Cato Networks released a study this week predicting a 200 percent year-over-year rise in the adoption of software-defined wide-area networks (SD-WAN) during the course of the next 12 months, according to SDxCentral.
The security firm found that 10 percent of the 350 IT professionals responding reported that their organizations already have SD-WAN deployed. Nineteen percent plan to deploy within the next year, with 30 percent considering the approach, 17 percent eschewing it and 24 percent reporting that they “don’t know.” The sense of the story is that this is good but not overwhelmingly positive news for SD-WANs. After all, almost half – 47 percent – have no current plan for deployment.
Mobile Browsers Down, but Not Out
The assumption underlying ZDNet’s report on apps versus mobile browsers is that the former have taken control. That said, the piece suggests that the victory is not total. Ted Schadler, a vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research, pointed out that apps are not the only way to reach mobile users and that the web “is far from dead” and indeed still has a wider reach than apps.
The conclusion is that both approaches are relevant and needed. Guillermo Escofet, Ovum’s principal analyst for Digital Media, pointed out that 90 percent of mobile device time is spent on apps, but that the number of websites visited is more than the number of apps used. Other commentary in the piece suggests that browsers have not kept up with the changes in online content. Their use will increase as those improvements and upgrades are made.
Bringing Computing Assets to the Data
The enormous complexity of the enterprise is growing exponentially more complicated due to the emerge of the Internet of Things (IoT). The best way to handle it, according to NetScout Vice President of Strategic Marketing Michael Segal, is to move a good deal of the intelligence nearer to where the work needs to be done.
Moving intelligence to the edge – through initiatives such as EdgeX Foundry and the OpenFog Consortium – can reduce complex and increase efficiency under the umbrella of digital transformation (DX), according to Segal:
At the centre of DX are a variety of new technologies that span the edge, core, datacentre, WAN and cloud of the service delivery infrastructure. These technologies are the foundation for the “Pillars of Innovation”; IoT is one of these, along with Big Data Analytics and Cloud, among others. The DX journey depends on constant innovation implemented through new business services, including IoT services. These are delivered via the Pillars of Innovation and must be future proof, infinitely scalable, while managing complexity as they expand. Speed and agility are also crucial as is the ability to visualize data in the context of the monitored services.
In the Net Neutrality Battle, Words Matter
The minutia of how the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) engineers the changes it promises to net neutrality are very important. It must to do things in such a way that they pass judicial review. That means that every detail, including nomenclature, is key.
Ars Technica’s Jon Brodkin writes that a good deal of attention will be paid to the word “broadband.” In order to implement net neutrality, Tom Wheeler, then the FCC chairman, reclassified broadband as telecommunications instead of information services. This change meant a lot from the regulatory perspective because control shifted to Title II of the Communications Act and provided the FCC with far more control.
Ajit Pai is now FCC chairman and wants to roll back net neutrality. That will require a redefinition. Brodkin suggests what Pai’s rationale will be:
He argues that broadband isn’t telecommunications because it isn’t just a simple pipe to the Internet. Broadband is an information service because ISPs give customers the ability to visit social media websites, post blogs, read newspaper websites, and use search engines to find information, the FCC’s new proposal states.
Extreme Wins Avaya’s Networking Business
Extreme Networks said this week that it won Avaya’s networking business. Therefore, Extreme will purchase those assets for about $100 million. The transaction will be enabled by an asset purchase agreement signed on March 7 of this year. That purchase is part of an agreement approved by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. It will close shortly after July 1.
In a statement, Extreme President and CEO Ed Meyercord said that the deal will make Extreme the third largest in the markets it serves. The acquisition, he said, will provide benefits across its vertical target markets.
Carl Weinschenk covers telecom for IT Business Edge. He writes about wireless technology, disaster recovery/business continuity, cellular services, the Internet of Things, machine-to-machine communications and other emerging technologies and platforms. He also covers net neutrality and related regulatory issues. Weinschenk has written about the phone companies, cable operators and related companies for decades and is senior editor of Broadband Technology Report. He can be reached at cweinsch@optonline.net and via twitter at @DailyMusicBrk.
