Networking

Hybrid workplaces may offer more flexibility, but Singapore employees highlight a need for everyone to have equal opportunities to contribute during hybrid meetings. These interactions also have spawned habits such as replying email and using social media while others are speaking. Some 54% of white-collar workers in the country said they had fewer opportunities to build rapport with participants who were in the office when they joined meetings remotely. Another 38% felt less included compared to in-person participants, according to a survey conducted by Logitech, which polled 1,067 respondents in Singapore. Some 59% agreed that hybrid meetings would be more productive if all participants had equal dips to contribute and speak, the study revealed. Furthermore, 56% said in-office participants were more engaged during hybrid meetings than their peers who were dialling in remotely.  Hybrid work environments, though, had provided opportunities for multi-tasking, with 68% of remote participants admitting to replying email and 51% using social media while others were speaking. Another 46% would browse the web while others spoke. Interestingly, 10% confessed to faking a technical issue to skip out of meetings early.Legitimate technical cases, however, proved the key challenge Singapore workers faced, with 56% citing connectivity issues as a main disruptor of hybrid meetings. Another 53% pointed to poor audio quality, while 43% cited the need to repeat sentences when other participants were unable to hear clearly. Despite the challenges, 63% of respondents said they preferred hybrid work arrangements, while 25% would opt for fully remote work practices and 9% wanted everyone to be back in the office. “Hybrid work will continue to be the norm as both employers and employees alike see the benefits of flexible working arrangements,” said Bryan Lee, Logitech’s Southeast Asia head of video collaboration. “The increased frequency of hybrid meetings will come with a host of new challenges for organisations, creating a strong impetus for business leaders to get hybrid meetings right.”RELATED COVERAGE More

Image: Nova Labs It was only a matter of time before crypto and wireless service collided. On Tuesday, Nova Labs, the company behind the Helium crowdsourced network that provides connectivity for random IoT devices, announced a five-year deal with wireless carrier T-Mobile.  The partnership will allow anyone who subscribes to Helium Mobile, a 5G crowdsourced […] More

Two men who helped build Cisco Systems into the internet networking giant it is today – John Chambers and Pankaj Patel – have re-teamed to form Nile, a startup that promptly aims to disrupt their ex-mothership, Cisco. Both execs left the iconic company six years ago.Their new Santa Clara, Calif.-based company emerged from stealth mode today sporting a next-gen networking-as-a-service product that CEO Patel claims needs little or no human intervention to run and has the predictive AI smarts to avoid data flow problems before they happen.Investor and board member Chambers, who served as Cisco CEO or executive chairman for 22 years and grew the company through numerous acquisitions and product updates, claimed that Nile represents the most important change to networking in more than a decade.”As the first self-driven network platform, Nile is focused on ‘disruptive simplicity,'” Chambers said in a LinkedIn post. We have a bold vision to innovate and change the status quo. “In an industry historically known for add-ons and new features to define growth, the Nile team went back to the drawing board to come up with a new system that will uniquely transform how customers acquire, deploy, consume, support, secure, and grow their networks, providing much-needed simplicity, reduced risk, and total cost of ownership. We are coming out of stealth with 50 solution providers already engaged with Nile Connect.” Supplying high-quality corporate Wi-FiNile’s Connect SaaS will supply high-grade corporate Wi-Fi instead of the conventional way companies have had to guess how much networking hardware and software they require. “I would characterize us as a company which is defined by a pretty audacious vision,” Patel told ZDNet. “From day one, we have aimed to remove this critical human dependence from the management of the network. We expect to change forever how enterprises will architect, design, acquire, deploy, configure, secure, and maintain connectivity. This will shift the dynamic of the network from security concerns; we are going to turn this into the very first zero trust network that requires no network operations.”Nile Connect also includes the following functions in its platform menu, according to Patel:maintains a metadata/data bank of secure user information that is utilized by Nile’s constant monitoring sensors to anticipate problems with network flow and fraudulent access far in advance;a holistic, pay-as-you-use consumption model that aligns simply to users on the network; guarantees network performance levels based on outcomes that matter – availability, capacity, and coverage; andremoves operational overhead and reduces risk by delivering complete lifecycle management without the management, with a self-driven network customer experience backed by extensive use of monitoring, analytics, and AI/ML-driven automation.”While the world has changed, networking largely hasn’t,” Patel said. “Of the $25 billion in hardware spent each year in wired and wireless access technology, we estimate another $75 billion is spent in operations. This simply isn’t sustainable, yet the entrenched incumbents have not responded, with business models, ecosystems, and an installed base to protect and they’d have to completely re-engineer their own existing platforms. Nile changes that – now watch us grow.”Nile sees Cisco itself – which has more legacy networking equipment spread over the globe than any other company – as one of those incumbents.Zero-trust security already built in Nile’s approach offers the first out-of-the-box zero-trust network with no network operations required, Patel said. Each user and device is automatically segmented, and every request must be authenticated and evaluated before access is granted. The result reduces the risk of cyber thieves from spreading laterally to deliver ransomware attacks. Additionally, without any complex configuration, security teams can ensure that all connections are seen and controlled no matter where they are in the network.   CIOs and CISOs have long known networks as one of the greatest single sources of security risk, conflict, and workload in the enterprise. “Zero Trust has long been a goal of many organizations, one that required a lot of network engineering time and focus, and still rarely achieved its full potential,” Andy Goodenow, CIO at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, said in a media advisory. “Nile’s holistic approach to security solves the missing link for extending Zero Trust into the network.” Complete lifecycle management – without the managementNile’s cloud-native design includes deep physical and virtual instrumentation that provides continuous monitoring, extensive analytics, and AI/ML-driven automation, Patel said. The result is a self-driven network that’s always optimizing for maximum performance, he said. Software upgrades and security patching are orchestrated and delivered through automation to prevent disruption to users and devices, with Nile taking full responsibility to manage the network, Patel said.Consumption-based modelPatel said that Nile aims to provide its customers with the same benefits they see from cloud-based storage and software. The approach combines design, hardware, software, installation, maintenance, and ongoing management into a simple pay-as-you-use model, Patel said. Organizations no longer need to make large upfront capital investments while trying to anticipate needs over the next 5, 7, or even 10 years. Nile will simply add or change capacity and coverage as needs evolve for each individual customer, Patel said.Nile Connect for campus LANs and WLANs is now available in the United States and Canada, with international markets coming online in the coming months, Patel said. More

High-performance network software maker Arista Networks today unveiled what it describes as next-generation cloud-grade routing. The logic behind this is that routing needs to evolve to meet the demands of the cloud. The concept is certainly sound because networks now do much more than simply connect branch offices to a company data center. Historically, companies have thought of networks as discrete entities: mobile, carrier, and business networks. But most cloud apps traverse all three, so experience and security depend on interoperability between the domains.Arista introduced the concept of cloud-grade routing a little over half a decade ago with the idea of having a single software stack with a set of routing capabilities that could meet the needs of enterprises, service providers, and cloud operators. This week it introduced several net solutions, capabilities, and platforms to evolve that cloud-grade routing. Arista introduces TunnelSec to simplify encryption One of the new capabilities Arista has introduced is called TunnelSec which simplifies the use of different encryption technologies. As an example, it’s common for companies to deploy overlay networks to use both IPsec and MACsec encryption. TunnelSec encryption eliminates the need for external encryption traditionally used in networking. It does this by securing data-in-transit and provides in-line encryption at data rates ranging from 10G to 400G in Arista’s R3 Series routing platforms. As a result, TunnelSec removes the performance bottlenecks associated with legacy encryption deployments. With a single network platform, companies can deploy MACsec, IPsec and VXLANsec encryption. This delivers better network economics but also improves performance and network throughput. “We’re seeing a trend where there is demand for encryption. In fact, we have customers who have asked us to do encryption in the data center itself, starting right from the top-of-rack switch,” said Jeff Raymond, vice president of Extensible Operating System (EOS) product management and services at Arista. “We’ve extended that concept, where customers can have encryption end-to-end.”TunnelSec now comes embedded in Arista’s cloud-grade routing platforms. All of Arista’s products are powered by EOS and Network Data Lake (NetDL), which provides a single software base for switching, routing, telemetry, and a common set of data across all Arista platforms. The single OS and data lake are Arista’s secret sauce. More and more network operations require AI-driven insights to optimize performance and secure the network. One set of data and its OS enable Arista to analyze information much faster than if it had to aggregate silos of information. Arista’s reach has expanded past cloud titans By innovating in this space, Arista was able to cross the chasm from the data center to modern routing. The Santa Clara, Calif.-based vendor has a sizable base of customers that have successfully deployed its cloud-grade routing. The list includes cloud giants (Microsoft, Meta), specialty cloud providers (Netflix, CDLAN, Zenlayer), service providers (Comcast, Arelion, Vocus), and internet exchanges (Netnod, Equinix, Seattle Internet Exchange). Vocus, for example, has refreshed its entire backbone and edge by tapping Arista across its 200 sites. New edge capabilities introduced In addition to TunnelSec, Arista revealed a secure enterprise edge capability, which combines the data center and data center interconnect (DCI) domains. Traditionally, the technology has been used to connect two or more data centers together. Arista is bringing in a gateway functionality that allows customers to simplify their multi-cloud deployments.The last capability Arista launched is encryption and timing, designed for compact modular routing. A key aspect of the current 5G network buildout is timing. It requires highly accurate timing enabled by segment routing in order to develop the infrastructure for smart cities, autonomous vehicle connectivity, and other use cases. Arista’s new capability provides modular routing with precision timing and encrypts the traffic.Arista rolls out Jericho 2C+ hardware platforms Parallel with this announcement, Arista has expanded its R3 Series portfolio by adding 26 new products based on the Broadcom Jericho 2C+ silicon. The portfolio now includes the new R3A Series with integrated TunnelSec; 800G-ready 7800R3 with 12- and 16-slot modular systems; 7280R3A compact modular for metro, mobile, and DCI apps; and the 7280R3A Series with a 50 percent performance increase.”The products are an extension of our existing R3 family. Within the 26 products, we have some fixed systems and new modular systems as well,” said Raymond. “We’ve been able to not just integrate the scale we need for routing but also build encryption directly into all of these products.”The expanded features/products are available now in the latest EOS release. According to Raymond, customers can choose from three “flavors,” depending on their needs. The base model is focused on the data center. The middle-scale model provides encryption with a level of scalability. Lastly, the full-scale model offers both routing and encryption.Arista, once thought of as a network vendor that only served the needs of cloud titans, has come a long way in the past half-decade. It now has solutions for companies of all sizes, including mid-market enterprises. This release expands its move into routing with the aim of helping businesses shift to a cloud-first organization. More

Credit: Microsoft Two years ago, Microsoft launched its Azure Space initiative, focused on making Azure a strong player in the space- and satellite-connectivity cloud market. On September 14, timed with World Satellite Business Week, Microsoft officials are outlining how they plan to expand the company’s portfolio of satellite connectivity. Officials said today that a new […] More

ArtemisDiana/Getty Networking that carries all of our video streams, social communications, e-commerce, and personal data has become more complicated than 10 years of tangled kudzu vine for administrators to install and maintain. Between wide-area networks, hybrid clouds, network edge, telcos, cable providers, and satellites, this is fast becoming a genuine concern for enterprise IT decision-makers. […] More

The interest in private 4G/5G connectivity is at an all-time high. Almost every IT leader I talk to about the future of their business network has it on the roadmap. Private 4G or 5G refers to a mobile cellular network that is technically the same as a public 4G/5G network but which allows the owner to provide priority access or licensing for its wireless spectrum. Cellular is much more reliable than WiFi at this point because it’s always on, plus there aren’t all that many 5G devices in use yet. Finally, many operational technology devices – such as beacons and sensors – do not require high bandwidth but certainly need always-on connectivity.Recently I conducted a CIO workshop with about 30 IT leaders and asked about their interest in private cellular, and all of them raised their hands. When I asked about barriers to entry, cost typically comes up at or near the top of the list because historically, deploying one’s own cellular network has been very expensive.The reason for the high cost is that previously the only way to deploy private cellular was to use the same equipment as the telco carriers. While this can work, it’s expensive, complex, and relative overkill because it’s designed for a much different use case. The other issue with carrier infrastructure is that the ongoing operations require a much different skill set than what most enterprise network professionals possess. Celona makes private 4G / 5G specifically for businesses Celona is a startup that designed a private cellular system for enterprises. The solution deploys and is managed similarly to WiFi. That solves the skills and operational issues, but there is still the question of cost. How does private 4G/5G compare to WiFi? Recently, a steel manufacturer based in Pennsylvania deployed Celona’s solution, performed a cost analysis, and compared it to a comparable WiFi solution and a cellular solution. The results were summarized in a whitepaper titled “Industrial Private Cellular Business Case.” The study was done and written by researcher MobileExperts. In the whitepaper, MobileExperts used the steel manufacturing plant as a reference point for the number of access points (APs) needed to cover 250,000 square feet of indoor space and 1,000,000 square feet of outdoor space. Based on estimated coverage areas per indoor and outdoor AP, the study found the steel manufacturer was able to deploy four to six times fewer indoor APs and five to six times fewer outdoor APs throughout the plant.CBRS systems require far fewer APs than Wi-Fi leading to cost savings Since Celona’s Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS)-based 5G LAN solution operates at higher power levels, it requires fewer APs to cover large areas, compared to WiFi. According to the whitepaper, it would require 17 private cellular APs to cover the indoor space of the manufacturing plant, compared to 100 WiFi 6 APs. Outdoors, it would require 20 WiFi 6 APs and only four private cellular APs. Using three-year subscription list prices of Celona’s 5G LAN solution and a cloud-managed Wi-Fi 6 solution, the report calculated the total network cost of deployment to be approximately $430,000 for Celona and $580,000 for WiFi 6. Celona also examined the cost of alternative carrier-grade cellular solutions, which added up to a whopping $1,280,000 for a three-year subscription. The study found that the hardware and software network costs of Celona 5G LAN are similar to a WiFi 6 solution but installation costs are significantly lower due to fewer APs and associated cable pulls. Compared to the carrier-grade private cellular solutions, Celona’s is about four to five times cheaper. Cellular technology has a reliability advantage over Wi-Fi While this addresses the cost benefit, the other advantage of private cellular is that it is more reliable than WiFi. Almost all of us have experienced a situation where a WiFi device is working fine and then simply stops because of congestion, range, or some other issue. That does not happen with 4G/5G, because the technology was designed with reliability in mind. The study did paint a compelling picture for private cellular, but I want to be clear: I’m not advocating doing a wholesale replacement of WiFi for cellular. This made sense for the manufacturing organization, but that’s a much different use case than a traditional carpeted office. The steel manufacturer has special equipment and processes that depend on all connected equipment being available all the time. Any interruption in service means a disruption to the manufacturing process, which directly leads to lost dollars. A typical knowledge worker that’s connected with WiFi does not need the same level of 100% connectedness. If their Zoom call happens to go down, a user can reconnect and continue on. They might be a bit more annoyed, but WiFi meets the requirements. Also, it would be impractical for any business to replace all of its laptops, printers, and other WiFi devices with 4G/5G ones.Cellular and WiFi are complementary technologies The study did show that the cost of private cellular is much lower than the general perception of the industry. I’m advising my customers to put private 4G/5G on the roadmap, and as more mission-critical systems get connected, use it for that. For example, businesses that are deploying IP surveillance cameras should connect them over cellular instead of WiFi to ensure continuous recordings. Some campuses are deploying autonomous vehicles for food services, cleaning robots, or moving people between locations. It’s important to understand that 4G/5G doesn’t replace WiFi but instead complements it. The good news for IT pros is, as the MobileExperts study shows, the cost of implementing private cellular isn’t going to break the bank and, thanks to companies like Celona, there are solutions designed for enterprises to ease the operational burden. More

Image: iStock/SasinParaksa Increasingly, organizations are collecting data and processing it in a distributed fashion — think of the growing use of warehouse robotics, or the growing number of intelligent features in cars.  To handle all of this dispersed data, companies need to leverage edge services — data management and processing that happens at the “edge,” […] More