Articles about Network

Do you need a 10Gbps network adapter? I am going to go out on a limb and say no. Many homes only use Ethernet for the internet -- not transferring files between machines on the network. While some businesses could absolutely benefit from the speed, installing such a card in a workstation would be pointless without a 10Gbps network to which it could connect. That's the thing, to get the full speed of such a card, you need a compatible network, which you probably do not have.

I say all of this to highlight that a 10Gbps PCIe network adapter card for consumers is as bit silly right now, but that hasn't stopped ASUS from making one. Today, the company announces the XG-C100C 10Gbps PCIe network adapter for both Windows and Linux. While not the first 10Gbps card, it is surprisingly affordable.

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I can't say this enough -- never go cheap on a wireless router. Whether for your home or business, a flaky connection can be absolutely maddening. Not to mention, if you opt for a model from a lesser-known company, you could get left with poor update support. In other words, there could be unpatched vulnerabilities. What you want to do is target a reputable brand that has historically offered plenty of updates. Then, select a model that meets your needs.

Despite some fairly overblown concerns about data collection, one such reputable company is NETGEAR. The company not only offers routers with great features and reliability, but excellent support too. Today, the company refreshes its aging Nighthawk X6 (R8000). The new "S" model -- which replaces its predecessor -- is called "X6S (R8000P)." This new router still has six antennas, but moves from AC3200 to AC4000 (750+1625+1625 Mbps). The new model gets multi-user MIMO and has a better processor, going from a dual-core 1GHz to a dual-core 64-bit 1.8GHz CPU. Like the prior model, the X6S also has Amazon Alexa support.

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Cisco has unveiled its network of the future designed with the ability to learn, adapt and evolve to combat security threats and manage the increased load put on networks by an ever-increasing number of devices.

The company created its new network with the intent of developing an intuitive system that can anticipate actions, stop security threats and continue to evolve and learn over time. Cisco's network of the future will allow businesses to solve the challenges they face in a time of increased connectivity and distributed technology.

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Business are keen to take advantage of the advantages offered by Office 365, but a new study reveals that often their networks are not up to handling it.

The survey from cloud security company Zscaler finds that majority of respondents (64 percent) are concerned about the impact Office 365 has on their bandwidth and latency.

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A security vulnerability in the popular Samba networking utility could leave unpatched machines open to an attack similar to WannaCry. A single line of code is all that’s needed to exploit the vulnerability, but it is reliant on a number of prerequisites.

The vulnerability has been assigned the ID CVE-2017-7494 and is described as "remote code execution from a writable share" which could allow "malicious clients [to] upload and cause the smbd server to execute a shared library from a writable share." Security researchers say that the flaw is very easy to exploit, and tens of thousands of machines have been found to be running versions of Samba for which a patch does not exist.

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As software moves towards the cloud, many companies are opting for thin client architecture on the desktop. But this involves an investment in new hardware that may strain restricted budgets.

HP has used this week's Citrix Synergy event to launch its Thin Client Conversion Suite, allowing old PCs to be turned into a thin client solution at low cost.

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It’s time to replace the traditional VPN and regain trust of your endpoints with a more secure and easier approach to remote access. VPNs have typically been the go-to solution for access to internal applications, with one-third of access requests to corporate networks coming from outside the firewall.

However, VPNs come with security drawbacks, including the increased risk of unauthorized remote access to sensitive data. Typically, they grant access at the network level, meaning every user with VPN rights can access the same applications that any other user can, which is a risky practice.

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Mesh Wi-Fi home networks are all the rage nowadays. If you aren't familiar, it is the use of several access points as opposed to a single router. For larger homes in particular, a mesh option can provide greater coverage -- potentially minimizing dead zones.

Today, TP-Link launches Deco M5 Whole-Home Wi-Fi System. Not only does the 802.11ac offering offer respectable specifications, but they look very attractive too -- yes, that matters. The access points (you get three of them) look like white small hockey pucks, allowing them to be placed in any room in your home without being too conspicuous. It even comes with a three-year subscription to Trend Micro HomeCare for free.

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Everybody deserves a quality wireless router in their home, but understandably, not everyone can afford the latest and greatest. If you opt for a no-name budget offering, you may be in for a world of pain -- dropped connections and needed reboots. Luckily, there are plenty of affordable routers from reputable manufacturers that can get the job done. Sure, they may not be loaded with features, but they can be dependable.

One brand that you can often depend on for quality routers is Linksys. Its best models can be a bit expensive, but they are well worth the money. Today, the company launches a new 802.11ac wireless router that has high end features, such as tri-band wireless and MU-MIMO, but doesn't break the bank. Called "Max-Stream EA8300," it has a rather unique feature -- Amazon Alexa support!

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Having quality Wi-Fi in your home or office is one of the best investments you can make. Nowadays, having access to the internet and the web are essential for success -- a problematic router that constantly crashes or needs rebooting can be absolutely maddening. Luckily, you do not need to break the bank to get a solid router. In fact, there are even some affordable mesh systems on the market nowadays.

Today, NETGEAR announces new two-unit Orbi Wi-Fi systems (RBK30 and RBK40) that are more affordable than the original (RBK50). The RBK40 comes with two Orbi AC2200 Tri-band 802.11ac routers. The RBK30 comes with just one of the routers, plus a satellite extender. Not only are they affordable and easy to set up, but they are very pretty too -- reminiscent of an Apple design.

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Extreme Networks agreed to acquire Avaya’s networking business for roughly $100 million. Avaya, a company that went private in 2007, is struggling with bankruptcy. It filed to restructure under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January. It also said it was looking for ways to monetize some of its assets.

Extreme Networks said Avaya’s networking business is in line with its strategy for growth, and that it will help broaden its portfolio across different verticals.

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Telephones used to have a dial. Television viewers used to have to get up to change the channel. Internet connections used to run at 56 kbit/s. And, not so long ago, organizations could run their service from a single data center. Their DNS servers were placed inside it with no contingency plan. After all, if the data center went down, the DNS server was useless.

But time and technology march on, and a single data center is now the exception rather than the norm. Enterprises run multiple data centers, sometimes in multiple countries, not to mention cloud regions and highly distributed networks. Consequently, your DNS needs to be just as highly distributed as your content. What good is a disaster recovery site if you have no way to direct your users to it?

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In the US a duopoly exists between SAP and Syniverse for inter-carrier mobile messaging. Carriers and other communication service providers are forced to choose between these two vendors to exchange messages across networks.

This makes the carriers vulnerable to price hikes and sub-par quality of service. New provider tyntec is seeking to disrupt the market and create more competition with its new Inter Carrier Messaging Service (ICMS).

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Portable network toolkit TCP Monitor Plus has had its first update since 2015, adding a snapshot feature and some handy display tweaks.

The program opens with a scrolling graph of network traffic, and assorted low-level stats on bandwidth, speeds, and packets sent and received.

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We get it now. The cloud is a thing. It’s a great thing and it’s revolutionizing everything from how we do business, to how we listen to music, even to how we heat our homes, but there comes a point when the analogies and the ability to extol its benefits dries up.

The beauty of technology though is that it never stands still, and just as the drought sets in, along comes something new and exciting to explore. SD-WAN or Software Defined-Wide Area Network is the latest innovation to disrupt proceedings and help deliver the benefits of cloud.  It’s not just another acronym to add to the collection either. Although deployed by only around 1 percent of businesses worldwide, American marketing research firm Gartner predicted last year that by the end of 2019, an astonishing 30 percent of enterprises will deploy SD-WAN technology in their branches. So, what is it?

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