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This week Juniper Networks announced its new Secure Edge product, which is a cloud-based firewall-as-a-service (FWaaS) solution. The new product will be part of its secure-access service edge (SASE) portfolio, which currently includes application control, anti-malware, identity and access control, intrusion prevention, threat intelligence, zero trust, and secure web access. All the features available in Juniper’s on-premises SRX next-generation firewall (NGFW) are now available from the cloud. Historically, SASE deployments had been tied to SD-WAN because customers required a different security model to protect a wide-area network that utilizes internet transport instead of private IP services, such as MPLS. SD-WAN deployments stalled when people were sent to work from home as companies started to rethink branch-office connectivity. Also: How Juniper is using AI in SD-WAN to differentiate itselfSASE enables businesses to give home workers business-grade security 

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This is when SASE purchasing shifted from secondary to primary. Securing home workers is a non-trivial, expensive task with traditional security devices. Businesses would need to connect workers to a corporate location via a VPN, aggregate the connection and secure them through a next-generation firewall, and then workers would connect to the internet through a single connection. Most home workers use cloud apps, obviating the need to connect to a company location. Ideally, users would directly connect to the cloud services, but this creates a security nightmare. One solution would be to give every worker a business-grade security device, but this is prohibitively expensive and creates a management nightmare because keeping hardware, software, firmware, and configurations up to date are difficult — if not impossible — on a user-by-user basis. Juniper’s unique differentiator here is its unified policy management via its Security Director Cloud portal. There are many SASE vendors today, most of whom are cloud-only. While that model is ideally suited for remote work, it’s not in line with hybrid work. The world has been in an almost 100% work-from-home model for the better part of two years, but people will eventually come back to the office — not 100%, but part of the time. My research shows that 51% of employees plan to work at home 2 to 3 days a week in perpetuity, which means 2 to 3 days a week in the office.Hybrid is the way forward for security This means traditional, on-premises firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, and similar tools will still be in place. Managing the remote workers using SASE and company locations via a different model is problematic because policies need to be kept in sync. Some of the SASE pure plays, such as Cato Networks, pitch a vision where all locations everywhere will be secured via SASE, but that’s just not true.

Almost every technology transition shifts to a hybrid model. Think virtualization — there are still many physical servers being used. The world isn’t 100% VoIP, nor is it all wireless. Hybrid always winds up being the way for all technology. With security, once a location has more than a few hundred users, it makes no sense to secure it via the cloud because the amount of data generated to inspect the traffic cloud is more than user-generated traffic. For these large locations, on-premises systems will still be used. Also: How Intermedia became a viable contender in cloud communicationsUnified management is a key differentiator Juniper’s Security Director Cloud is a single pane of glass for unified policy management across the SRX firewalls and SASE cloud. This isn’t just for firewalls because the policies extend to all the SRX capabilities. Current Juniper customers would benefit most because they could apply the existing policies to SASE-delivered services upon deployment of the service, possibly saving months of time. The hybrid nature of the service also lets customers migrate at a pace with which they are comfortable. The Juniper Security Director platform offers customers dynamic zero trust to adopt policies based on user behavior. For example, a worker could be accessing a new service that is exhibiting suspicious behavior. Juniper’s system would automatically update the policies to protect the company. This can be particularly useful in a hybrid work environment where users may be purchasing their own services to store documents remotely, collaborate with others, or do another task. Shadow IT is one of the most challenging trends facing security professionals because it’s a big blind spot as users connect to cloud services directly. Connecting workers to a SASE node shines a light on that blind spot, and then dynamic segmentation automatically sets the policies without IT intervention. 

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There are many words used to describe Web3, the latest iteration of the World Wide Web: decentralized, verifiable, trustless, permissionless. Now, you can add “human” to the list…specifically “.hmn”.

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On Tuesday, Butterfly Protocol, a decentralized autonomous organization, or DAO, and Cortex Application announced that they’re launching new .hmn top-level domains (TLDs) on the Polygon protocol — free to the public — making Web3 available to everyone. Butterfly Protocol will be giving away the .hmn domains indefinitely and can be claimed on its website.According to Cortex App’s press release, the .hmn domains are full NFT domains that cross-chain with lifetime ownership, intended to be given away to any person who wants one. The .hmn domains resolve across Ethereum, Polygon, and the current web (or legacy DNS) using name.hmn.link. The .hmn domain also bridges to other crypto projects such as the Ethereum Name Service (ENS), with name.hmn.eth. ENS is an open, public, decentralized identity protocol that runs on the Ethereum blockchain. In the spirit of Web3 as a decentralized form of the internet, not controlled by a centralized cabal of corporate players, the .hmn domains never expire and don’t require renewal fees, enabling the user to truly own their domain, unlike other TLD offerings. What’s more, the .hmn domains allow for a single identity that works with next-generation projects such as the newly-launched Cortex App, alongside existing browsers and crypto wallets, Cortex said.Also: What is Web3? Everything you need to know about the decentralized future of the internetAs metaverses start popping up and coalescing in the digital universe, domain NFTs are needed because they represent a user’s Web3 identity and online “home.” To improve user experience, the .hmn domains are free of charge and last forever, according to Cortex. “All of your activity, from published content to collaborative documents, will be tied to it, and that opens the door to making efficient use of decentralized, person-centric data,” said Leonard Kish, CEO and co-founder of the Cortex app. “A domain is an identity, but also an address for your digital home on Web3. We can now provide all that at near-zero cost,” he said in the announcement.Cortex said that its app is being constructed with domains as a core component and gateway to a crypto-enabled, human-centric data infrastructure and will allow users to build on a complete Web3 stack where wallet addresses and URLs are synonymous. So, each page will have a human-readable crypto address, just like current URLs, but can also store tokens belonging to the person who owns it. “While regular DNS points to a server, a .hmn domain points to a human. So we need these to reach across protocols, just like humans do,” said Cortex chief technology officer and co-founder Josh Robinson. More

China’s telecommunications sector climbed 8% last year to hit 1.47 trillion yuan ($232.41 billion) in revenue. Its internet services industry also saw growth, expanding 21.2% to reach 1.55 trillion yuan ($245.06 billion) in revenue. Enterprise demand for new digital services, such as cloud computing, big data, and data centres were the biggest drivers that fuelled the Chinese telecom market, according to the country’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). Revenue from these digital services grew 27.8% and accounted for 44.5% of the industry’s overall revenue growth, the ministry said. 

It added that the 8% year-on-year growth was higher than the 4.1% growth rate clocked in 2020. Revenue from fixed line, data, and internet services contributed 61.5% of the total industry.  Pointing to China’s push for new infrastructures, specifically 5G networks, the MIIT said the country had rolled out some 1.43 million 5G base stations by end-2021. These accounted for more than 60% of the global figure, it said.  It also noted that more than 300 Chinese cities had begun building gigabit optic fibre networks, adding that investments in internet broadband access climbed 40% year-on-year in 2021. China’s internet and related services market also saw robust growth, expanding 21.2% to reach 1.55 trillion yuan ($245.06 billion) in revenue, according to MIIT.

Businesses in the local sector registered 132 billion yuan ($20.87 billion) in profits, clocking a 13.3% year-on-year growth, reported state-owned news agency Xinhua, citing stats from the ministry. These organisations also spent 5% more on research and development (R&D) last year, forking out 75.42 billion yuan ($11.92 billion). MIIT’s figures include Chinese businesses that register at least 5 million yuan ($790,500) in revenue from internet services. Organisations that drew the same amount in revenue from China’s software and IT industry also saw growth last year, the ministry said, noting that there were more than 40,000 such companies in the sector.In particular, the IT services market expanded by 20% year-on-year to register 6 trillion yuan ($948.6 billion) in revenue. Software vendors saw their combined profits climb 7.6% to almost 1.19 trillion yuan ($188.14 billion) in 2021, MIIT said. It revealed that China’s software exports tipped $52.1 billion last year, up 8.8% year-on-year.RELATED COVERAGE More

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Telstra and Viasat have signed a 16.5-year deal that will see the Australian telco build and manage the ground infrastructure needed for when the Viasat-3 geosynchronous satellite constellation eventually comes online.Under the deal, Telstra will collocate satellite access nodes at hundreds of its sites around Australia, as well as build and manage the links between those sites and multiple data centres that will house core networking equipment. When it announced Viasat-3, the company expected the first satellite to be launched in late 2019 or early 2020, but fate and the coronavirus intervened to push back those plans. “Later this year, we will begin the launch cycle of our Viasat-3 constellation, which is a trio of the highest capacity commercial geo-satellites ever built. Each one, delivering more than a terabit per second … total network throughput, which is about a thousand times more efficient than when you compare it to our first-generation satellites,” Viasat president of space and commercial networks Dave Ryan said on Wednesday. “This terabit class of satellites is truly unique, and offers the best industry bandwidth economics especially when you compare it to other geos to medium, earth orbit, or lower satellite systems.” The first satellite is set to be launched will service the Americas, followed by two more launched at six-month intervals to service EMEA and Asia-Pacific. It is expected that the trio will support download speeds of “well over” 150Mbps. Even though the Telstra network is limited to Australia, it will still support service outside the nation.

“The vast majority of the equipment to be able to operate the Asia Pacific region is what we’re talking about deploying in Australia,” Ryan told ZDNet. “There may, and probably will be, cases where some countries want their own hub, and so there may be relatively small amounts of equipment that might go into other countries as we expand out and meet those particular requirements. “Some countries do want to have a regional control, for example, of what goes in and out of their countries. All countries do to some degree and sometimes that requires additional hubs put into their countries. But it’s a relatively small amount of equipment compared to what we are talking about working with Telstra on.” Telstra added it was in discussions on how it may use Viasat services in the future. At the same time, Telstra announced it would add 20,000kms of new fibre to its optical network that would support transmission rates of up to 650Gbps, and express connectivity between Sydney and Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth of up to 55Tbps. The telco said trials were already underway, with the proper build to commence before the end of this fiscal year, with the hit to capital expenditure to be around AU$350 million over the 2023 to 2025 fiscal years. All up, both projects are set to cost between AU$1.4 billion to AU$1.6 billion, and are expected to continue approximately AU$200 million to earnings by FY26 and be paid off in nine years. “They are also consistent with our strategy to create value from InfraCo, including considering monetisation opportunities over time,” Telstra CEO Andy Penn said. “Our strong cash flows and T25 growth ambitions provide us the flexibility to make these strategic infrastructure investments, whilst maintaining flexibility to return excess cash to shareholders. Together, these investments are expected to deliver incremental long-term accretive growth.” In November, Viasat announced it would acquire UK-based Inmarsat in a $7.3 billion transaction that is set to close later this year. The combined entity would have a fleet of 19 satellites in service with another 10 under construction, a global Ka-band footprint and L-band assets and licences for all-weather narrowband and IoT connectivity. Viasat added it would introduce its beamforming, end-user terminal, and payload technologies to “unlock greater value” in Inmarsat’s L-band space assets.  Related Coverage More

Comcast detailed new plans to increase accessibility across its Xfinity X1 and Flex products by employing a JavaScript framework called LightningJS.

According to the cable provider, it will “integrate accessibility as a core component throughout the tech stack” as it continues the development of products like its Xfinity X1 home entertainment interface and Xfinity Flex streaming box. This new transition is being powered by the integration of the aforementioned open-source JavaScript framework LightningJS. The company plans to employ it as the underlying framework for accessibility components across its entertainment products. Benefits of integrating this new technology at the base level have already included additional capabilities such as an easily implementable typeface and font size changes and support high-contrast color schemes for those with visual impairments; reduced motion modes for viewers with motion sensitivities; and expanded support for a focus state for users with limited mobility access Comcast’s services via a screen reader or other accessibility technology. Comcast said it is continuing to build out a shared component library of Lightning UI assets that it can deploy across its Xfinity products and via Sky and NBC Universal. Additional functions currently being worked on include the ability to announce on-screen text such as movie and category titles and a text magnifier that can display selected fields in larger, high-contrast fonts. Comcast also plans to begin open sourcing its developments to help partners integrate accessibility features directly into apps and assets that they plan to deploy across its platforms. Tom Wlodkowski, Vice President of Accessibility at Comcast Cable, said, “Collaboration has always been central to our technology innovation and development, especially when it comes to inclusive product design. This is yet another example of how our teams are working together and with the larger development community to create better experiences for everyone.”

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The US Federal Communications Commission on Thursday proposed new rules that would require internet service providers (ISPs) to prominently display easy-to-understand labels to help consumers comparison shop for broadband services. Under the proposal, ISPs would have to display the labels — modeled after nutrition labels found on food packaging — at the point of sale. The proposed labels show prices, speeds, data allowances, network management practices, and other key broadband service information. An example of a blank label for fixed broadband.
FCC
“Access to accurate, simple-to-understand information about broadband internet access services helps consumers make informed choices and is central to a well-functioning marketplace that encourages competition, innovation, low prices, and high-quality service,” the FCC wrote in a release Thursday.The FCC first approved this style of label for ISPs to display on a voluntary basis in 2016. Now, ISPs will be required to display this kind of information under the recently-passed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The bill also included more than $65 billion to build out broadband networks and make broadband more affordable. Under the new law, the FCC has a year to set up the new broadband labeling requirements. The next step is for the FCC to hear from the public. The agency is seeking comments on things like: how consumers evaluate broadband service plans; whether the 2016 labels will assist consumers with the purchase process; whether the 2016 labels should be updated in terms of content and format; and whether the commission should provide new guidance about where broadband providers must display such labels.

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This morning Extreme Networks announced its quarterly results for Q2 FY22. As has been the trend recently, Extreme put up another solid quarter, posting revenues of $280.9 million and non-GAAP EPS of $0.21, beating the expected numbers of $272.1 million and $0.17, respectively.

The revenue number grew a healthy 16% year over year. Its Q3 revenue guide is $276M to $286M, the midpoint of which is in line with the Street’s expected $281.1M, where EPS is expected to be $0.16 to $0.21, also in line with the expected $0.18. Extreme has now exceeded its numbers for the past four consecutive quarters, showing an acceleration to the business, despite a tough macro environment slowed by supply-chain shortages and uncertainty about people returning to work. One of the important financial metrics to examine is that SaaS ARR is now $88.3M, up 55% YoY and 11% QoQ. The shift to the cloud creates much greater predictability for investors. The strong numbers were driven by strong customer demand, highlighted by more than $90M in incremental backlog, bringing the total to almost $300M. As the chip and supply shortages ease, that $300M will convert into revenue. Extreme now in the SD-WAN space During the quarter, Extreme completed the integration of Ipanema, which was faster than expected. This will bring SD-WAN (software-defined wide-area network) into Extreme’s broad portfolio of networking products. SD-WAN was the missing link in the company’s end-to-end enterprise networking portfolio, including campus switching, Wi-Fi, data center, and hybrid work products. SD-WAN also provided a path to SASE (secure access service edge), enabling Extreme to pivot to security. Also: How Juniper is using AI in SD-WAN to differentiate itselfThis quarter was also highlighted by some new sports partnerships, an area in which Extreme has been a leader for the better part of a decade. Stadium Wi-Fi is tough because keeping tens of thousands of fans connected requires a major feat of engineering, but this is something Extreme does very well. The company currently has Wi-Fi / Wi-Fi analytics relationships with the NFL, Major League Baseball and NASCAR and announced it is adding the National Hockey League (NHL). The agreement is for Extreme to be the official Wi-Fi analytics provider of the pro hockey league. NHL added to Extreme’s roster of pro sports leagues 

The NHL will use the insights from ExtremeAnalytics in a similar way to the other sports leagues. The product provides granular insights into who is using what application and when. It also shows usage patterns to optimize the performance of the apps; improving fan experience is critical to all sports leagues. This ensures that the Wi-Fi network is performing as expected at a basic level. During the game, fans are texting, TikTok-ing, Instagramming, Tweeting, and other social activities. When the network is not working, it can be incredibly frustrating. 

Also, since the COVID-19 pandemic began two years ago, the fan’s mobile device has taken on an even more important role. Most venues only accept digital tickets; QR codes for vaccine checks are mandatory at many locations, and concession and memorabilia are mostly cashless. Even things such as 50/50 raffles no longer accept cash, creating a further reliance on Wi-Fi and the mobile phone. There’s another trend coming that will require better-performing Wi-Fi: in-stadium betting. While we aren’t quite there yet, most of the sports leagues are prepping for it. There is a significant amount of money to be made from daily leagues, fantasy sports, prop bets, and more. There is also a significant amount of risk if the network happens to go down in the middle of a transaction. Wi-Fi will need to evolve from a network that is the best available now to one that’s always on and always performing. Most sports leagues use the ExtremeAnalytics platform to do that. Super Bowl analytics powered by Extreme In addition to the NHL, Extreme announced that it would be providing Wi-Fi analytics for the Super Bowl for the ninth consecutive year. Although SoFi stadium is predominantly Cisco equipment, as per this ZDNet post, Extreme provides the Wi-Fi analytics league-wide, including the championship game. Extreme Networks’ milestones.
Extreme Networks
Extreme’s expertise in sports and entertainment started in 2012 when it won the stadium Wi-Fi contract for the New England Patriots. I recall going to an event at Gillette Stadium, and Jonathan Kraft, president of the Patriots, told a group of media and analysts that Extreme was the only Wi-Fi vendor willing to guarantee performance. Nine Super Bowls later, the company has built a highly successful sports and entertainment practice. While the nine Super Bowls isn’t quite as impressive as QB Tom Brady’s 10, it’s a noteworthy accomplishment. English Premier League the next frontier for Wi-Fi Another announcement in this area is that Extreme Networks has been selected as the Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi analytics provider for Manchester United, one of the marquee teams in the English Premier League. “Man U” is owned by the same ownership group as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a long-time Extreme customer, which certainly helped establish a relationship. The EPL has not been as aggressive with digitizing soccer as the North American sports leagues, likely due to the near-monopoly it has on sports in the UK. The world is changing, though, and high-performance Wi-Fi is no longer an option.Old Trafford Stadium, home of Man U, adds to the list of iconic stadiums Extreme has now modernized with its Wi-Fi products. The list includes the previously mentioned Trafford but also Berlin Olympic Stadium, Daytona Speedway, Wrigley Field, the Bell Center, Lambeau Field, LA. Coliseum, and America’s most beloved ballpark, Fenway Park. Extreme also recently added Stanford Stadium, right in the backyard of its bigger Silicon Valley competitors. The digitization of sports has some interesting potential to shift competitive dynamics. Currently, big market teams are the ones with big TV contracts. Some leagues, such as the NFL, do a nice job of revenue sharing but others, like MLB, have an imbalance in the opportunity because the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, and others have far more money than small-market teams. Capitalizing on digital trends can create an entirely new revenue stream for all teams, allowing them to close the gap. As an example, the Edmonton Oilers have the most exciting young player in the NHL in Connor McDavid. The team and league should be venturing into digitizing McDavid to get him the same time of exposure as he could have in New York or LA. Teams can use their digital prowess to attract high-profile free agents that may have once shunned a market such as Edmonton’s. The digitization of sports can democratize opportunity for all teams in all markets. The transformation the sports leagues are now experiencing is something all IT and business leaders should be watching. I saw a recent study that found that 58% of customer interactions are now digital, and 55% of all products and services have been digitized. While sports and entertainment are ahead of the curve, this trend is coming to all businesses largely due to necessity. Good-quality Wi-Fi is critical to modernizing customer and employee experience. Companies that ignore this area will soon see customers bolt for competitors that don’t.

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The thirst for more and more internet speed continues to grow. In a world where the pandemic accelerated digital transformation, one could argue the internet connection into one’s home is critically important to the way we work, learn and play. To date, however, consumers have been limited to gigabit speeds, which might have seemed fast a couple of years ago, but today is putting a cap on the things we can do. AT&T breaks the gig barrier for home internet 

On Monday, AT&T broke the gig barrier when it announced its fiber customers can now get multi-gigabyte (GB) internet speeds, as the carrier doubles down on fiber in its broadband infrastructure. AT&T will offer symmetric 2.5GB and 5GB speed options beginning this week.AT&T is also rolling out simpler pricing for its fiber portfolio without additional equipment fees, annual contracts, and data caps. AT&T Fiber and Business Fiber customers with a 2GB plan will pay $110 per month and $225 per month, respectively. This is ideally suited for small businesses or those who have many connected devices in the home. The 5GB option will cost AT&T Fiber customers $180 per month and Business Fiber customers $395 per month.Symmetric bandwidth can be a game-changer for video users or content creators  The notable parts of the announcements are the symmetric bandwidth, as that’s a rarity with broadband. Comcast Xfinity offers 2GB download speeds, but the upload is limited to 35Mbps, which is a limitation of cable. Verizon offers near symmetric gigabit fiber but not multi-gigabit speeds. Symmetric bandwidth is important for video calls, gaming, and content creators, who are uploading massive files to the cloud. In this case, customers of AT&T would see a marked performance improvement. Also, I’m a big fan of transparent pricing where the cost is fixed in perpetuity. Often, broadband providers offer a low introductory price and then jack the price up after a year. By now, most savvy buyers know that if one calls and complains, they can get the price reduced. Putting customers through this gauntlet annually is one reason why companies like Comcast’s NPS score is so low. This skit by SNL actually parodies a call with Spectrum, which seems like a typical call to your local cable provider. AT&T’s service is no better, but holding the price fixed is at least one less reason for a customer to contact the call center. Also, the price is inclusive of fees, equipment, and other factors that can drive a seemingly low price up. With telecom services, it’s rare that you get what you pay for, but in this case, that’s true. Fiber is a proven technology The fiber network from AT&T is reliable, secure, and tested. It’s used by the U.S. government, the military, first responders, and leading companies with complex connectivity needs. More than 2.75 million U.S. businesses currently rely on AT&T’s high-speed fiber connections.

However, businesses aren’t the only ones with a need for speed. Research cited in the AT&T press material shows the average consumer has 13 connected devices in their home, which could go up to 32 devices or more in the near future. This includes traditional devices, such as tablets and laptops, smart TVs, streaming devices, gaming consoles, appliances, connected doorbells, and more. Such devices consume tons of data and demand more bandwidth.On top of that, more people are working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Multi-gig speeds are primed for these demands and can provide the bandwidth homes and businesses require to run a multitude of connected devices. Fiber was designed specifically for high-speed internet, enabling high-capacity tasks like uploading large files during video calls, as well as gaming and entertainment. AT&T’s multi-gig fiber launch is part of the carrier’s strategy to provide customers with a seamless wireless experience from a single carrier by combining its 5G network and its fiber network. AT&T has also amped up its Wi-Fi technology. Last year, the carrier launched a gateway that’s Wi-Fi 6 and Tri-band enabled to support multiple connected devices.AT&T envisions a future of fiber that’s hyperlocal, hyper-reliable, and hyper-fast. The service will be available in more than 70 metro areas across the country, including Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Dallas, which might seem like a minor number, but it’s currently only available in 5.2 million customer locations, which is a fraction of the country. AT&T will expand this to about 30 million in 2025, which is still the minority of the country. If you’re lucky enough to be in the AT&T footprint, the service is worth a look.

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