The Race is On: Is Your Network 5G Ready?

The growing 5G momentum promises tremendous commercial opportunities for service providers, with estimates that the global 5G market will be worth US$12.3 trillion by 2035. To pursue these new untapped opportunities, service providers need to ramp up their network capabilities to support future 5G services.

As we move closer towards mainstream 5G adoption, mobile networks are increasingly expected to handle more data-intensive applications and deliver low-latency connectivity to more devices. How can service providers keep pace and get a leg up on the competition?

Continue reading

Cognitive Threat Analytics: Turn Your Proxy Into Security Device

Some of us still intuitively believe that our extensively safeguarded corporate networks are safe from the risks we are exposed to when connecting directly to public Internet. Yet, evidence suggests that most companies now operate with significant persistent malware present in the network. At the same time, malware has also evolved, and we have witnessed a larger proportion of infections being brief with relatively low risk. But, even the seemingly low risk infections may open a pathway or potentially escalate into full-fledged attacks with serious business impact.­­­­­­­­­

Continue reading

CMS Brute Force Attacks Are Still a Threat

Brute force attacks have existed long before the Internet. As a cryptanalytic attack, it started being used as an attempt to access encrypted data when there were no other options available. With the rise of the Internet, this type of attack was quickly adopted. In a nutshell, a brute force attack consists of systematically trying different credentials until the correct combination is found. It’s like trying to open a combination lock by going through all possible combinations: eventually, it will pop open.

Continue reading

The Cisco ASR 9000 – Timeless Versatility for Future Growth

Cisco’s Aggregation Service Router 9000 (ASR 9k) has evolved into the cloud-scale, multi-service platform offering unprecedented flexibility, scale, programmability and security for Service Providers today.

When the ASR 9k was first announced in November 2008, it was a 6-slot and a 10-slot chassis—each of them capable of handling 3.2Tbps and 6.4Tbps of traffic, respectively.

Continue reading

Viptela and Cisco Managed Services - Even Better Together

The Software-Defined Networking Movement

Cisco has been leading the charge into enterprise software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) with its industry-leading Intelligent WAN (IWAN) solution. A complementary Meraki-based solution addresses the SD-WAN needs of the smaller enterprise and commercial markets. Regardless of market segment, SD-WAN offers incredibly powerful transport capabilities between main offices and branch facilities. By providing alternate transport paths between offices, as opposed to expensive (and sometimes excessive and underutilized) dedicated circuits, SD-WAN enables the business to maximize existing investments in their networking infrastructure, creating a greater return on investment.

Continue reading

Five to Thrive in a Disruptive Environment: Part 2

In my previous blog, I introduced the concept of Five to Thrive. These leadership tips can help you navigate a world of astounding change and mind-boggling opportunities. And, hopefully, avoid the risks and threats hiding around every corner.

To learn about the first three—Recognize the Source of Value, Take Action Against Blind Spots, and Stop Failing Fast—visit my previous blog. Today, I’m sharing No’s. 4 and 5 in Five to Thrive: Close the Loop on Technology Investments and Build a Listening Infrastructure.

Continue reading

5 Reasons Why Customers Swear by Support Services

If you’re on the fence about whether to purchase (or renew) Cisco Support Services, I’ve got a story for you. I recently met with a group of Cisco Account Managers to better understand what customers are looking for in a protection policy.

As the team began to whiteboard all the reasons, I saw a pattern emerge. Every customer claim was about avoiding or reducing risk.

Continue reading