NETWORKING

With the new year underway, we are excited and encouraged by the new COVID-19 vaccines being deployed to healthcare workers and high-risk individuals in the United States and Canada. Here in the United States, each of our states are receiving their allocated commitments of vaccinations and planning is underway for broad-scale deployment of the vaccine. With Wave 1, which began at the end of 2020, we’ve already seen the first round of vaccines being successfully…

This year’s NRF Chapter 1 event was unique in more than one sense. The transition to a virtual platform, rather than congregating in lively New York City, called for a human touch. And the storytelling that emerged as a result was truly impactful for all of us attendees. The six pillars that NRF chose to anchor content around for the event this year were: leadership, forward-looking growth, new business models, customer experience, operations, and talent….

Achieving effective security in uncertain times Now that 2020 is behind us and we’re firmly planted in 2021, many security practitioners may be asking, “What’s next?” Last year pushed security teams to their limits as they had to frantically provision for remote working, protect employees from Covid-related phishing scams, and keep businesses secure amidst constant social and political unrest. While we can assume (and hope) that this year will bring more stability, change is the…

Cisco this week expanded its Catalyst 8000 Edge Platform family to offer enterprise edge customers more secure SD-WAN and cloud resource access options. The Cisco Catalyst 8000 edge router collection currently includes three models: the high-end 8500 for data-center or colocation customers, the 8300 for branch users, and the software-based 8000 for virtual environments. Feature support includes advanced routing, SD-WAN, security and secure-access service edge (SASE), depending on customer requirements, and all models run Cisco’s…

No, it’s not just you. Beginning this morning, users from Massachusetts to Northern Virginia started having trouble connecting with their favorite internet sites. The service problem this time isn’t with any of the major cloud providers but with the internet itself. According to reports on the Outages list, which is the central mailing list for ISP and network operators to report and track major internet connection problems, service failures were first spotted on Long Island….

All-New Webex At WebexOne, we launched new programs to support and work through how current Meetings and Jabber on-premise customers can update to the all-new Webex. Over the past year, we all experienced how the workplace fundamentally changed, and how connecting with our work colleagues, regardless of where or how you work, is vital to continuity. Today, users need the capabilities to work remotely, collaborate with their teams effortlessly and work together regardless of time…

The How to Develop a Winning Transition Strategy for Enterprise Cloud Calling blog series offers a four-part guided tour on how to take your business to a cloud calling and collaboration future that delivers all the benefits you expect from a quality cloud service. Lost in the Desert I am an avid runner, but directionally challenged. On a recent visit to Arizona, I decided to take a pre-dawn desert trail run, to experience the desert…

Cisco is expanding its Catalyst 8000 Edge Platforms Family and Catalyst Cellular Gateways to help customers build a resilient, reliable digital footprint that spans data center, cloud and branch deployments. The new announcements extend the both the Catalyst 8000 Edge Platforms Family and Cellular Gateways to include a new 5G Cellular Gateway, a new virtual CPE edge device that can host Cisco or third party VNFs, as well as extensions to the Catalyst 8500 aggregation…

Today, one of the hottest topics in IT is the emerging Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) model, an architectural framework conceived by Gartner that outlines the future vision for transforming legacy WAN and security technologies to a cloud-managed edge, combining WAN edge capabilities with cloud-delivered network security functions (such as SWG, CASB, FWaaS and ZTNA) to support the dynamic secure access needs of digital enterprises. The question of the day: Is now the time for managed service…

What is a campus? A hub for student activity. A place of learning. A center of research and innovation. A home for students away from home for the first time. A workplace for faculty and staff.  When we think of the campus, we think of a physical location and its parts: the library, residential living, a student union, research facilities, labs, the campus green, and classrooms. But what if we were to think about the…