WEI Tech Exchange

Industry Info to Know – 06.19.20 Roundup

By Greg LaBrie |   Jun 19, 2020

We're all in IT together.

2020 has presented CIOs and IT Executives with unforeseen health and humanity challenges that affected the way business gets done, and significantly impacted how enterprise IT supported their users. And it's been one thing after another. Technology limitations were tested, as well as your company's leadership to lead through uncertainty. It's been a busy (and interesting) year for sure, and hopefully this week's roundup of articles can help as your company continues to architect a resilient IT environment for operating in a new normal—one that keeps employees productive and secure from where ever they choose to work.

10 Benefits of an Automated, Intent-based Network Environment with Cisco DNA Center

By Greg LaBrie |   Jan 07, 2020

The concept of intent-based networking is indeed an evolutionary leap in how we design, manage and maintain the enterprise networks of today. Gartner a while back actually coined the phrase of IBN. Rather than relying on manual intervention, intent-based networking incorporates AI and machine learning to automate administrative tasks and functions.

8 Key Things to Know about Cisco DNA Center

By Greg LaBrie |   Nov 14, 2019

We could probably list 80 things to know about Cisco DNA Center, but for the sake of brevity, we will keep it to single digits. We say this because there is so much to this all-inclusive network management platform. This solution is the next step in network evolution. Its singular yet expansive platform includes a variety of tools that integrate with so many network functions and technologies.  Some of these include network management, automation, virtualization, analytics, assurance, security, compliance and IoT connectivity. Cisco DNA Center is at the epicenter of Cisco Digital Network Architecture, which is Cisco’s architectural blueprint for today’s expansive enterprise networks. Regardless of the complexity of your hybrid architectures that incorporate multiple campuses, remotes branch and cloud architectures, Cisco DNA Center can help simplify it. 

How Edge Computing is Reshaping the Value of Data and IoT Within the Enterprise

By Greg LaBrie |   May 23, 2019

The rise of cloud technology enabled organizations to shift computing-power and data storage from private data centers to public cloud environments. The transition to the cloud facilitated vast amounts of data to be accumulated and manipulated in a centralized way; however, widespread use of the Internet of Things (IoT) has created new data processing requirements. It does not make sense to centralize massive amounts of raw data gathered by IoT sensors, so edge computing seeks to fill this need by decentralizing and distributing computing resources.

5 Key Requirements For Distributed Enterprise Firewall Security

By Michael Thweatt |   Mar 19, 2019

As enterprises modernize their IT infrastructure to meet evolving business demands the conversation of security is always top of mind. More and more companies are now managing a distributed enterprise, with remote offices and branches that are forcing them to move away from a highly centralized IT model to one that extends to the edge. How will your security strategy have to evolve to meet these new security demands as you’re now securing more than just the perimeter? As one of the emerging leaders in SD-WAN technology, we looked at some tips from Fortinet on this topic. Check out these key requirements for distributed enterprise firewall security.

Are you Ready for the Intelligent Edge? (Part 2)

By Greg LaBrie |   Dec 04, 2018

One of the reasons why IoT is so vulnerable to attacks is the lack of visibility in what is truly happening in your environment. This is where edge computing comes in. Edge computing is about keeping compute proximal to the physical environment where it is collected in the first place, rather than forwarding everything to the cloud (particularly processing and storage). In the same way that the client/server computing model replaced the mainframe, enterprises are beginning to realize the benefit of a distributed computing model when it comes to IoT. Client/server architecture put processing power in physical proximity of the end user. Edge computing provides a local segmented processing network for IoT devices.

Is your Enterprise ready for the Edge? (Part 1)

By Greg LaBrie |   Nov 27, 2018

If your career centers on enterprise architecture, then you are literally watching history repeat itself in real time. Decades ago, enterprise resources and processing power were concentrated within the mainframe and users had to work in close approximation of it. But then, users from the outer perimeters started demanding more capabilities, which translated into more resources where they were—at the edge. This introduced the PC, which decentralized enterprises and transitioned in the era of the client server model that users loved. Once again, the technology cycle is about to repeat itself.