NETWORKING

5G is confusing. It’s not one technology that will bring you gigabit-per-second-speeds and sub-10-millisecond latency. 5G’s actually three different network approaches. Only one of these — millimeter-wave (mmWave) — can give you gigabit speeds. Verizon, under the name 5G Ultra-Wideband, leads in US mmWave deployment. But the company also muddied the water by introducing yet another 5G approach: Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS). Verizon 5G DSS performance is pretty much the same as you’re getting from Verizon 4G LTE….

Zero trust is such a popular term in the security space today.  Everyone is talking zero trust, Cisco included. The interesting point is it’s not new – the original architecture model was released in 2010, and the important guidelines have been part of good security practices for years; think about your important assets and develop secure perimeters around them.  What has changed today is the design of security controls as it relates to secure perimeters. …

We recently announced the launch of our fifth annual Cisco Global Problem Solver Challenge, with prize money totaling $1 million USD. The Cisco Global Problem Solver Challenge is a competition that awards cash prizes to early-stage technology entrepreneurs solving the world’s social and environmental problems. Dream The great abolitionist Harriet Tubman once said, “Every great dream begins with a dreamer.” This is what drives more than 290,000 students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)…

Many Silver Peak SD-WAN customers have adopted Palo Alto Prisma Access cloud-delivered security services. You might be wondering how you can make Silver Peak and Palo Alto work together to take advantage of secure local Internet breakout from your branch or remotes sites to maintain both the performance and security of your business applications. The Silver Peak Unity EdgeConnect™ SD-WAN edge platform integration with Palo Alto Networks’ Prisma Access cloud-delivered security enables enterprises to shift to a…

There is power in community, and if this year showed us anything – 2020 proved just how powerful our communities are. For me, my community runs deep in family and friends – and, also at work.   Through the team I’m on, Employee/Employer Brand, being a #WeAreCisco ambassador, and the Employee Resource Organizations (ERO) – like Conexion – that I am a part of, I am constantly reminded of the strong sense of community we have…

The networking world is abuzz from, in awe of, and completely enamored by the launch of the Cisco Catalyst 8000 Edge Platforms Family announced just last month. For those unaware, the Catalyst 8000 transforms the WAN edge by delivering the best of SD-WAN, Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), and 5G-ready connectivity across all users, to any cloud, data center or edge location via software or hardware platforms. The true star of Cisco’s intent-based networking portfolio…

Software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) is getting a big boost from AIOps as vendors look to simplify operations, lower costs, and optimize WAN performance in the modern cloud era. SD-WAN decouples the control aspect of a network from the hardware to create a virtualized network overlay, while AIOps applies machine learning and data analytics to IT operations to automate processes. The convergence of the two – a.k.a. AI-driven WAN – promises to usher in a new era…

The need to maximize user experience, whether for employees or customers, has been a driving force behind much of the digital transformation networks have undergone. Things like business-critical applications, data-driven manufacturing and supply chains, immediate access to essential information, and advanced productivity tools require uninterrupted access to information from any place, using any device, and from any location. One of the areas of the network that has undergone the most significant transformation, largely in response…

Cisco’s services supply chain provides advanced hardware replacement to customers in over 120 countries and is a key service delivery component in support of Cisco’s service business. Although Cisco owns the inventory and processes for this massive supply chain, Cisco does not own or operate a single warehouse or truck.  The entire supply chain is managed by a worldwide network of third party logistics providers, freight forwarders, and customs brokers who work in partnership with…

The latest semiannual TOP500 list of the world’s fastest supercomputers is topped by Fugaku, the same machine that won in June. Built by Fujitsu, Fugaku is three times as fast as its nearest rival. TOP500 says that competition for its list seems to be lessening, with the full list of 500 systems having the fewest number of new entries since the organization started its tracking. The list is updated every June and November and has…