster recovery.  Continue Reading

• Small-scale infrastructure testing requires transparency

  Use small-scale tests for a cheaper alternative to expensive, duplicate test environments, but be wary of limitations, such as hardware functionality and performance.  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

• Build an AWS incident response plan in 4 key steps

  Enterprises should develop and test an incident response plan for an AWS deployment -- before a hack ever occurs. Follow these four steps to get started.  Continue Reading

• Don't let Kubernetes services stall a multi-cloud strategy

  Despite the benefits of managed Kubernetes services from AWS, Microsoft and Google, these offerings can impede workload portability when tied closely to other provider-native tools.  Continue Reading

• Unpacking the event-driven microservices approach

  Event-driven applications can be beneficially combined with microservices architectures, and finding the best method to merge them relies on analyzing orchestration options.  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

• Network edge switch upgrades hinge on WLAN deployments

  Network edge switch upgrades depend on a variety of factors, but one of the most critical is taking a look at your future WLAN deployment strategies.  Continue Reading

• Enable rapid provisioning of VMs with SCVMM SAN copy

  Achieve VM rapid provisioning with SCVMM by creating a SAN copy template from either an existing or new VM. Then select the required options when deploying the template to the host.  Continue Reading

• Easily read a log file in Linux with command-line tools

  Depending on the specific Linux distribution you use, there is a variety of commands to help you locate, read and search log files within related program components.  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

• Build a CI/CD pipeline to simplify multi-cloud deployment

  While some cloud providers support simple app deployment processes and tools, they could hinder a multi-cloud model. Fortunately, there are some workarounds.  Continue Reading

• Web server management best practices and essential features

  There are a lot of tools on the market for web-based server management. To find the best product, look for functions that automate workflows and add security.  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

• To secure AWS, a human touch goes a long way

  Even with recent advancements around cloud automation, security and resiliency still require a human touch. Sharpen your skills to keep AWS disruption-free.  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

• Zenoss ZenPacks plug-ins support hundreds of external resources

  IT monitoring tools only monitor what they're built for. Zenoss fills in the inevitable gaps with ZenPacks to give admins exactly what they need -- without unnecessary extras.  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

• Mind the feature gaps in the PowerShell open source project

  Administrators who switch to the cross-platform version of PowerShell might find it challenging to use, but there are several ways to cope with a transition from Windows PowerShell.  Continue Reading

• ADC, the networking management tool, acquires new abilities

  Networking pros should take a new look at what application delivery controllers now offer. ADCs now have some cutting-edge features making the networking workhorse exciting.  Continue Reading

• Evaluate private cloud service providers in the market

  Red Hat, Microsoft and VMware all provide private cloud environments that offer security and compliance, but it's important to consider other business needs, as well.  Continue Reading

• New, micro-ADC features can aid enterprise security

  The ADC is no hot, new networking tool, but it's evolved dramatically, adding some features in its latest iterations that promise to increase its already important role.  Continue Reading

• Use load tests to balance IT capacity management and QoE

  Simply throwing more resources at an application won't solve scaling issues. IT ops pros must take the time to chart the relationship between IT capacity and software performance.  Continue Reading

• Top 4 advantages of a command-line interface

  With the simple look of the command-line interface, organizations don't always realize the advantages it brings to systems through pointed, accurate commands.  Continue Reading

• The storage administrator skills you need to keep up today

  To meet changing enterprise IT needs, storage admins must acquire a new set of skills. If not, they risk being bogged down in an outmoded, outdated career rut.  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

• Container cluster management tools ease cloud operations

  Container ops is full of hurdles, even in the cloud. Managed Kubernetes services from the major providers offer a wealth of services to float a process along more easily.  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

• Get to know SIEM software basics and benefits

  Security information and event management tools give organizations enhanced network management functionality, such as automatic reporting, data stream analysis and anomaly detection.  Continue Reading

• Three AWS budget challenges that plague enterprises

  Based on their size, companies face unique challenges around budget management in the cloud. Follow this expert advice to keep your costs in check.  Continue Reading

• Are AWS certificate authority services trustworthy?

  AWS now operates as its own CA. What are the potential risks of the new AWS certificate authority services? Expert Dave Shackleford outlines the pros and cons of this new setup.  Continue Reading