InformationWeek Reports : Network Infrastructure

Fundamentals: ARMed and Dangerous?

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 05:11:51 -0500

As ARM chips go beyond being just the power inside iPads and Kindle Fires, Intel and AMD have reason to worry. Enterprise IT, on the other hand, can expect more choice and savings in end-user computing and data center consolidation projects, as ARM innovation positively affects procurement of infrastructure gear and related application development and migration.

Fundamentals: Windows Azure: Clear Enterprise View

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:54:22 -0500

Understanding what Azure is and isn’t can be confusing, but the platform's place in the enterprise is becoming more clear with a more standardized taxonomy and nomenclature.

IT Pro Impact: Windows Developer Road Map

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 08:37:14 -0500

Ready to catch the Metro? Windows 8 is a major shift, with features borrowed from desktop gadgets and mobile devices, and it brings a slew of new paradigms for developers. Here's what you need to know.

Research: IT Pro Ranking: Data Center Networking

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 02:11:34 -0500

Cisco has an iron grip on the data center network. One reason is its reputation for quality: The company scores a 4.3 out of 5 for reliability, a rating no other vendor matched. That said, technology and market changes are loosening Cisco’s hold. Will the shift to virtual infrastructure, next-gen Ethernet and commodity switching components change the vendor pecking order? More than 500 IT pros weighed in to evaluate 7 vendors.

Strategy: Optimize Your Mobile Infrastructure

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 04:08:42 -0500

A critical aspect of IT services operations is ensuring that infrastructure elements are up and running to provide connectivity for users. In this report, we'll examine the area of IT services operations with a related discussion of mobile device management. We'll review the levels of capability in this discipline and discuss in more depth what elements, at each level, you should be investigating from a business, technology and policy standpoint.

Who Owns the LAN?

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 10:20:02 -0500

Cisco still leads, but rivals are making some inroads.

5 Steps to Building A Private Cloud

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 05:25:35 -0500

Virtualization, automation and orchestration are the keys to making your IT infrastructure a business enabler rather than a cost center--they'll help you drive new initiatives through innovation and rapid service deployment. In this report, we lay out a staged approach to achieving this architecture.

Best Practices: 8 Steps to Network Neutrality

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 01:03:24 -0500

Maybe we're in the post-PC era, maybe we're not. But a few things are certain: The age of Windows hegemony is over, and the "no one ever got fired for buying Microsoft" mindset has to go. If you're resistant to alternative platforms, we have two messages: First, the popularity of smartphones and tablets has opened the floodgates, leading employees to embrace Mac and even Linux desktops. Second, client diversity needn't lead to chaos. Agnosticism is possible.

Research: Unified Communications

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 02:03:40 -0500

The good news: The percentage of users who've deployed and are using UC jumped six points, to 36%, since our 2010 survey, and the number of "fence sitters" is down, too. The not-so-good news: For 65% of those who have deployed or plan to do so, UC currently reaches 50% or less of the employee base. What's the holdup?

IT Pro Ranking: LAN Equipment Vendors

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 02:18:30 -0500

Cisco leads on the LAN, with an overall score of 77% based on product reliability, product performance and other key criteria, but HP, Dell and others are finding ways to compete. Find out how 444 IT pros who use and evaluate LAN equipment compare vendors.

Buyer's Guide: MDM

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 02:01:13 -0500

As a greater variety of smartphones and tablets tap into corporate resources, IT must have a strategy for security, access control and management. Our buyer’s guide helps you make the right call on mobile device management tools.

Fundamentals: Application Virtualization

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 11:02:28 -0400

Disk images are a convenient way to quickly deploy new VMs, but what happens when you need to distribute complete application stacks to multiple, private and public, virtualized environments? For that, we need reusable meta-configuration that can transform application and infrastructure requirements into cloud-specific configurations. A host of vendors across the virtualization ecosystem are striving to deliver just that. It’s still bleeding-edge technology, but well worth paying attention to.

Best Practices: Reliable UC

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 05:05:54 -0400

If your UC infrastructure is erratic or the communications quality poor, you’re sunk, because end users today don’t have the patience to give IT three or four chances to get it right. And that just adds up to wasted money. In this InformationWeek Best Practices report, we describe strategies to ensure quality communications between end users, whether they’re on the LAN, WAN or a mobile device.

Strategy: The Long-Distance LAN

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 12:47:41 -0400

Connecting two data centers for always-on applications is a tricky business. We walk you through the challenges and evaluate the pros and cons of solutions such as VPLS and MLAG.

InformationWeek Full Issue October 17, 2011

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 05:57:27 -0400

Inside OpenFlow - The networking protocol still\ has much to prove in order to bring flexibility to the virtualized data center

Virtualization Security Checklist - These four steps can help you protect assets and respond to threats

Research: State of Server Technology

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 08:28:50 -0400

Why are 29% of our 676 respondents demanding upwards of 65 GB of memory capacity in their typical x86 servers? Maybe because virtualization means each box is potentially home to dozens of applications. We’ll take the temperature of the server market: What are the 37% who are buying more servers really looking for, what’s new and what’s shaking with each major subsystem? Hint: It’s likely not unified stacks, which are in use by a rarefied 12% of respondents.

Strategy: Inside OpenFlow

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 04:01:58 -0400

New software-defined networking technologies in general and OpenFlow in particular are poised to disrupt the way we manage load in highly virtualized data centers. In a world where for decades we’ve relied on Ethernet and TCP/IP standards — and where big vendors like Cisco and Juniper have made their fortunes based on intelligence in switches — that’s a big deal.

Wall Street & Technology Digital Issue: October 2011

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 04:01:17 -0400

In their desire to attract liquidity, the U.S. options exchanges are joining the equity markets in revamping their platforms to minimize latency. Wall Street & Technology's October digital issue examines how exchange operators, broker-dealers, data providers and technology vendors are responding to the ever-increasing need for speed, and provides insight into how the war on latency is transforming the Street.

IT Pro Impact: HP's Strategy

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 05:44:56 -0400

Our survey finds that technology professionals don’t understand where HP is headed -- and where they do have a glimpse of the new direction, they don’t like it.

Strategy: Hardware-Based Authentication

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 11:36:05 -0400

Tokens, smartcards, biometrics and other hardware-based authentication technologies provide a significant layer of security for sensitive enterprise data. But the wrong choice, or a mishandled implementation, can mean unexpected costs and management overhead, device failure and user rejection. We explore the pros and cons of the various technologies, and help you choose the right approach for your company. Plus: Best practices in the wake of the SecurID breach.

Research: Identity Management

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 03:47:14 -0400

We know we have to get a handle on access. But what’s a reasonable technical road map for rolling out cost-effective identity management? How do you properly implement user provisioning? And are current initiatives meeting business security needs and helping IT create trusted partnerships? We’ll analyze our data and help you draw up a plan. IdM is well worth doing, but only if you can get it right.

IT Pro Ranking: WAN Optimization Appliances

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 01:12:14 -0400

We surveyed nearly 500 business technology pros and found that, for companies looking to maximize expensive bandwidth, WAN optimization works—and in many cases, works well. But there’s still plenty of room for improvement.

IT Pro Impact: VMware/vSphere 5

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 01:32:32 -0400

This hot new technology is overshadowed by poor licensing policy choices. Our survey finds IT committed to virtualization but re-evaluating its hypervisor strategies. Will VMware’s misstep let Hyper-V make inroads into enterprise data centers?

Strategy: VPNs for SMBs

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 05:57:56 -0400

For SMBs, the question isn’t whether to deploy a VPN, but how and partnered with whom. VPNs are an important component in addressing an array of business challenges, including the ability to access critical apps quickly and extending Wi-Fi services to employees’ homes. Here are some issues to consider before starting an evaluation.

Fundamentals: The Switch to IPv6

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 09:05:02 -0400

IPv4 address space is being gobbled up by the vast number of devices connecting to the Internet, and it’s expected to be depleted in the next year. So the question is not whether to make the move to IPv6 but when. InformationWeek Analytics offers recommendations for ensuring that your data center is fully ready.