Stories by John Dix

Planning for SDN

In our first Network World Spotlight, "Understanding SDN" we spelled out the basics. Here we catch you up on the status of the movement and begin to lay out how you get there from here, examining basic planning, what to look for in an SDN controller, and discussing what the Open Networking Foundation hopes to achieve with its new Migration Group.

Written by John Dix24 Sept. 13 19:23

You can't make it run better if you don't know where the problem lies

Riverbed Technology is best known for its WAN optimization tools, but the company has branched out over the years through multiple acquisitions. Network World Editor in Chief John Dix caught up with Eric Wolford, president of the company's Products Group, to see how the company is trying to help customers squeeze more efficiency out of their IT resources.

Written by John Dix09 Aug. 13 22:24

Cloud computing causing rethinking of disaster recovery

Cloud computing gives organisations the opportunity to rethink many traditional IT practices, but it may be a particularly good fit for disaster recovery and business continuity.

Written by John Dix31 July 13 00:42

SDN: The user view

It is still early days in the emergence of software defined networking, so there aren't many users around to share their experiences and expectations, but there are a few. Network World's editor in chief tracked down Steve Wallace, executive director of InCNTRE, Indiana University's Indiana Center for Network Translational Research and Education, which is already using the technology in a production environment. The school is also playing a role in the tech's evolution.

Written by John Dix28 June 13 19:38

The promise of software defined networking

If you aren't intimately familiar with software defined networking, don't fret. Only 10 per cent of 450 IT practitioners at a recent Network World event raised their hands when asked if they understand SDN. But if the emerging technology lives up to its promise to redefine networking as we know it, there is no time like the present to dig in and learn more.

Written by John Dix28 June 13 19:32

What's next for Wi-Fi?

Wi-Fi is blossoming in the enterprise as organizations find new ways to leverage the wireless infrastructure and workers, having benefited from mobility, demand increased range and better performance (and support for all those devices they are bringing in from home). The industry is responding in kind, introducing new products and technologies, including gigabit Wi-Fi, and it is up to IT to bring it orchestrate this new mobile symphony.

Written by John Dix17 June 13 14:18

SDN coming ... soon

Software defined networking was a hot topic at the recent Interop conference in Las Vegas, where enthusiasm for the emerging technology overpowered any lingering doubts.

Written by John Dix20 May 13 13:52

Why don't risk management programs work?

When the moderator of a panel discussion at the recent RSA conference asked the audience how many thought their risk management programs were successful, only a handful raised their hands. So Network World Editor in Chief John Dix asked two of the experts on that panel to hash out in an email exchange why these programs don't tend to work.

Written by John Dix20 May 13 06:20

Time is now for Internet retail tax

On the face of it, the bill the Senate is considering to levy taxes on Internet retailers simply makes sense. The states are strapped for cash and we have a bifurcated system that requires local brick and mortar outlets to ante up while letting out of state online retailers off scot free.

Written by John Dix06 May 13 11:14

Clarifying the role of software-defined networking northbound APIs

What of the oft-mentioned northbound APIs that will let applications tell the controller what they need from the network? What kind of progress is the Open Networking Foundation making on that front? Network World Editor in Chief John Dix put the question to Robert Sherwood, CTO of Big Switch Networks and head of the ONF's Architecture and Framework Working Group.

Written by John Dix02 May 13 23:26

Gauging BYOD acceptance

The debate about the bring-your-own-device movement (BYOD) has quieted down, mostly because, it seems, while IT has been over in the corner arguing the pros and cons, employees have been streaming into office with their shiny new toys and using them to get work done.

Written by John Dix22 April 13 10:56

The SDN incubator

A speaker at a recent Network World event asked the crowd of 450 IT practitioners if they were familiar with software-defined networking (SDN) and only about 10 per cent raised their hands.

Written by John Dix08 April 13 13:34

Who has responsibility for Cloud security?

As more organisations leverage the Cloud for critical business applications, they are discovering one of the greatest challenges is combining existing internal controls with cloud protection efforts.

Written by John Dix25 March 13 20:09

Big Data the security answer?

The recent RSA conference in San Francisco was awash in talk of big data, but it was clear there was some disagreement about what people mean by big data and some outright skepticism about it being the answer.

Written by John Dix11 March 13 11:23
[]