When you think about your first line of defense against cyber criminals, a firewall probably comes to mind. The firewall is like the gatekeeper — monitoring incoming and outgoing traffic, deciding what gets in and out based on security rules. They’ve served us well for a quarter century, but not everyone is configuring them correctly, which can lead to disaster. Proper Configuration There are several ways that IT professionals can err, especially today as cloud-based security

The changing nature of IT management is evident. Cloud solutions and mobility are being prioritized, while the network takes on a more central role in driving business objectives. IT, in general, is no longer simply keeping the lights on, but taking a strategic role in identifying and executing on opportunities. As a result, the IT skills you need in a candidate are also shifting in big ways. Take a look at the following list to get a comprehensive picture of the areas of exp

These are just a few of the factors complicating network management for enterprise IT. There’s also the added difficulty of handling the barrage of security threats from all directions, as well as the added vulnerability that comes with the risk of an employee misplacing a device or one being stolen. SD-WAN answers a wide range of network concerns with several valuable features, such as offering the ability to segment network traffic by user or application type. This not only

SD-WAN can be accessed in a variety of forms, from an in-house management model to a complete managed services format in which the network is maintained by the provider. Before choosing an SD-WAN product, it’s important to understand what problems need to be solved in the network. While any company with a distributed workforce can benefit from SD-WAN, as with all IT implementations, it’s ideal to begin the process by examining the problems that need to be solved. Here are a f

Today’s reliance on applications for business processes means that enterprise network management requires a high level of visibility into the network for management and troubleshooting. With multi-protocol label switching (MPLS), this level of visibility is impossible, leading many enterprises to invest in software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN). What MPLS delivers: MPLS became the connectivity vehicle of choice during a time before hosted applications, mobile dominanc

Given the security risks that seem to grow more complex on a daily basis, more organizations are looking beyond strengthening their networks; they’re also examining foundational aspects such as core business processes. For organizations that consider themselves digital businesses, there are usually three important aspects of the foundation of their system: agility, automation, and analytics. The smooth operation of these three important pieces of the puzzle is integral in kee