The sharing economy is making its mark on IT, with digital services and applications available in subscription models. Businesses are able to pay for only what they use in areas like software, infrastructure, and platforms all trending toward as-a-service offerings. The mindset is becoming Everything as a Service, or XaaS, where every kind of outsourcing offers clear advantages. XaaS offers flexible consumption that lends companies increased agility for providing improved innovations and … [Read more...]
Enterprises Are Losing Confidence in SD-WAN as a Comprehensive Solution
For the last several years, there has been momentum around software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) as a solution to the demands of an increasingly complex infrastructure in the cloud age. From centralized management and visibility to reduced costs and scalability, its traffic segmentation and provider agnostic approach seemed almost too good to be true. A recent report based on a survey by Cato Networks found that many network professionals see SD-WAN that way. Almost three-quarters of … [Read more...]
Networking Trends for 2020 Are Dominated by SD-WAN Improvements
Enterprises continue their endorsement of software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN), with many organizations adopting it to support bandwidth-hungry cloud applications and to improve management of the network. Networking trends for the upcoming months continue to focus on SD-WAN and its many benefits. In a market that has exploded with providers wanting to offer SD-WAN solutions, differentiation is now occurring as more mature products offer new innovations and support for security and … [Read more...]
Smart Approaches to a Cyber Security Strategy
When corporations are hacked, everyone hears about it. What you need to know is that small businesses are just as, if not more, vulnerable. Cyber security is a top concern at many companies, but more needs to be done to protect data and reputations. If you’re feeling intimidated by cyber security protocol implementation, don’t be – it’s not as complex as you might think. There are open-source tools you can use, many of which are free. These often include automatic encryption, which … [Read more...]
Staying Safe in the Age of IoT
There’s a push to get everything connected. This push is evident in how many devices, including smart televisions, security systems, sensors, and printers, are connected to the internet in the average office environment today. Wi-Fi security has to be a concern, as these devices can unwittingly become ports of entry for hackers. If you’re currently undertaking an Internet of things (IoT) initiative, the success of that project weighs heavily on network operations and cyber security … [Read more...]
Why Enterprises Are Moving to Workload Protection
Attempting to secure data in an era where cyber security threats change by the minute is a lot like trying to win a carnival game that’s rigged against you. The frantic nature of the response, the inability to anticipate next moves, and the chasing of a moving target all seem to be creating a scenario in which it’s impossible to protect your data, or win that giant stuffed dog. As a result, many enterprises are abandoning the protection of servers in favor of workload protection. In a … [Read more...]
Two Features Differentiating SD-WAN Solutions
The pursuit of software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) hasn’t slowed, and there’s no shortage of vendors offering what’s becoming a commodity. Many companies claim to offer SD-WAN, but not all solutions are equal. There are two features emerging that serve to differentiate the product and help enterprises choose a solution that will meet their comprehensive networking needs and offer conveniences to the network team: Security: Since SD-WAN has been on the market, there have … [Read more...]
Why You Want to Consider DRaaS
Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) is one of many areas of IT that is gaining momentum as an outsourced specialty. Overwhelmed with the many tasks related to managing security in an era when threats change by the minute, many enterprise IT teams find efficiency and cost reduction in turning disaster recovery over to experts. Part of what’s driving this trend is the expectation of inevitability around natural disasters and cyber threats. Enterprises are investing heavily in areas like … [Read more...]
Pairing the Right SD-WAN and VoIP Solutions for Success
If you’re considering a communications upgrade, you’re likely looking at Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). Because VoIP relies heavily on the strength of the network connection, you may also be weighing the possibility of an infrastructure upgrade to software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN). With SD-WAN and VoIP, not every pairing will work well. Here are the considerations you should keep in mind when evaluating SD-WAN to support VoIP: Hosted or on-premise VoIP: You need to … [Read more...]
Five Benefits of Cloud Desktops
If you’re looking for ways to support remote employees with the technology they need, invest in technology with costs that are more predictable, and reduce your maintenance and hardware investment, you may want to look into cloud desktops. Cloud desktops provide an identical experience to a traditional desktop. When the user logs on, they see the same applications and features they’re accustomed to accessing, but the server is no longer housed in a box under the monitor. Unlike a virtual … [Read more...]
