Tag Archive for 2013

| December 17, 2013
Comments Off on Wiring Closet 3.0

Wiring Closet 3.0

Wiring Closet 3.0The lowly wiring closet at the edge of the network is evolving. You know the one’s that IT shares with the custodians or the women’s lav. The neglected place that connects all end-points into the enterprise network infrastructure. Throughout my career we have moved from 3Com SuperStack hubs to 10/100 SuperStack switches to 100/1000/10000 Cisco 2960’a fixed Ethernet devices. In this first edge era, the primary buying criteria was the price per port. Low price was the critical factor. These devices might have had a few network services but they only provided best-effort connectivity services with little to no operational control according to Nick Lippis in the Lippis Report 103: Wiring Closet Switches Gain Strategic IT Value Label.

Baystack stackCommoditized network gear created enterprise networks consisting of equipment from different vendors. Purchases throughout the wiring closets, distribution, and core were based mainly on cost. The article says that equipment from multiple vendors is the hallmark of Wiring Closet 1.0. Wiring Closet 1.0 made effective management difficult. Multiple management systems required that organizations keep a large staff with diverse skills to keep up network functionality.

Wiring Closet 2.0

Most organizations are now in the Wiring Closet 2.0 era. As competition drove margins on edge switches into the single digits, the author states that vendors began to add services to a new breed of device. The new features on 2.0 switches created new ways for the vendors to compete on different (rb- and more profitable) fronts beyond price per port. Mr. Lippis argues enterprise trends are forcing IT executives to check projects, programs, and priorities as they seek to drive down Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) while extracting added value from their enterprise network. Business executives expect their IT departments to meet continually growing demands without significant year-over-year network expenditures. (rb– the ever popular more with less argument) The article says the new realities include new mixed traffic patterns and increased desktop bandwidth requirements for new applications, communications, and data center strategies.

Goddard rocket scientistSwitch vendors recognized these trends. They responded by developing a new type of wiring closet switch. Second-generation switches added significant functionality. The vendors’ goal is to transform the commoditized network edge (rb- low profit) into a strategic IT asset (rb- high profit). The blog says these new switches enable a host of new applications for Wiring Closet 2.0.

  • Quality of Service: Wiring Closet 2.0 switches tag applications like IP telephony and Unified Communications at access to guarantee priority throughout an internal network and active monitoring
  • Power Over Ethernet (PoE): Second generation, wiring closets distribute power over Ethernet cables. POE enables new classes of devices to be powered from the Wiring Closet 2.0. These demands include WLAN access points, video surveillance, and IP phones. As well as specialty devices such as health care instrumentation, point of sale devices and soon even laptops.
  • Security: The network edge Is the first level of defense. Network Access Control (NAC) and application policing have increased in importance. They are needed to protect the integrity of the network, data privacy, and compliance. Wiring Closet 2.0 switches integrate security features and the support of security appliances bolstering defense-in-depth strategies.
  • Wireless Local Area Networking: WLAN integration, which includes access point, PoE, and controller support, increases WLAN coverage. Further common network management interfaces streamline operational support for both wired and wireless networks.
  • Unified Communication (UC): UC support via PoE to power IP phones and UC end-points plus unique UC configuration profiles to ensure reliable and stable UC operation.
  • Application Intelligence: Application intelligence or the categorizing of applications as they enter the wiring closet and either mark them with QoS or discard the application. This enables application policing at the network edge.
  • Layer 3: Full layer 3 forwarding enabling all the value associating with routing including segmentation and aggregation are now included in some wiring closet switches.
  • Total Cost of Ownership: The network edge and wiring closet switches in particular have a TCO breakdown of 20% capital spend and 80% operational spend according to Gartner (IT). Mew wiring closet switches are more expensive from a capital acquisition point of view. However, their operational cost is lower. Thus, the total dollar spend over a three-year period will also be lower while delivering increased value to the enterprise.

Wiring Closet 3.0

The IT industry is on the verge of a new era at the network edge. New technologies and requirements will disrupt Wiring Closet 2.0.

  • 10Gbps Ethernet: 10Gbps Ethernet is the future of networking. If the past is a guide to the future, then over time more and more 1 Gbps Ethernet ports will upgrade to 10 Gbps. This will place a strain on wiring closet packet processing performance while driving up 10Gbps port density requirements plus downstream distribution and core switch capabilities.
  • Software-defined networking (SDN): The holy grail of SDN is to separate the network control plane from the data plane. The model I carry in my head is wireless networks. There is a central controller that tells the WAP’s what to do and they do their job without any help from the central controller. This implies that the network devices can be dumber and cheaper.
  • Network Management: Consistent network management means leveraging the same supplier for the network edge, distribution, and core.
  • True Layer 3 Support: To support all the above-mentioned trends and unforeseen applications, wiring closet switches need to support full layer 3 forwarding.
  • Support of UC, Mobility, and Security: This basis of competition is one of the most important attributes to the new network edge. Wiring closet switches need to support both standard interfaces and services for UC, mobility, and security so that mixed vendor solutions may occur.
  • IPv6: If you have wiring closets full of perfectly good Layer 2 switches, there’s no reason to replace them just because you can’t manage them with IPv6. If they work today, they’ll work until they break, and you don’t need to worry about (or budget for) swapping them out any sooner.

IPv6

IPv6

Dan Campbell, President, Millennia Systems, Inc. suggested in a recent CircleID post that to manage the move to an IPv6 enabled Wiring Closet 3.0. Organizations should strive to use theIPv6 dual-stack migration strategy. This is where IPv6 is added to the existing systems so they can simultaneously function with both IP versions. Tunneling and translation techniques should be used when the dual-protocol configuration is not possible. The mantra of “dual stack where you can, tunnel where you must” is the order of the day.

He advises that starting today, don’t buy another box unless it supports dual-stack operation or offers a clear, well-defined upgrade plan. It doesn’t matter if the manufacturer is “up and to the right” in the latest Gartner (IT) report; anything you buy from now on that is IPv4-only is a waste of valuable resources.

Mr. Campbell tells network administrators that while LAN switches function mainly at layer 2. They forward Ethernet frames regardless of whether the packet inside is IPv4 or IPv6. There are some functions on a switch that works at layer 3 or higher. They include:

• Dynamic ARP Inspection (DAI).
• DHCP Snooping.
• Multicast Listener Discovery (MLD) Snooping (the IPv6 equivalent of IGMP Snooping).
• Quality of Service (QoS) marking for upstream Differentiated Services treatment.
• Access Lists (e.g., VLAN or regular ACLs).

He explains that these features need layer 3 or upper-layer information; Layer 3 is needed to inspect the packet header or payload inside the Ethernet frame. These features may not be things you are doing now, but you never know when you will. Security requirements and hardening guidelines are recommending things like DAI, DHCP Snooping, and ACLs at the access layer.

The more streaming video gets moved to IP networks, the more the need for multicast. MLD Snooping is necessary to improve performance. Finally, the continued convergence of voice, video, and other rich media and interactive applications to IP networks is furthering the need for QoS. It is always best to mark traffic as close to the edge as possible.

Related articles

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

Category: low voltage | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
| December 12, 2013
Comments Off on Is Your Data Safe From Gen Y?

Is Your Data Safe From Gen Y?

Is Your Data Safe From Gen Y?Fortinet (FTNT) released a new study that says that most Gen Y staff members are thwarting their employers’ Bring Your Own Device programs. Fortinet surveyed 3,200 employees between the ages of 21 and 32 on their attitudes and practices around BYOD and found that 51 percent of respondents said they would ignore formal BYOD policies at their organization.  “It’s worrying to see policy contravention so high …” Fortinet VP of Marketing John Maddison said in the study report.

Gen Y staff

Gen YThe same Fortinet survey revealed that 55 percent said they have been the victims of cyberattacks on their desktops or laptops. The respondents noted that those attacks had affected their productivity and potentially cost them corporate or personal data.

FierceCIO provides another example of staff’s cavalier attitude towards data security from Symantec. According to the Mountain View, CA-based Symantec (SYMC) when it comes to corporate data, employees who feel like they live in a “finder’s keepers” environment, Robert Hamilton, Symantec director of information risk management said. The firm surveyed workers in the U.S. about taking corporate data outside of the workplace if they would use company information in another job and their views on whether that constituted stealing. FierceCIO reports the results of the survey, were not encouraging to IT security professionals and IT management.

Finder’s keepers

  • Data theft40% of employees download work files to personal devices,
  • 40% of employees plan to use old company information in a new job role,
  • 56% of employees do not believe it is a crime to use a competitor’s trade secrets,
  • 68% of employees say their company doesn’t take proper steps to protect sensitive information.

Mr. Hamilton summarized, “The attitude is that ownership lies with the person that created it, not with the company that employs them.” He says companies need to do a better job of safeguarding data from employees, especially with the growing popularity of BYOD. Symantec noted,

Only 38 percent of employees say their managers view data protection as a business priority, and 51 percent think it is acceptable to take corporate data because their company does not strictly enforce policies

File sharingA survey by mobile file-sharing app provider Workshare provides more evidence of how employees flaunt IT policies by using free file-sharing services to store and share corporate documents from their mobile devices. FierceMobileIT reports that the firm’s survey revealed that 81% of employees access work documents from their mobile devices. A disturbing 72% of workers are using free file-sharing services without authorization from their IT departments.

Fiberlink recently conducted a survey of its customers about what apps they are blacklisting and whitelisting. DropBox appeared at the top of the blacklisted apps lists for both Android and iOS devices. Commenting on the results, Fiberlink CEO Christopher Clark told FierceMobileIT: “I think there are other ways besides DropBox or Box to do apps and content management.”

personal USB devicesWork documents on personal devices

Another survey, conducted by Ipsos MORI for Huddle found that 91% of U.S. office workers store work documents on personal devices, such as USB drives, and 38% store documents on consumer file-sharing services.

FierceMobileIT reports that Dropbox is the most used consumer file-sharing service for work document storage and sharing.

Patrice Perche, Fortinet’s senior Fred Donovan VP for international sales and support, said in the report:

This year’s research reveals the issues faced by organizations when attempting to enforce policies around BYOD, cloud application usage, and soon the adoption of new connected technologies. The study highlights the greater challenge IT managers face when it comes to knowing where corporate data resides and how it is being accessed.

FierceMobileIT’s Fred Donovan warns that enterprises need to educate their employees to combat the security risks of using consumer file-sharing services. He also says that employers need to offer enterprise-sanctioned file-sharing alternatives. Otherwise, employees will continue to bypass IT policies and put corporate data at risk. Symantec’s Hamilton told FierceCIO that firms need to undergo a cultural shift if they are going to win the battle of protecting their assets from their own staff.

rb-
Sharon Nelson at Ride the Lighting sums up my thoughts on the BYOD thing.

I have never understood the arrogance of this attitude or the failure to appreciate that employers have a duty to impose rules to protect client/customer/proprietary data./proprietary data.

It is common for each succeeding generation to despair of the generation that follows it, but I confess to a certain amount of despair for a generation that is so tied to their mobile devices that they cannot balance their desire to use their devices with the duty owed to the employer to keep work data secure. In a world where young folks cannot seem to keep from checking their phones at weddings and funerals, I guess it is no wonder that they see nothing wrong with willfully disobeying rules imposed at work.

What do you think? Is your data safe from Gen Y staff?

Related articles

 

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

Category: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
| December 10, 2013
Comments Off on 6LoWPAN ?

6LoWPAN ?

6LoWPAN ?BYOD, BYON, IoT, IPv6, SaaS, SDN, MDM, M2M, TCP/IP, IEEE, EIEIO, IMHO, tech is drowning in drowning in acronyms. And now Stacey Higginbotham at GigaOM explains 6LoWPAN.  6LoWPAN stands for IPv6 over Low-Power Wireless Personal Area Networks. 6LoWPAN is the lightweight version of traditional internet protocol (IP) designed for the internet of things.

Misco reports that Internet-connected devices will number 9.6 billion by the end of 2013 and the figure will jump to 28 billion by 2020. Currently, the 9.6 billion Internet-connected devices connect to another device, a phone, or a corporate gateway. In order for a true internet of things to emerge, these devices should have the ability to connect directly to a web service.

Device to cloud

IPv6Instead of device-to-device, it’s device to cloud. The article surmises that since most of today’s devices use IP to connect to the web, engineers would like to use IP to connect devices to the web as well. The only problem is that IP is a heavy, energy-intensive beast. This is one that reason, the Internet’s standard’s setting organization, the IETF, proposed 6LoWPAN in 2004.

The numeral 6 in the standard, is short for IPv6. Ms.Higginbotham explains that if you’re envisioning tens of billions of connected sensors then IPv6 is the way to go. However, supporting the 128-bit numbering system required by IPv6 also takes computing and memory overhead that tiny sensors don’t have. It also requires longer packet headers and such that can clog low bit-rate networks. Since the 6 is IPv6 and the Lo references the low-power aspect of the protocol.

Internet of ThingaThe WPAN or Wireless Personal Area Network is a nod to the wireless mesh network that the protocol supports. Because this isn’t directly analogous to the traditional network stacks, it’s hard to limit the technology to a particular layer in the network.

Sensors in a connected network can run the gamut from a video camera that’s plugged into a wall to a battery-powered water sensor hiding under the washing machine. GigaOM says the standard is flexible enough that some nodes might be able to do more than just send information. Others can be designed to sleep until an event wakes them for a data transmission. In short, it’s complicated, which makes defining a network stack or standards for the internet of things tough.

6LoWPAN will use multiple radio protocols

WirelessThe WPAN in 6LoWPAN will use multiple radio protocols. It can work over several radio networks that use the IEEE 802.15.4 standard, the most popular being ZigBee. The IETF is also working with the Bluetooth Special Interest Group to build 6LoWPAN support for the Bluetooth protocol.

GigaOM notes that the Bluetooth SIG already has taken steps to cut power consumption to meet the demands of the internet of things, so it clearly is also aware of the need for the IPv6 addressing scheme if every bra, door lock, or porta-potty is going to hop on the InterTubes without a phone or computer.

ZigBeeCharles McLellan at ZDNet explains that IBM (IBM) has teamed up with wireless sensor network specialist Libelium to deliver a wireless sensor platform starter kit comprising IBM’s Mote Runner SDK and Libelium’s Waspmote sensor platform, Waspmote Mote Runner development platform allows researchers to explore the benefits of 6LoWPAN.

Tech titans betting on 6LoWPAN

Ms. Higginbotham says that IBM getting behind the standard with this announcement is just one more big-name betting on 6LoWPAN as the communications protocol for the internet of things. She says a few months ago ARM purchased Sensinode, a company that has literally written the book (MP4) about 6LoWPAN. Cisco (CSCO) has an investment in 6LoWPAN with its 2010 purchase of Arch Rock, for its smart grid initiative.

Platforms such as Electric Imp, Ayla Networks, and ThingSquare, all of which offer modules and services to connect devices directly to the internet, are also gaining ground with test programs and early adopters, helping make the case for 6LoWPAN. So as devices start going directly to the cloud and bypassing phones and computers, having a protocol that supports modern addressing at relatively low power and low overhead will become more important. And that’s what this terribly awkward acronym provides.

 rb-

6LoWPAN is what will drive the rapid growth of the IoT. The Business Insider says that IoT grows from 1.9 billion devices today, to 9 billion by 2018. To put that in perspective, BI claims that by 2018 IoT will be roughly equal to the number of smartphones, smart TVs, tablets, wearable computers, and PCs combined.

You can insert your own joke about the feds collecting data from a porta-potty.

What do you think? Is 6LoWPAN the best way to connect IoT devices to the cloud?

 

Related articles

 

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

Category: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
| December 5, 2013
Comments Off on Project Managers Grow in Importance

Project Managers Grow in Importance

Project Managers Grow in ImportanceIn a recent post, Computer Economics has found that the slowdown in capital spending has been good for project managers. With fewer projects and thus fewer project managers, Project managers are growing in importance. Project managers with sound project management become even more important when projects are downsized, delayed, or outsourced.

Their study, Project Manager Staffing Ratios, finds that over a five-year period project managers have risen as a percentage of the IT staff. In 2011, project managers made up an average of 4.5% of the IT staff, up from 3.4% in 2008.

Project Managers Grow in Importance

The ratio rose sharply in 2009 to 4.3%, indicating the recession played a role. While IT organizations were reducing headcount, project managers fared better than most other IT job functions according to Computer Economics. The ratio has remained relatively steady over the past three years, peaking at 4.7% in 2010.

The author summarizes that IT organizations are relying more and more on professional project managers. The reasons for this growth are varied. They include new technology adoption, regulatory compliance issues, and outsourcing. There is also the ever-present mandate to do more with less. All of which contribute to the need for project management.

Perhaps the most pressing reason for the growth in project management staff is that many organizations have a poor record of bringing IT projects in on time and within budget according to the article. Much of the work in IT organizations today is project-based. IT managers are beginning to realize that project management is a critical element in delivering successful projects. And value—to the business.

Related articles

 

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

Category: Project Management | Tags: , , , , , ,
| December 3, 2013
Comments Off on Ford Rolls Out A Hot Wheels Transit

Ford Rolls Out A Hot Wheels Transit

Ford Rolls Out A Hot Wheels TransitTheDetroitBureau.com reports from SEMA 2013 in Las Vegas that Ford Motor Company (F) has rolled out some very hot wheels. Ford is the latest carmaker to honor Hot Wheels the popular Mattel (MAT) toy line with a running, life-size model. This one based on the latest Ford Transit Connect van.

Hotwheels logoThe Hot Wheels Ford Transit Connect van is dark blue with bright orange accents. It has a flaming “Hot Wheels” logo, fins, and fender details one might expect on a toy car.

Hot Wheels Ford Transit Connect van

“The Hot Wheels design team jumped at the chance to hot rod a Transit Connect van. The idea was to create a race-inspired support vehicle for the average guy to spend a weekend at the track testing his Hot Wheels race car,” said Felix Holst, vice president of creative for the Mattel Wheels Division.

Ford’s 2014 Transit Connect Sizzles for SEMA Courtesy of Hot Wheels®

It’s no surprise Ford came up with the flashy version of its all-new 2014 Transit Connect. The Hot Wheels brand has been around since 1968. Kids – as well as many adult fans – have snapped up 4 billion of the line’s model cars since then.

Hotwheels Ford Transit Connect

The Hot Wheels Transit Connect is more than just a van with a flashy paint job and decals.  It is powered by Ford’s 2.5-liter 2.5-liter Ti-VCT four-pot. The sliding side doors are replaced by gull-wing doors. The rear wheels are widened with the body panels flared out to accommodate the larger wheels.  There are three shark fins on the back of the roof and scoops on the hood. To complete the package, there are three widescreen TV sets inside the author reports.

Ford’s 2014 Transit Connect Sizzles for SEMA Courtesy of Hot Wheels®
“It has everything you need to spend a weekend at the track,” suggested Mr. Holst. The blog says he didn’t say whether that meant the race track or the little orange plastic tracks that Hot Wheels cars run on.

Ford’s 2014 Transit Connect Sizzles for SEMA Courtesy of Hot Wheels®

There’s no word on whether Ford plans to offer any of the modifications made for the Hot Wheels Transit Connect concept, though the use of gullwing doors in a production vehicle seems unlikely speculates TheDetroitBureau.com.

That said, Chevrolet debuted its homage to Hot Wheels at the 2012 SEMA Show. last year. Chevy displayed the Hot Wheels Camaro at the 2013 Woodward Dream Cruise and sold it as a limited-edition Hot Wheels Camaro.

Related articles

 

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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