Networking

NBN’s pricing options: a reworking of the current model; its melded halfway house model; and its flat price model.
Image: NBN
The company responsible for the National Broadband Network has revealed the flat-price modelling it has been working on as part of a trio of pricing options to retailers. The flat-price option would see the loathed connectivity virtual circuit (CVC) capacity charge removed from all plans, with access pricing increasing as a result. NBN is also putting forward a reworked option of its current pricing structure, with the CVC charge dropping by AU$2 to AU$6, and a melded option that removes the CVC on plans of 100Mbps down and quicker, while keeping the current AU$8 CVC charge on lower speeds. Satellite connections have not been considered as part of the discussion paper to modify NBN’s Special Access Undertaking released on Monday. “All three options substantially address many of the concerns that have been expressed by retailers and provide a pathway forward to delivering a sustainable long-term pricing framework that supports the industry and meets the future digital needs of Australians,” NBN said. “While we are aware of some retailers’ preference for a flat AVC-only construct, NBN Co believes careful consideration needs to be given to the potential impact on affordability of the broadband network for low usage customers, equitable cost recovery between consumer segments, take up of NBN services, retail competition, and consumer choice.” Citing a report written for it by Accenture, NBN said the flat-pricing option would see price hikes of AU$120 a year for the 1.4 million customers on low data plans.

“NBN is concerned that [flat-pricing] would not deliver a number of outcomes that usage-based charges were designed to achieve, and would impact not just the affordability of the NBN broadband network for low usage customers, but also the take up of NBN services,” it said. “NBN estimates that between 69,000 to 170,000 end-users would no longer be able to afford or be willing to take-up NBN broadband under [flat-pricing], primarily as a result of the removal of data-capped plans in market and retail price increases. The initial pricing proposal … has been adjusted to account for potential losses in NBN take-up.” The company added that in exchange for losing revenue from CVC, it would turn to indexation to recoup its investment. “In general, NBN proposes that where the pricing proposals outlined in this paper restrict or entirely remove NBN’s ability to recover its costs through usage-based charges in the form of CVC as applied to increasing bandwidth usage, NBN should have the opportunity to recover those costs by increasing fixed charge pricing components in real terms (i.e. an increase above the rate of inflation, reflecting the rapid growth in usage and hence capacity),” it argued. “This is critical to allowing NBN the opportunity to generate additional revenue to recover efficient existing and future investments needed to sustain growing bandwidth requirements as well as network upgrade programs to uplift the capability of the network. This approach also reflects that the increased utility derived by end-users of the service as their usage of the network increases should be appropriately reflected in the revenues that NBN is able to earn.” It added that removing CVC would result in traffic surges, such as when popular games are updated, and said it would need extra safeguards to manage capacity NBN said for its melded option, due to telcos having data caps and entry level pricing plans sitting below the 100Mbps mark, it would expect retailers to have “little to no overage exposure”. See also: Best internet provider in Australia 2021: Top ISP picksOn entry level pricing, NBN said there was not strong evidence for 20% annual increases on data inclusion on 12/1Mbps plans. It said it has noticed CVC utilisation on such plans was shifting downwards as some customers moved to higher speeds and was well below the 1.7Mbps deemed suitable for a AU$35 bundle. “NBN understands that providing pricing certainty on entry-level services is important, and that price controls on these services can provide a meaningful anchor on prices of higher value services,” it said. “Accordingly, we are proposing a price control of CPI for entry-level services, to enable the price to remain constant in real terms over time. In addition, we are proposing to commit to increase CVC inclusions on the [entry-level bundle] based on the actual usage growth of end-users on that service.” For some time the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), which oversees the undertaking, has expressed concern at NBN’s use of discounts. NBN said in its paper that discounts allow it to trial pricing changes before offering them. Written submissions to NBN from those that make up its product development forum are due by July 16. NBN said it is looking to lodge the variation with the ACCC in the final quarter of 2021. “We believe the pricing options presented for discussion represent a balanced approach to meeting the objectives set out in this paper. The various pricing options include ones designed to reduce retailers’ commercial risk of exposure to higher than expected usage growth; support the continuation of cheaper data capped retail plans and promote a competitive environment that enables retailers to differentiate their respective offerings from their peers,” NBN executive general manager of commercial Ken Walliss said. “In evaluating a final pricing option, key considerations for NBN Co will be promoting strong outcomes for customers throughout Australia, creating the environment for robust retail competition and opportunities to support all customer groups as much as possible, and maintaining the company’s ability to earn a reasonable return on its investment to enable continued efficient investment in the network.” Related Coverage More

Picking an internet service provider (ISP) is a big decision for small businesses. Once the ISP is in, you’re stuck with them for upwards of a year, living with their claimed speeds, actual speeds, contract pricing and price changes after the contract period ends. With millions of people working from home over the past year, the importance of home broadband services has elevated from ‘nice-to-have’ for Netflix and Amazon Prime to absolutely essential for small and medium business and SOHO operators.  Spotty broadband directly impacts income, so it’s good to have backup connectivity options like a 4G fallback when things go awry. And when you’ve got deadlines, the last thing you want is to be waiting for an ISP’s support to debug and solve your broadband problem.  That means when hunting down the best business broadband offer, businesses need to look beyond price and speed, and also assess whether the ISP offers good service level agreements (SLAs) and reliable speeds. Reliability is critical.  The biggest ISPs in the UK include BT, TalkTalk, Virgin Media O2, Sky, and Vodafone. According to UK telecoms regulator Ofcom, all the major ISPs had relatively high levels of customer service satisfaction. TalkTalk, a challenger brand to BT, had the lowest satisfaction at 77% in Ofcom’s survey, but it also offers some respectable deals and a broad range of speeds and support options for businesses.    All the download and upload speeds for various business broadband products listed in this guide are on an ‘up to’ basis, which means there’s no guarantee these speeds will be available all the time. Speeds are reported as download/upload figures in Mbps.    

Deals to match any business needs

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TalkTalk, the UK’s fourth-largest ISP, has four business broadband deals ranging from £15.95 a month with speeds up to 18Mbps through to Dedicated Leased Lines with 1 Gbps speeds — with around the clock UK support and an SLA fix times from five hours.  The top dedicated leased line from TalkTalk, Ethernet Access Direct, is available from £274 a month and offers up to 1Gbps symmetrical speeds, no installation fee on a three-year contract, and a five hour fix time SLA.  The Ethernet First Mile package, from £150 a month, includes up to 20Mbps symmetrical speeds, while the Ethernet over Fibre deal from £70 a month offers up to 76Mbps download speeds.For businesses that don’t need SLAs and 1 Gbps speeds, TalkTalk offers a much cheaper Business Ultrafast Fibre 150 package for £25.95 per month on a 24-month contract average speeds of 145/25Mbps. There’s also the Business Ultrafast Fibre 300 for £30.95 a month that features average speeds of 290/40Mbps. These seem like sensible choices for most small businesses.The £15.95 Standard Business Broadband on a 12-month contract is an attractive starting price but only offers speeds up to 18Mbps. As more jabs roll out and businesses begin to reopen, TalkTalk has a range of fibre ‘reopening’ options with three months free, ranging from 100/20Mbps download/upload speeds for £29.95 a month to a 900/115Mbps package for £59.95 a month — these are 24-month contracts.  Pros:   A broad range of price points speeds.   An option with symmetrical speeds.   For those that pay, a five hour fix time promise.   Competitive pricing.Cons:   Ofcom found it had the lowest level of customer satisfaction amongst big ISPs.   It has a TrustPilot rating of just 2.5 out of 5.

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It’s premium and pricey but has the broadest coverage

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Incumbents are hard to avoid even with healthy competition and BT has the broadest coverage.BT’s business broadband deals start at 76/19Mbps for £35.45 a month on a 24-month contract. Most of the business broadband deals offer 76Mbps download speeds, but BT also has its Full Fibre product with speeds from 76Mbps to 900Mbps.  A lot of BT’s business broadband deals bundle in other products, such as a digital phone line and mobile phone plan (including phones like the Samsung Galaxy A42 5G and the iPhone 12 Mini 5G), leveraging its growing 5G mobile network under the EE brand — which BT bought for £12.5bn in 2015. One advantage of BT is that if there is a broadband outage, it will automatically switch to EE’s 4G network. BT boasts 24/7 support, and a solution for wi-fi blackspots around a building for £7 extra a month. While 76Mbps is not the fastest broadband service it does qualify for super fast broadband — many small businesses and retailers will find this sufficient. BT’s top listed offer is for superfast broadband and phone for £35.45 a month, which includes a digital phone line, the always-connected 4G EE guarantee, and a guarantee that prices won’t change over the course of the contract. Fortunately, for finance, tech, digital agencies and media companies, BT has much faster packages:Full Fibre 150 with 152/29Mbps speeds costs £42.95 a month.Full Fibre 300 costs £47.95 a month.Full Fibre 500 costs £59.95 a month. But for businesses that need extra bandwidth and speed, BT’s fastest offer is the Full Fibre 900 with download speeds of 900Mbps for £64.95 a month.Pros:   A broad range of products.   4G EE backup could be handy.    Broadest coverage in the UK. Cons:   Notable more expensive than business broadband rivals.    It has a TrustPilot score of just 1.3 out of 5.  

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Decent speeds at low prices

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Virgin Media, the third-largest provider, has a business broadband product called Voom with packages up to 500/35Mbps. All of the Voom packages are available as 24-month contracts and range from £32 to £62 a month. Higher-end packages include dynamic or static IP options and faster resolution times:Voom Fibre 1 costs £32 a month with download speeds up to 350/7Mbps. It promises customers a fix within 48 hours of the first issue report. Voom Fibre 2 costs £47 a month, has 350/15Mbps upload speeds, and a 24 hour resolution time.Voom Fibre 3 for £50 a month includes 350/20Mbps speeds, up to five static IPs and a 24 hour resolution time.  The premier Voom 500 for £62 a month includes 500/35Mbps speeds, up to five static IPs, and a 12-hour turnaround for resolving problems. Customers can add 4G as a backup for £7 a month to all these packages for occasions when the point of service (POS) terminal needs to be up and running during an outage.Pros:   Competitive prices for speeds.   Simple packages and a 4G backup option.   A 12 hour fix time for Voom 500 customers.Cons:   No Gigabit broadband option.   The SLA only applies from Monday to Saturday and excludes bank holidays.   Smaller coverage than BT, but you can use a postcode checker.

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Reasonable prices, but limited speed choices

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Sky’s Sky Connect business broadband offerings in terms of speeds look very much like BT’s. All three of its Sky Connect services have a 76/19Mbps service, unlimited data and a digital business phone line. All prices are available on a 24-month contract with phishing and malware protection, unlimited data, and a digital business phone line. Sky Connect has bundles are:The Advantage deal, at £39 per month, includes the aforementioned features, but not up to four digital phone lines. The Advantage Pro, at £55 per month, has the same but includes 4G backup and not four digital phone lines. The Advantage Max, at £95 per month, includes all features plus up to four digital lines. It also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee if a business customer decides they don’t like the service. Sky Connect lacks higher speed options, but the pricing is simple and with a 30-day return period, it could be an attractive choice for many businesses.  Pros:   Competitive prices.   Simple packages.   A 4G backup option for those who need it.Cons:   No high-speed options.

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Cheap but slow speeds

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Plusnet sits within the consumer division of BT, but it does have an unlimited business broadband offer from just £17.50 a month. Plusnet is a budget ISP, and so it doesn’t offer many fancy extras while download speeds are limited to 18Mbps or 76Mbps. It is a 24-month contract, so you need to be sure that 18Mbps is enough for your business. However, Plusnet does offer an Unlimited Business Fibre deal for £22 with 76/18Mbps speeds. It probably won’t be for a digital marketing agency, but for a small retailer, 18Mbps download speeds might cut it. Plusnet users can download as much as they want, but there are none of the more sophisticated options like SLAs and symmetric speeds. It’s an offer that highlights that ‘you get what you pay for.’ Pros:   It’s a cheap service.   Includes line rental.   Unlimited data.Cons:   No high-speed options.   Basic support and service.

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Which business broadband ISP should I choose?

Keep an eye on the contract period and how much the costs change afterwards. In all cases, UK ISPs charge more for business broadband after the initial contract period. That means putting a note in your calendar a month before the contract is up to review the experience. While consumer broadband options plenty of speed choices and are generally cheaper, there can be a benefit to businesses of having better upload speeds — even if they’re not guaranteed speeds.  While some packages are simple with relatively low or even free setup costs, it is worth visiting the ISP’s website and finding out what all the costs are, including VAT and whether a phone line is an additional cost or included, as a digital phone line.  If you’re running a small retail outlet with a few POS machines, a cheaper basic broadband option will probably suit you. Most ISPs included here offer these entry-level products, but not all ISPs have SLAs or 4G backup options for when things go wrong. The question comes down to how important internet connectivity is to your revenues and operations.   

How did we pick which ISPs to include?

All the providers included in this round-up are national ISPs with broad coverage. Each ISP had specific business plans available and most of them had products and speeds that were suitable for a variety of small and medium businesses in different sectors. It may be worth checking regional ISPs too or those with less than national broadband coverage. 

Independent ISP Zen Internet has business broadband offerings covering fast, superfast and ultrafast broadband, with a range of data usage packages with a static IP address. Its on-net reach covers over 500,000 postcodes, but customers need to use the postcode checker to see if they can get its service.     Zen’s entry-level product costs £27 a month and offers 10/1Mbps average speeds on a 24-month contract with the phone line included. It includes a free router and there is a “critical care” option for £27 that includes better support, 99% uptime and £25 service credit if fix times exceed 12 hours.The Business Fibre 2 product includes line rental and costs £46 a month, offering 66/17Mbps speeds on a 12-month contract with a £45 activation fee. It’s a Fibre to the Cabinet service. Zen’s faster costs £50 a month with a £50 activation fee and offers 150/25 Mbps speeds. Or there’s the Business Fibre 4 FTTP service from £57 a month with a £50 activation fee that features 300/50Mbps speeds and a free static IP address.  

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In my last column, I looked at three silicon providers developing low-power technology for the Internet of Things. But while the smart home has been the cradle of consumer IoT, it hasn’t evolved far beyond that, in part because of the high cost and power consumption of the cellular connectivity that might service consumer devices outside of the home. This has given rise to several low-power networking technologies such as LoRaWAN and GFSK that achieve longer range by operating at lower frequencies than today’s Wi-Fi.

However, these technologies haven’t been adopted as broadly as LTE or Wi-Fi. The innovative team at Helium, for example, has enabled LoRaWAN proliferation by incentivizing consumers to purchase and host their own hotspots with cryptocurrency rewards. While the company has done a good job of expanding its ecosystem in the past year and is now expanding into offloading 5G network traffic, the proposition isn’t easy to convey to everyday users. E-scooter-on-demand provider Lime has been one of the few big consumer brands to bet on Helium’s network.Consumer IoT thus faces a classic chicken-and-egg dilemma, one that is targeted by Amazon’s new network initiative, Sidewalk. As its name suggests, Sidewalk addresses connectivity beyond the home, but not necessarily on the open road, at least initially. To do this, Amazon, like Helium, piggybacks a bit of traffic on consumers’ home networks. Unlike Helium, though, which requires consumers to purchase or build their own hotspots, Amazon can leverage select models of its mammoth installed base of Echo and Ring devices as gateways between technologies such as LoRaWAN or Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.Sidewalk is often described generically as a Wi-Fi sharing, but this is not about having your neighbor mooch your broadband to get their Netflix on. Sidewalk connections are limited to 80 Kbps, which is about 1.5x the peak download speeds of the final generation of dial-up modems (Team X2 Forever!). And Amazon caps the monthly amount of traffic per account to 500 MB, equivalent to about 10 minutes of high-definition video.Much of the concern surrounding Sidewalk has focused on security and privacy. However, improving the security and privacy of endpoint devices was a major part of its rationale. According to Manolo Arana, general manager of Sidewalk at Amazon, Sidewalk was developed to bring more consistency and raise the overall security level of the emerging class of IoT devices.Arana explains, “It is very difficult to find engineering talent and capabilities for any company in device security and hardware capabilities. Not all the hardware vendors are at the same level or make certain features available. As a consequence, we end up with disparity. Are you truly who you say you are? Is someone spoofing you?” He explains that device security involves multiple features, including the certificates on the device, anti-rollback (to manage OTA updates), and secure boot. The latter is required of Sidewalk-certified products as their chipsets support it.As my fellow ZDNet contributor Adrian Kingsley-Hughes explains in describing his decision to opt-in to Sidewalk, Amazon has developed three layers of encryption around Sidewalk’s IoT traffic. The first of these is a data layer that can be accessed only by the company deploying the application — say, a pet-finding service or a connected doorbell — that uses it. Amazon has no access to it.

This brings up another Sidewalk paradox. Simply because the technology was incubated within the company’s devices and services group that is strongly associated with Alexa doesn’t mean that Sidewalk shares its business mode or data collection practices. Indeed, while it relies on consumer devices, Sidewalk is a B2B business that has more in common with AWS, infrastructure that Amazon extends to third parties. In fact, the first Sidewalk customers — Tile and Level locks — will be using the network before any Amazon endpoint devices.

In the Amazon tradition, Arana keeps coming back to the customer. In Tile’s case, it’s easy to see how access to Sidewalk’s footprint provides a hedge in competing with the vast number of mobile devices controlled by a new competitor. And while all networks entail some security risk, Tile’s early embrace of Sidewalk represents a vote of confidence that Amazon can protect the location services company’s user data and privacy as well as speaks to Amazon’s incentive to preserve Tile’s trust. Sidewalk has also benefited from AWS’ extensive experience securing the data of some of the world’s largest enterprises.AirTags review: Tile trounced by the power of Apple’s Find My networkWhen Sidewalk gets turned on in select Amazon devices next week, it will mark a rare event: the near-instant activation of a new network with broad reach, one that can offer services such as item location, simplified device setup, and telematics, as well as potentially supporting whole new classes of devices focused on low-bandwidth media such as text and speech. Of course, everyone will have to decide if enabling Sidewalk is right for them. Consider, though, that Ring or Echo users already entrust Amazon with details of home conversations or images of themselves or their families.That said, as with many novel technologies, the cautious may hold back for a while. Arana accepts this and sees it as a challenge to improve Sidewalk’s participation value over time. That could entail new services and features, but it could also simply mean proving resilience in the real world. While Arana believes his team’s work should inspire consumer confidence, he joins with the realists within Amazon and its competitors in acknowledging that the quest to improve privacy and security will never end.PREVIOUS AND RELATED COVERAGEAmazon Sidewalk will create entire smart neighborhoods. Here’s what you should know Launching June 8 on Echo speakers, Ring products, Tile trackers and more, Amazon’s low-bandwidth internet-of-things network lets your smart home stretch beyond Wi-Fi range.Amazon’s Sidewalk network to launch this year with new devices, support from IoT chipset manufacturersThe Sidewalk protocol is part of Amazon’s effort to spur the development of low-cost IoT devices that don’t rely on a cellular connection.Do you trust Amazon to share your internet connection with others? How to opt out Amazon Sidewalk is a new service that shares your internet connection with others in your neighborhood to extend the range and reliability of Amazon Echo, Ring Security cameras, and Tile trackers. More

Broadcom reported better-than-expected fiscal second quarter results and projected strong demand ahead from service providers and cloud vendors. The company reported second quarter net income of $1.49 billion, or $3.30 a share, on revenue of $6.61 billion, up 15% from a year ago. Non-GAAP earnings were $6.62 a share. Wall Street was looking for second quarter revenue of $6.5 billion with non-GAAP earnings of $6.43 a share. Broadcom’s semiconductors are used in data centers, networking gear, broadband and wireless devices as well as industrial. The software unit features enterprise mainframe, cybersecurity and automation and monitoring apps. As for the outlook, Broadcom projected third quarter revenue of $6.75 billion with adjusted EBITDA of about 60% of revenue. Analysts were modeling non-GAAP earnings of $6.59 a share on revenue of $6.6 billion.  CEO Hock Tan said the company saw strong chip sales across its portfolio and the third quarter will also be better than expected. “Our third quarter outlook projects this year-over-year growth to sustain, as we continue to see strong demand from service providers and hypercloud,” said Tan.

In the second quarter, semiconductors were 73% of sales with software, led by CA Technologies, representing 27%. Both units showed growth from a year ago. More

The joy of Webex. Apparently.
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So you think the last year’s been difficult, do you?

You think spending ten hours a day on Zoom calls and then being invited to a (compulsory) virtual Happy Hour wasn’t the ideal scenario for your turn of the decade life?You think being monitored to within an inch of your bathroom is somehow unreasonable?What a ingrate you must be. Working from home is a thing of uncontrolled joy.Please, I did write those words down, but they’re really not my sincere feelings toward you. They seem to be those of a brand you may know well. You see, I’ve been invaded by a piece of communication that has my eyebrows desperate for a fringe to hit and my eyes withering into tears.There I was wafting about Twitter and there was this promoted message from Cisco: “Webex: When work becomes joy.”

You miserable person, you. You’ve been using Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Google Meet. No wonder your work life has made you want to ululate to the rafters in anguish.If only, if only you’d been using Webex you’d be gushing positivity of Scientological proportions.But wait, you’ll be wondering how Cisco justifies this. I confess I was. Well, the ad, which is constantly being promoted in my Twitter feed, begins: “When you’re having one of those days where work just flows and you’re energized by the outcome….”We all have those days. How many have you had lately? Or have you been more energized by seven Red Bulls and a vodka chaser?And then our warm, breathy voiceover really says the words: “THIS is when work becomes joy.”Surely she’s kidding, I hear you hope. Surely she’s not suggesting that just by being on Webex you’ll experience raptures bordering on the unbecoming.

Work doesn’t have to feel like work with Webex.— Webex (@Webex) May 12, 2021

Well, here’s her next line: “This is what happens on Webex.”Has Webex not heard of all the research — some of the most interesting coming from Microsoft — that many employees (but certainly not all) are in despair at their working-from-home experiences over the last year? They’re burning out. They’re far, far more miserable than, say, their bosses.What will they think when they hear Cisco telling them working from home would be a joy if only they’d used Webex?And even those who have found working at home an unusually liberating experience, are they going to believe that all that stands between them and euphoria is Webex?I’m sorry if I sound oddly intemperate, but please could you do some research for me? Please could you ask all your Webex-using friends and colleagues how many have experienced such uncontrolled rapture that their eyes bulge in wonder?There does seem to be something peculiar going on in Webex’s marketing department. Not so long ago, it emitted an ad that tried to make Webex seem sexy rather than, say, Webex.In advertising, there’s suspension of disbelief and then there’s suspension of all your human and critical faculties.I’m sure Webex has many aspects that are very useful. [Editor’s note: Try Webex here to see for yourself if it delivers more joy than other popular conferencing platforms such as Blue Jeans, Teams and GoToMeeting.] I’m equally sure that using Webex does not suddenly transport you into paroxysms of celestial working-from-home uplift.Because it can’t. More

A bill seeking extra funding to ensure Internet access in Brazil’s public school network was passed to benefit millions of students and teachers nationwide. Under the proposed measures, a budget of 3.5 billion reais ($690 million) will be provided by the central government via the Fund for Universal Access to Telecommunications Services (FUST). The funding will ensure the connectivity required for teachers and students to continue schooling activities during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The proposals were vetoed by president Jair Bolsonaro, but the decision was overturned by the Brazilian Congress and was later confirmed by the Senate. According to the bill, the funding should go mainly towards mobile internet offerings, with fixed broadband provision possible if that option is cheaper or in cases where mobile services are not viable. Schools can also benefit from the funding if local education authorities consider it to be essential for their activities. It is estimated that approximately 18.3 million students and 1.5 million teachers will benefit from the measures set out in the proposals. The priority groups to receive the government-funded connectivity provided by the state are the beneficiaries of social programs, as well as pupils and teachers of schools in indigenous communities, or quilombolas, which are habitants of black rural communities made by the descendants of African Slaves.A survey launched in May 2020 by the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br) noted that 71% of households in Brazil have access to the Internet. However, more than 20 million households are digitally excluded, with schoolchildren in vulnerable families being the most impacted. The issue of lack of connectivity is particularly noticeable in households in the poorest areas of the country: 35% of homes in the Northeast region don’t use the Internet, and that is also a reality for 45% of Brazilian families on minimum wage.Separate research from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics has found that millions of citizens are digitally excluded due to factors such as lack of technical knowledge to access the web and availability of Internet services. More

Shifting away from Google Chrome is hard. Regular readers will know that I’ve been engaged in a drawn-out process of dumping Google Chrome for several months. My last month of living and working off-grid while on my travels in Scotland made that more urgent because of how power-inefficient Google Chrome is when running on my laptops. When you’re relying on a battery power station and solar panels, getting an extra 90 minutes or so of runtime makes all the difference.

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The best browsers for privacy

If you’re like most people, you’re probably using Google Chrome as your default browser. It’s hard to fault Google’s record on security and patching but privacy is another matter for the online ad giant.

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The problem is that Google Chrome is less a browser and more a mini operating system that does so much. It’s also a repository for a lot of data that are needed to function in the modern world. Shifting to a new platform is super hard, and I find myself coming and going between different browsers, which itself is causing more problems because I’m spreading tabs and data in different places. I spent some time looking at what the pinch points were in making the shift and came across three things that I needed to do to pave the way for a clean break. Here’s what I needed to do. Must read: Do you trust Amazon to share your internet connection with others? #1: Get all passwords out of Google Chrome into a good password manager

Despite my best efforts to make sure that all my passwords are in my password manager, I still, annoyingly, had stuff that only existed in Chrome. There’s little way around this than to export everything from Chrome, manually go through the passwords and add the ones that were missing to my password manager. My current password manager of choice is Bitwarden, although LastPass and 1Password also come highly recommended (see right). But whatever you choose, I suggest you get something you’re comfortable using across all the platforms you use, and it’s worth checking to make sure there’s a browser extension available for the browser you’re switching to.

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Everyone needs a password manager. It’s the only way to maintain unique, hard-to-guess credentials for every secure site you and your team access daily.

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To export your data from Chrome, the process is different between the desktop and mobile versions. Desktop: Type chrome://settings/passwords into the address bar and press ENTERClick on the three vertical dots ⋮ to the right of Saved Passwords and click Export passwords…You may need to confirm the action and authenticateSave the file as CSV (comma separated variable)Mobile: Tap the three dots ⋯ and tap SettingsTap PasswordsTap Export PasswordsYou may need to confirm the action and authenticate, then save the file Rather than have a bunch of duplicates in my password manager, I like to edit the file so it only contains passwords that I don’t already have in the password manager (a CSV file is a text file).To find out how you import the data into your password manager, you will need to consult the documentation. Also, remember to securely delete that CSV file when you’re done — it contains your passwords! This is boring and time-consuming, but necessary.#2: Install must-have extensions into the new browser Take the time to do this. If you leave it until you need them, you’ll end up deciding that it’s quicker to use Chrome, and you’re digging the hole you’re in even deeper. However, given the size of the Google Chrome ecosystem, you’re not going to get a replacement for every extension (which may not be a bad thing from a performance point of view). This is also boring and time-consuming, but necessary.Also: Best Google Chrome extensions#3: Make your new browser the default This is a no-brainer. On desktops and laptops, browsers will offer you the chance to do this. On mobile devices, the option can be a bit buried. iOS: Tap Settings and scroll down to find your new browser Tap on the app, then tap Default Browser App and select your new browser Android: Tap Settings > Apps & notificationsScroll down and tap AdvancedTap Default appsTap Browser and select your new browser of choice Doing this prevents your muscle memory from taking you back to Chrome. Hiding the icon also helps!

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Cisco’s UCS X-Series. Credit: CiscoCisco launched the Cisco UCS X-Series, a new modular system designed for hybrid cloud deployments, as well as observability throughout the stack and network intelligence.UCS X-Series was rolled out during Cisco’s Future Cloud event that featured a host of product launches. With its UCS revamp Cisco joins an increasingly crowded field in the hybrid cloud space. Dell Technologies, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and IBM, which acquired Red Hat, are all betting on infrastructure that bridges data centers, clouds and edge compute. Todd Nightingale, general manager of Cisco’s enterprise networking and cloud unit, said the company is focused on providing observability across the enterprise stack. “The real focus is on observability top to bottom from server to application,” said Nightingale. While Cisco UCS X-Series is the headliner, the networking giant launched a series of products, integrations and applications for hybrid and multicloud deployments. Here’s the rundown of what Cisco launched:UCS X-Series: UCS is used in data centers by more than 50,000 global customers. Nightingale said that UCS X-Series includes Cisco’s UCS X-Fabric technology and aims to blend the best of rack and blade technologies. Intersight Cloud Orchestrator, a low-code automation tool for IT Ops workflows. Intersight Workload Engine, a Cisco operating system for Hyperflex that is built on open-source Kubernetes and Kernel-based virtual machine. Cisco Service Mesh Manager, an extension for observability and management of policy-based security. Cisco Cloud ACI will be available for Google Cloud in the fall of 2021. Cisco Cloud ACI manages hybrid and multicloud deployments and already connects to AWS and Microsoft Azure. Integration of ThousandEyes with Cisco  Catalyst 8000 Edge Series for SD-WAN and Cisco Nexus 9000 switches.Nexus Dashboard Orchestrator to manage policies across clouds and on-prem deployments.Cisco also rolled out a series of advisory services to go along with the rollout. More