Network hardware
Network hardware products such as routers, switches, hubs, appliances and gateways form the vital infrastructure for successful enterprise IT. We look at the latest trends in technologies in building LANs, WANS and Ethernet networking.
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News
12 Feb 2025
Cisco Live EMEA: Network supplier tightens AI embrace
At its annual EMEA show, Cisco tech leadership unveiled a raft of new products, services and features designed to help customers do more with artificial intelligence Continue Reading
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Feature
11 Feb 2025
How Kingsland Drinks is raising a glass to industrial gains from Wi-Fi
Discover how one of the UK’s premier independent suppliers of bulk wine and spirits goes about its business – from its origins in 1895 to its running of modern wireless networks Continue Reading
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News
14 Jan 2011
Vodafone Australia sacks employees over data leak
Vodafone Australia has sacked several people after four million customer records were exposed in a privacy leak Continue Reading
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News
14 Jan 2011
Government wants hard evidence before changing fibre tax
The government wants concrete evidence that the business rates tax on lit fibres - the so-called fibre tax - unduly hampers network investment before it considers reviewing the system Continue Reading
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News
11 Jan 2011
Cambridge village competes with South Korea on broadband speeds
Residents of Broughton have become among the first UK consumers to get access to 1Gbps broadband speeds Continue Reading
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News
11 Jan 2011
BT to develop Goonhilly satellite site for deep space comms programme
After closing the Goonhilly visitor's centre in March 2010, BT has announced it is planning to invest in the historic telecommunications satellite site. Continue Reading
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News
06 Jan 2011
Ofcom frees spectrum for better data, internet access
From Thursday UK mobile network operators will be allowed to offer data services over their 2G networks, giving consumers better indoor and outdoor access... Continue Reading
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News
06 Jan 2011
Most people who sell their old mobiles don't clear personal data
Just over three quarters of the UK population have sold on old mobile phones, but only 31% wiped all personal information before selling, a survey has revealed. Continue Reading
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News
06 Jan 2011
CES 2011: Steve Ballmer heralds new era of technology
Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer highlighted that the next version of Windows will be the first to run on ARM processors in his keynote address at the opening of the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Continue Reading
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News
05 Jan 2011
BCS CEO David Clarke talks about the future of the IT industry
David Clarke, CEO of the chartered institute of computing the BCS, talks to Computer Weekly about being awarded an MBE, the future of the IT profession and tackling a membership revolt against his leadership last year. Continue Reading
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Photo Story
10 Nov 2010
Unified Comms for the smaller business
Bob Tarzey from Quocirca looks at how smaller businesses can benefit from deploying unified communications Continue Reading
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News
28 Jul 2010
Pacnet, Pacific Fibre, to light up cable competition
Pacnet and Pacfic Fibre will team to construct a new trans-pacific cable, which will operate at 5.1 terabits per second. Continue Reading
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News
21 Jul 2010
Why the ACCC thinks carrier Ethernet is important
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has indicated it may include Ethernet services in its list of Domestic Transmission Capacity Services. Richard Chirgwin analyses the implications of the move. Continue Reading
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News
21 Jul 2010
Using 3G as a backup WAN
3G data services are often advanced as a cheap way to provide a disaster recovery service for your WAN. But experts say you need to do more than just cut from one link to another to create a functional connection. Continue Reading
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Photo Story
15 Jul 2010
David Beckham talks to fans around the world via Cisco telepresence
England footballing superstar David Beckham teamed up with Yahoo to talk to fans around the world using telepresence technology at Cisco's London office. Continue Reading
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News
21 Jun 2010
Telstra/NBN FAQ
Richard Chirgwin analyses the proposed deal between the federal government and Telstra, explaining how it will work, what it will mean for your broadband connection and the impact on competition. Continue Reading
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Photo Story
30 Mar 2010
Photos: CERN - A tour of the large hadron collider
This month is the 20th anniversary of the Web, which was invented by Tim Berners-Lee at Cern in March 1989. Continue Reading
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Photo Story
21 Jan 2010
Photos: How technology is helping Haiti
This photo story shows how the UN Foundation and it's partners are setting up telecommunications to help the people of Haiti stay connected with the rest of the world. Continue Reading
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News
23 Nov 2009
CBI: Eight things you didn’t know about digital communications
Interesting facts from the CBI report, The shape of business – the next 10 years Continue Reading
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Photo Story
12 Nov 2009
What goes on inside Orange UK's network management centre?
OrangeNMC captions Picture gallery (Pix in Pix from Journalist/OrangeNMC) Inside Orange UK's network control centre Orange UK, which is... Continue Reading
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Photo Story
16 Sep 2009
Photos: Technology websites before they were famous
IT companies were well represented in the list of the first 100 internet domain names registered and they were also early adopters of a web presence. Continue Reading
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Photo Story
09 Jul 2009
Photos: True Picture of your Mobile 3G Coverage
Ofcom have capitulated to critics and published maps of providers coverage for their 3G products. Continue Reading
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Photo Story
16 Jun 2009
What does Digital Britain mean for you?
The Digital Britain report was unveiled. We look at what the key points are and how does the report affect you? Continue Reading
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Photo Story
06 Feb 2009
Photos: Top Ten Tech Power Twitterers
Twitter is full of great people to follow, but there are so many people, how do you know who to follow, so your timeline isn’t filled with random tweets that don’t help you? Continue Reading
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Feature
19 Nov 2007
Wi-Fi linked to childhood autism
A study published this week in the Australasian Journal of Clinical Environmental Medicine warns that wireless communication technology may be responsible for accelerating the rise in autism among children. Continue Reading
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Feature
06 Nov 2007
Managed VoIP keeps regatta's communications afloat
The world's largest rowing regatta utilises managed VoIP to ease its year-round communications needs -- and for a temporary system during its celebrated two-day event. Continue Reading
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News
06 Nov 2007
Users leaving Fibre Channel for iSCSI Sans find pros, cons
Users who recently updated aging Fibre Channel equipment with new iSCSI San products have found ease of use can be a double-edged sword. Continue Reading
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News
06 Nov 2007
Adaptec reports losses
Adaptec's revenue was down year over year, as well as sequentially; DataDirect says the InfiniBand business is booming. Continue Reading
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News
01 Nov 2007
ISCSI storage gets performance makeover
Suppliers, including Ibrix, Mellanox, Alacritech and EqualLogic, are offering juiced-up new iSCSI configurations, while 3PAR, CipherMax and NeoScale boost data security products. Continue Reading
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News
30 Oct 2007
EMC's Tucci vows to keep up with new features
EMC CEO says storage giant is widening its technology net to match innovations of smaller competitors. Continue Reading
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News
29 Oct 2007
Unified communications platform gets SMB twist
While unified communications has eluded the SMB market, Siemens has released an all-in-one UC appliance specifically for the SMB. Continue Reading
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News
21 Oct 2007
VoIP certification credentials
Many certifications touch on voice over IP topics tangentially, but numerous credentials now focus a fairly substantial portion of their coverage on this subject matter. In this certification survey, we take a look at available certifications, distinguishing between those credentials for which VoIP is a primary topic and those for which it is secondary. Continue Reading
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Feature
10 Oct 2007
Checklist for purchasing hardware-based encryption
Encryption appliances sit inline on a network and use specially designed electronics to encrypt data at line speeds, essentially eliminating the performance penalty imposed by encryption software running on a general server. While software-based encryption is typically handled as a specific event or process (e.g., encrypting data during a backup process), appliance-based encryption normally can handle any quantity of data in flight. Continue Reading
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News
10 Oct 2007
Unified communications new priority for HP
Unified communications is a confusing area with a number of vendors in the mix. HP has launched new services to help ease companies into unified communications and help them determine which integrated tools will best fit their business goals. Continue Reading
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News
07 Oct 2007
IP telephony adoption rising, quality sagging
IP telephony adoption continues to grow, but service quality is lagging behind, according to a user survey from Psytechnics. Continue Reading
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Feature
07 Oct 2007
IP PBX eases VoIP transition for gas company
An IP PBX with Sip helped one gas company upgrade to a new phone system while also jumping into VoIP. Continue Reading
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Feature
01 Oct 2007
How to select the right IP PBX
Selecting the right IP PBX system for your company can be complicated. Here are some important things to consider when purchasing an IP PBX. Continue Reading
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News
16 Sep 2007
Communications-as-a-service taking hold
Communications-as-a-service is taking hold worldwide as a viable hosted IP telephony system. Continue Reading
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News
09 Sep 2007
Virtual appliance lets users convert DAS to iSCSI San
LeftHand Networks has released an edition of its SaniQ iSCSI San software that will convert locally attached disc to networked storage. Continue Reading
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Feature
06 Sep 2007
Understanding VoWLAN
Like VoIP, VoWLAN contributes to cost efficiency. Because calls can be routed over the data network internally or over the Internet externally, mobile telephony costs can be eliminated or decreased significantly. In the long term, VoWLAN deployment is a significant step toward interoperability and seamless mobile connectivity between private WLANs and public wireless and cellular networks. Continue Reading
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News
31 Aug 2007
Suncorp reveals five-year VoIP plan
Financial services group Suncorp explains its plans to IP-enable its operations to Adam Turner. Continue Reading
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News
26 Aug 2007
IBM back in iSCSI SAN fray
IBM is looking to take on HP's MSA and EMC's AX150, as well as EqualLogic and LeftHand, with a new iSCSI SAN product OEMed from LSI. Continue Reading
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News
23 Aug 2007
Nokia Intellisync boosts device management
Nokia Intellisync has released updates to its Mobile Suite to enhance remote device support, loss and theft protection, and management capabilities. Continue Reading
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Feature
12 Aug 2007
VoIP models and services: Complete guide
With clear, concise explanations of existing VoIP business models and deployment methodologies, this guide will enable you to weigh the pros and cons of each based on your needs. Continue Reading
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News
09 Aug 2007
NAS appliance purchase considerations
NAS appliances are frequently touted for bringing convenience and simplicity to network storage. Appliances include their own dedicated disks for storage and RAID, and most NAS appliances can be upgraded with more or larger disks for additional storage space. However, NAS appliances do pose some disadvantages. Consequently, the choice of NAS appliance requires careful evaluation. Now that you've reviewed the essential issues involved in any NAS product, this guide focuses on specific considerations for dedicated NAS appliances. You'll also find a series of specifications to help make on-the-spot product comparisons between vendors. Continue Reading
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News
09 Aug 2007
VoIP vulnerability threatens data
VoIP vulnerabilities have now reached a level of sophistication that allows hackers to steal, view or delete data. Continue Reading
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News
08 Aug 2007
NAS appliance specifications
NAS appliances are noted for their convenience, offering dedicated internal storage that is relatively straightforward to identify and manage. The biggest issue for NAS appliances is avoiding network bottlenecks and supporting expansion without having to proliferate additional appliances across the network. The product snapshots in this chapter highlight key specifications for a cross section of major NAS appliance products. Continue Reading
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News
08 Aug 2007
Wi-Fi simplicity edging out Wi-Fi security
Experts say the standards are available to lock down Wi-Fi, but many network and security managers are taking an easier approach. Continue Reading
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News
07 Aug 2007
Application-aware storage promises intelligence and automation
Storage professionals overbuy both performance and capacity in an effort to forestall potential storage problems. Tiered storage was one way to address this problem -- matching storage resources and costs with the value of data. Today, storage is poised to build on this notion with application-aware storage, using business policies to bring autonomy and intelligence to enterprise storage. Still, there is a great deal of confusion surrounding this technology, its capabilities and its deployment. Continue Reading
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Feature
07 Aug 2007
How to cheat at VoIP Security
Securing a VoIP infrastructure requires planning, analysis, and detailed knowledge about the specifics of the implementation you choose to use. Continue Reading
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News
25 Jul 2007
EMC reports Clariion surge, data archiving slump
EMC's revenues are up this quarter, attributed in part to a big boost in Clariion sales, but CEO Joe Tucci is critical of the company's execution in data archiving. Continue Reading
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News
25 Jul 2007
Cisco issues warning for wireless LAN controller flaws
Cisco Systems is warning customers of flaws in its wireless LAN controllers that initially crippled a wireless network at Duke University. Continue Reading
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News
23 Jul 2007
LeftHand refreshes iSCSI SAN software
Version 7.0 of LeftHand's iSCSI SAN software contains dozens of new features, including support for four-way replication and brushed-up thin provisioning. Continue Reading
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News
22 Jul 2007
Black Hat Las Vegas 2007: Special news coverage
SearchSecurity.com covers all the controversy at this year's show with news, features, podcasts, interviews, exploits and more direct from Las Vegas. Continue Reading
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News
09 Jul 2007
Unified messaging system updates company's voicemail
Installing a new unified messaging system helped one company in its daily struggles with an outdated voicemail system. Continue Reading
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Feature
03 Jul 2007
Data migration product specifications
Part of the Tiered Storage Buying guide focusing on product specifications for data migration tools. Continue Reading
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News
01 Jul 2007
VoIP measurement boosts customer service efficiency
iSelect Technology Manager Jason Egbers says the company's new VoIP measurement tools have helped it improve contact center operations. Continue Reading
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News
25 Jun 2007
Instant messaging usage increase highlights need for policies
A Burton Group report suggests that all companies should have an IM usage policy, even if they haven't deployed IM yet Continue Reading
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News
25 Jun 2007
Meet Mr. Asterisk
Adam Turner meets the creator of the Asterisk open source IP PBX and explores the future of the software, which is making major enterprise inroads. Continue Reading
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News
21 Jun 2007
HP users mull blade storage
HP's "blade everything" strategy is starting to emerge in storage. Users at the HP Technology Forum this week mulled the possibilities for the technology. Continue Reading
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News
17 Jun 2007
Burton Group Catalyst Conference San Francisco 2007
SearchSecurity.com brings you the latest news, interviews, podcasts and more from the Burton Group Catalyst Conference 2007 in San Francisco. Continue Reading
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News
17 Jun 2007
VoIP security testing fundamentals
Testing your VoIP security system against all the threats that exist on the network can be a full time job. This guide documents how a VoIP system can be tested and suggest some of the available tools to use -- with a focus on fuzzing tools and methods. Continue Reading
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Feature
08 Jun 2007
Deploying VoIP: Five things every CIO should know
Navigating the complexity of a VoIP deployment can be overwhelming and it may seem like you need a technical degree to understand it. Here are five tips to help steer through the fog of a VoIP migration. Continue Reading
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News
08 Jun 2007
VoIP market evolves in 2007
VoIP will see market changes this year as IP PBX sales increase and market leaders shift their focus. Continue Reading
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News
07 Jun 2007
VoIP performance testing fundamentals
VoIP network performance testing can mean the difference between a VoIP system working at a high level QoS and a weak system that runs so poorly customers could take their business elsewhere. This guide discusses why it is important to run regular performance testing and some of the ways it can be done. Continue Reading
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Feature
04 Jun 2007
Unified communication case studies: What you need to know
Learn how others overcame the expected and the unexpected challenges of a UC deployment in our case studies. Continue Reading
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News
01 Jun 2007
Check Point promises more VoIP security, fewer slowdowns
Check Point's enhanced Open Performance Architecture is designed for deeper security of technologies like VoIP without the network performance problems that often come with it. Continue Reading
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News
30 May 2007
Brocade gets into the HBA business
Experts say the move, based on a partnership with LSI, could lower HBA pricing across the board and be the first step toward a Brocade-developed storage virtualization product. Continue Reading
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News
29 May 2007
SAN School: Table of contents
What is a storage area network? What are the benefits and pitfalls of installation? How can a SAN fit into your organization? These questions and more are answered SAN School. Continue Reading
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News
25 May 2007
VoIP advice from the trenches
ITKE, or ITKnowledge Exchange, is simply a cool (and quick) way to get a response to your VoIP-related questions. Continue Reading
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News
21 May 2007
Mobile instant messaging enhances company's business processes
A mobile IM service acquired by a hosted VoIP provider encourages more companies to enhance their business processes. Continue Reading
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News
11 May 2007
VoIP, unified communications adoption continue to rise
VoIP and unified communications adoption continue to rise steadily in the enterprise, according to Infonetics Research's latest report. Continue Reading
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Feature
08 May 2007
4 Gbit Fibre Channel switch purchase considerations
As SANs scale up, data centres often upgrade and expand the SAN switch infrastructure. Here's what to look for when scaling Continue Reading
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News
24 Apr 2007
Scaling storage networks demands careful consideration
In the Fibre Channel world, scaling often means adding more and faster switch ports to extend the fabric's bandwidth and connectivity. But IP storage (mainly iSCSI) is a growing area of SAN expansion, using ubiquitous Ethernet network technology to pass storage data between storage devices. This requires the use of IP switches and routers, and can involve the deployment of iSCSI TOE host adapters to offload iSCSI traffic from the local server's CPU. This Buying Guide is intended to help clarify the principle considerations involved scaling storage networks and each chapter offers a set of buying points and product specifications that can help readers identify prospective new scaling products. Continue Reading
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Feature
24 Apr 2007
Storage consolidation: WAN acceleration and WAFS technology overview
One important avenue of storage consolidation is the consolidation of remote office storage; this is where WAN acceleration and WAFS technology comes into play. Continue Reading
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Feature
24 Apr 2007
Storage consolidation: SRM tools overview
SRM tools are an important part of storage consolidation. They allow admins to monitor the storage environment, allocate and organise available storage, and offer insights into future trends. Continue Reading
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Feature
24 Apr 2007
IP storage switch and router purchase considerations
The choice of an IP switch or router demands careful consideration of issues including port speed, segmentation, interoperability and security Continue Reading
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News
23 Apr 2007
Weekly compilation of storage news:Dell LTO-4 drive, new Sun array
Dell is first out of the gate with the new LTO-4 drive, which offers native encryption; Sun unveils new array and deepens its relationship with FalconStor. Continue Reading
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Feature
19 Apr 2007
Skype to the desk phone saves company a bundle
Skype on the desk phone has helped a Chicago-based furniture maker save a considerable amount of money on long-distance voice charges. Continue Reading
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News
17 Apr 2007
Storage consolidation: Disks and disk subsystems overview
Any storage consolidation effort must involve a serious consideration of disk subsystems and the specific disk types that those systems will contain Continue Reading
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News
10 Apr 2007
Capacity planning software specifications
Gauging storage needs over time is one of the biggest challenges faced by IT administrators, and a new generation of capacity planning tools is emerging to help forecast growth and utilisation of storage resources. Continue Reading
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News
09 Apr 2007
HP renews SMB storage campaign
With the launch of the new All-in-One 1200 and the shifting of executives to a new SMB business unit, HP is focused on its low-end products in an effort to boost growth. Continue Reading
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News
05 Apr 2007
Goldman Sachs: Interest in NetApp SAN products wanes
A survey by the investment firm shows enterprise storage buyers had a declining interest in NetApp SAN products over the last year. Continue Reading
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News
04 Apr 2007
Wireless VoIP market to grow rapidly
VoIP and Voice over Wi-Fi markets are expected to be strong in 2007 and remain so through 2012. Continue Reading
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News
04 Apr 2007
Storage vendors propose FC over Ethernet standard
A group of nine storage vendors led by Emulex is proposing a Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) standard . Continue Reading
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Feature
22 Mar 2007
VoiceCon Spring: A transition show for the VoIP industry
VoiceCon Spring was all about unified communications. Zeus Kerravala provides highlights of the more interesting points from the show. Continue Reading
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News
22 Mar 2007
Midrange storage array specifications
Product snapshots highlighting key specifications for a cross section of midrange storage array products. Continue Reading
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Feature
18 Mar 2007
Mobile data services development trends in 2007
Darrell Jordan-Smith takes a look at new data services architectures and development tools emerging in 2007 and the ongoing development efforts of the Java Community and others. Continue Reading
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News
18 Mar 2007
Cisco stamps on Brocade in Q4, Dell'Oro says
For the second quarter in a row Cisco is gaining SAN switch market share on Brocade, according to the latest report by the Dell'Oro Group. But the numbers are causing a firestorm. Continue Reading
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News
07 Mar 2007
Microsoft outlines software-centric VoIP, UC
Microsoft unveils its vision of a software-based VoIP system to enable unified communications. Continue Reading
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News
05 Mar 2007
Nortel switch release focuses on unified communications
Nortel today released two new switch series aimed at unified communications deployments. Continue Reading
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News
04 Mar 2007
NetApp stokes midrange fires with new array
The FAS 3040 is a scaled down version of the 64-bit 3070 architecture; NetApp officials say more moves downmarket will follow. Continue Reading
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News
04 Mar 2007
Buzz builds around data reduction for primary storage
Analysts predict that in-band compression offerings from StoreWiz, newly updated this week, are the first step toward a new wave of primary storage deduplication products. Continue Reading
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News
28 Feb 2007
RFID cloning presentation moves forward despite legal threats
Chris Paget, director of research and development at IOActive spoke mainly about the science behind RFID tags and readers and the inherent security issues of the technology. Continue Reading
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Feature
28 Feb 2007
RFID dispute: Vendors still hostile toward full disclosure
Many vendors still believe that security by obscurity is still the best policy and make it a priority to silence vulnerability researchers. Continue Reading
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News
27 Feb 2007
Black Hat presenter nixes RFID cloning demo under pressure
A demonstration of a device that could easily clone radio frequency identification (RFID) badges, was pulled from a conference presentation under pressure from a chip maker. Continue Reading
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Feature
26 Feb 2007
Outsourced VoIP helps devastated company recover
Outsourced VoIP helped a Berkeley company keep up business as usual after a fire destroyed its offices. Continue Reading
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News
25 Feb 2007
HP announces iSCSI VTL for SMBs
HP's new iSCSI VTL devices include automated backup capabilities for users with fewer than four servers. Continue Reading
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Feature
25 Feb 2007
Top 10 VoIP search terms
The top ten VoIP search terms and definitions. Keep tabs on the most popular VoIP terms – updated regularly. Continue Reading
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Feature
12 Feb 2007
Download SAN Guide Chapter 3: Switches (PDF)
You asked for it, so here it is -- a printable version of our SAN All-In-One Guide. Download Chapter 3: Switches in .pdf format now. Continue Reading
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News
12 Feb 2007
Skype makes more enterprise inroads
Skype has teamed with FaceTime Communications to give companies more control over Skype use within the enterprise. Continue Reading
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News
10 Feb 2007
Cisco VoIP management guide: Enterprise VoIP management solutions
Enterprise VoIP management solutions require two considerations: the scale of production environment and the need to extend support resources with a systems integrator or service provider. Continue Reading