Managing data center outsourcing services and vendors

NetApp HCI aimed at hybrid clouds

Late to HCI, NetApp tries to play catch up against Dell EMC, VMware and Nutanix by pushing its SolidFire flash-based product into hybrid cloud deployments. Continue Reading

Research advances data center liquid cooling tech

You might want to investigate alternatives to water and fans to keep your data center cool. Still, there are costs and environmental concerns facing researchers and IT administrators. Continue Reading

Is hyper-convergence infrastructure becoming stratified?

As more options for converged or hyper-converged IT types come to market, organizations may find themselves siloed into an option by size. Continue Reading

Mitigate data center storage capacity miscalculations

You can use cloud storage and deduplication to expand storage capacity, prevent application failure and maintain data center performance. Continue Reading

Secondary storage structure is based on workload needs

Using secondary storage can improve the performance of mission-critical applications, but deciding what data is secondary in importance isn't as easy as it seems. Continue Reading

Pivot3 HCI: 7 things you should know

Where did Pivot3 first target its hyper-converged storage systems, and where is it focused today? Find out answers to these and other frequently asked questions. Continue Reading

A look at fundamental Linux sed commands

The Linux stream editor is a useful way to run scripts in the data center. With these command examples, you can start to build your familiarity with sed. Continue Reading

What are some useful remote server management tools?

Choosing software for remote server monitoring and maintenance depends on organizational and administrative needs. Here are a few programs to include in your search. Continue Reading

Minimize downtime during a data center upgrade

End users don't want their productivity interrupted by IT maintenance. With the right technology, testing and planning, you can reduce or eliminate downtime in the data center. Continue Reading

Navigate data center management software selection

Software evaluation can be a lengthy process, especially with both open source and commercial options. Functionality and support can help you form a short list of possibilities. Continue Reading

What do I need to know about remote server management?

The ability to manage servers requires evaluating WAN connection options, available repair staff and software capabilities. This tip offers insight into how it all comes together. Continue Reading

Top 7 system administrator interview questions and answers

To land any IT job, you need to master the interview. Here are seven questions to expect in your next sysadmin interview and how to ace the answers. Continue Reading

X-IO Axellio hitches HCI star to Microsoft, NVMe

X-IO side steps VMware, enters hyper-competitive hyper-converged market with dense NVMe blades packed with Microsoft virtualization and storage software. Continue Reading

Hitachi Vantara storage takes turn to NVMe, cloud

Hitachi Vantara updates its products and prepares to lay out a strategy for using its storage for IoT and distributed data management amid the multi-cloud movement. Continue Reading

Dell EMC VxRail powers Mercy Ships' floating hospital DCs

Dell EMC hyper-converged appliances float the Mercy Ships IT team's boat. VxRail helps the medical charity consolidate IT technology in its floating hospitals and headquarters. Continue Reading

7 hyper-converged secondary storage questions answered

Combining HCI and the use cases of secondary storage, such as data recovery and archiving, was a challenge, but a few companies took up that task and launched a new market. Continue Reading

Nvidia partnership bolsters VMware live migration capabilities

As part of vSphere 6.7.1, admins can now live migrate virtualized workloads supported by vGPUs. The Nvidia and VMware partnership improves high-capacity management capabilities. Continue Reading

Can I use server automation for remote management?

Depending on your server management workflow, you might want to consider automation and orchestration. Before going forward, you should figure out what scripts are necessary. Continue Reading

How can I secure my remote server management tools?

If you monitor a lot of servers, it's important to make sure the tools you use to remotely manage them are secure. Encryption and password best practices can help. Continue Reading

GPU-buffed servers advance Cisco's AI agenda

Cisco's latest UCS servers with Nvidia's GPUs aim to help larger IT shops more quickly run AI and machine learning workloads -- and help Cisco keep pace with Dell and HPE. Continue Reading

Discovery functions, FIPS compliance increase DCIM security

Data center infrastructure management is one way to track security patches and unauthorized hardware access. There are a few features you can use to increase security. Continue Reading

Data center admins gain the benefits of microservices

Microservices bring perks to data center infrastructures, especially when it comes to long-term maintenance. But admins need to properly evaluate it before implementation. Continue Reading

Examples of hypervisors and how they're supported in HCI products

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Definition of hyper-converged infrastructure evolves, as do products

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Examples of hypervisors and how they're supported in HCI products

Hypervisor support in hyper-converged infrastructure has evolved over time. Find out how as we assess the past and current place of individual hypervisors in these architectures. Continue Reading

Definition of hyper-converged infrastructure evolves, as do products

Defining hyper-convergence can be a challenge. Focus instead on learning about hyper-converged infrastructure product options and how they fit your data center and cloud plans. Continue Reading

VMworld pushes vSAN HCI to cloud, edge

Private beta for next vSAN version includes built-in snapshots, NFS file services and cloud-native storage, as well as improved cluster management for the HCI software. Continue Reading

Pivot3 storage moves toward composable capabilities

CEO Ron Nash said Pivot3 and NexGen Storage are integrated as a single code base. NexGen gives Pivot3 automated QoS and dynamic provisioning for multi-cloud enterprises. Continue Reading

Hyper-converged product comparison: What leading HCI vendors offer

Before you purchase a hyper-converged infrastructure system, use the criteria and factors examined here to evaluate 10 leading HCI products. Continue Reading

Which basic Linux file management commands should I know?

File management is an essential part of working within Linux. Knowing a few basic commands makes it easier to move content and avoid file misplacement. Continue Reading

VSAN hyper-converged users offer buying, implementing advice

Users provide tips on going from three tiers to tears-free hyper-convergence using VMware vSAN software or other HCI architectures proliferating in the data center and beyond. Continue Reading

How can I build AI capabilities for the data center?

IT departments can integrate AI capabilities with their data center management workflows using machine learning algorithms that enable admins to automate functions over time. Continue Reading

Composable architecture options versus CI and HCI

While converged, hyper-converged and composable infrastructures all share some degree of similarity in convergence, important differences can affect your IT architecture choices. Continue Reading

Dell EMC HCI gear pushes multi-cloud strategy

Dell EMC will use its HCI systems when it bundles software to encourage multi-cloud environments and push adoption of the company's own multi-cloud strategy. Continue Reading

Dell EMC HCI and storage cloud plans on display at VMworld

Dell EMC promises to synchronize releases of VMware's vSAN on VxRail HCI appliances, although it may take 30 days to do it; fleshes out cloud support for storage, data protection. Continue Reading

Getting started with Linux containers

Linux-based containers allow you to run applications in the data center without modifying OSes. If you're not sure how to get started, options such as Docker and CoreOS can help. Continue Reading

HiveIO seeks to create buzz in HCI market

HiveIO says artificial intelligence makes its Hive Fabric's Message Bus management unique; now, the HCI startup must prove it's really AI and not just an AI-wash. Continue Reading

Answers to NetApp FlexPod commonly asked questions

Wondering which version of FlexPod is ideal for your situation? In this FAQ, find out the answer to this, as well as other common NetApp and Cisco FlexPod questions. Continue Reading

Which data center KPIs are the most useful?

As admins evaluate data center performance, they need ways to look at both short-term and long-term data. KPIs offer one way to evaluate components, such as storage. Continue Reading

Dell EMC PowerEdge MX teases 'kinetic' compute and storage

Dell EMC composes its MX composable infrastructure story around SAS storage sleds that slide into in a single 14th generation 7U PowerEdge chassis, with OpenManage software. Continue Reading

Hyper-converged products offer big benefits to IT environments

Hyper-converged technology offers benefits such as scalability to help reduce the storage footprint, and enables organizations to pick the hardware and configuration to best suit their needs. Continue Reading

Datrium open converged infrastructure makes HCI flexible

Datrium calls its less rigid form of converged infrastructure open convergence to highlight its greater scaling flexibility versus converged or hyper-converged infrastructures. Continue Reading

Converged data center migration practices to avoid data loss

Refreshing data center hardware is no simple task, especially for organizations with multiple workflows. Before completing an upgrade, make a plan for backups and workload management. Continue Reading

14 SIEM reports and alerts to boost security

Setting up an SIEM reporting infrastructure requires an overall knowledge of what data capture is available. With standard reports and event categories, you can ease implementation. Continue Reading

IBM Power9 servers add reliability, reduce maintenance costs

IBM looks to grab high-end hardware market share from archrival Intel with the introduction of two Power9 servers that offer greater uptime and reduced maintenance costs. Continue Reading

Nutanix hyper-converged Flows into multi-cloud and more

With the introduction of Flow, Beam and Era, Nutanix has made a clear statement that it's aiming for a comprehensive Nutanix enterprise cloud OS. Continue Reading

Accelerated processing units advance data center performance

As you come across more complex data center workflows, you can begin exploring options for accelerated processing, such as GPUs or TPUs. Continue Reading

Western Digital OpenFlex composes storage infrastructure

Western Digital delivers OpenFlex architecture, an ambitious attempt to foster open standards for composable compute, network and storage as an alternative to hyper-convergence. Continue Reading

What network security methods do I need to keep data safe?

How can you maintain network security beyond the standard firewall and blacklisting tactics? Encryption and digital rights management can ensure organizational data stays safe. Continue Reading

How do I protect my OS with Linux security features?

Linux has a security framework with multiple layers, which makes it hard to maintain permissions and privileges. User-based profiles and whitelisting can help you oversee OS access and give you peace of mind. Continue Reading

Streamline data center ops by adding functionality to your DCIM tool

Once you've successfully set up DCIM software, it's important to evaluate what further capabilities you need and the ways you can improve data center planning. Continue Reading

IBM boosts security, reliability in Power Systems server additions

IBM's upcoming Power Systems servers add more security and reliability for cloud environments and promise to lower maintenance costs over the systems' life span. Continue Reading

How do I integrate storage into a blade server architecture?

Blade servers come in a variety of configurations. In order to effectively manage your data center, you'll want to consider your storage needs, blade location and types of data workflows. Continue Reading

How to keep your data center skills up to date

It can be tough to pick the skills to develop when there are so many certifications to choose from. Data center industry trends can give you insight into what skills to pursue. Continue Reading

Composable infrastructure platform FAQs get answers

While the goal of hyper-converged infrastructure and composable infrastructure are much the same, the way they achieve that objective of on-demand IT infrastructure differs. 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

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

GPUs, FPGAs increase software-defined data center performance

Some applications in your SDDC might need special hardware so they can function at their best. GPUs and FPGAs are an effective way to increase performance. Continue Reading

New vSAN 6.7 features boost failover, ease management

The latest version of vSAN puts the hyper-converged storage software into a wider range of use cases with better support for failover and a smoother management user interface. Continue Reading

Four top open source SIEM tools you should know

Open source SIEM software offers organizations a way to test capabilities and augment existing functionalities for analytics and log management. Get started with these options. 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

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

Rackspace colocation program hosts users' legacy servers

Rackspace now has a managed colocation program that it hopes to upsell its customers with additional services, once their servers are in-house. Continue Reading

Broadcom acquisition of CA seeks broader portfolio

Broadcom has acquired CA Technologies in a move some believe is largely financially motivated, while others see an opportunity for the companies to integrate core offerings. 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

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

Datrium DVX switches focus to converged markets, enterprise

Datrium approaches HCI in a nontraditional way, but its DVX architecture combines compute and storage while pumping up its data protection capabilities. 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

Managed private cloud gives IT a cost-effective option

Cloud evaluation requires planning and cost analysis. With available technology and managed service providers, IT can reduce long-term expenditures and management headaches. 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

HPE's HCI system takes aim at space-constrained data centers

HPE has complemented its recent high-end hyper-converged system with another HCI system to fit the space-constrained environments of branch offices or SMBs. 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

Dell's return to public markets sidesteps VMware query

In a complex stock deal Dell once again becomes a public company to flex its muscles against major legacy IT rivals, but sidesteps questions about VMware's autonomy. Continue Reading

Your Red Hat Hyperconverged Infrastructure questions answered

Red Hat HCI is software only, based on open source applications and is aimed for IT operations that want to use existing hardware in a DIY implementation. 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

Why data centers need log management tools

Log files contain rich and useful management data. With the right software tools and a few navigation tips, you can maximize and implement the information that logs provide. Continue Reading

HPE gives its memory-driven computing initiative another try

HPE has brought its memory-driven computing architecture back into the spotlight, this time with a little help from its friends to meet enterprises' future IT infrastructure needs. Continue Reading

Cisco hyper-converged HyperFlex adds NVMe-enabled model

Cisco HyperFlex 3.5 software adds native DR and cloud-based Intersight Storage Analytics. The all-flash hyper-converged systems integrate Nvidia GPUs and Intel Optane NVMe SSDs. Continue Reading

HPE edge computing strategy reroutes data, apps around the cloud

HPE's edge computing strategy hinges on converged infrastructure systems to help enterprises manage data outside their data centers and the cloud, and help the company regain market traction. Continue Reading

Build your PowerShell command cheat sheet with these basics

Even if you've previously used PowerShell, it's beneficial to add new commands to your reference sheet and keep your overall knowledge as current as possible. 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

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

Data center monitoring best practices simplify software choice

Metrics are essential to keep any data center operating smoothly. With monitoring software and best practices, admins can simplify their workflows and get usable data. Continue Reading

What to know before selecting DCIM software

Your DCIM needs will dictate what type of software is best for your workflow. Be sure to evaluate usability, expandability and which areas need monitoring. 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

Hitachi UCP update includes NVMe cache, GPU server

Hitachi updates Unified Compute Platform (UCP) portfolio with new NVMe-based Intel Optane caching option and technology from partners VMware and Cisco. Continue Reading

Find out answers for FAQs about Nutanix AHV and Acropolis

Check out these answers to some of the frequently asked questions about Nutanix's Acropolis and AHV core hyper-converged infrastructure software products. Continue Reading

IBM's Cloud Private for Data brings on-prem data closer to the cloud

IBM rolled out its Cloud Private for Data platform designed to make it easier for users' on-premises data to interact with not just IBM's public cloud, but those of AWS and Google. 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

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

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

Red Hat Hyperconverged Infrastructure for Cloud launches

Red Hat expands its hyper-converged infrastructure lineup with a cloud offering that combines OpenStack and Ceph. The new option joins Gluster-based HCI for Virtualization. Continue Reading

Test your Storage Spaces Direct hyper-converged system smarts

Windows Server 2016 took Microsoft into the HCI game, with hyper-convergence features based on Storage Spaces Direct, the upgrade from Windows Server 2012's Storage Spaces feature. 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

Test your hyper-converged infrastructure storage knowledge

Storage in a hyper-converged infrastructure is not limited to whatever disks the vendor decides to put into its base appliance. Test your knowledge of HCI storage with our quiz. Continue Reading

Plexxi buy bolsters HPE composable infrastructure strategy

HPE strengthened its composable infrastructure strategy with the acquisition of Plexxi, a startup that adds a networking element crucial to the company's success in that market. Continue Reading

Hadoop cluster configuration best practices streamline workflows

Organizations that deal with a variety of Hadoop configurations can streamline workflows through baseline configuration, tests and site-specific configuration files. Continue Reading

Assess network device monitoring capabilities with these tips

Organizations considering new network device monitoring software should evaluate the alerting capabilities and extensibility of several different tools before making a purchase. Continue Reading

Certain solid-state storage characteristics benefit HCI most

Depending on the workload demands, there are features of solid-state storage that can greatly enhance the performance of your hyper-converged infrastructure system. Continue Reading

How is RHEL in the cloud different than in the data center?

Implementing RHEL in the cloud isn't exactly the same as using cloud technology in the data center, especially when addressing swap and support concerns. Continue Reading