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New e-book highlights opportunities, challenges, trends in corporate networking [ITWeb](ITWeb Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) "Enterprise Networking" is an e-book giving corporate decision-makers an insight into the drivers behind the steady growth of high-performance corporate network systems and infrastructures over the last 35 years. It also spotlights some of the latest and most profound technological developments of the past 12 months. It was written with a view to help organisations reduce operational costs, pinpoint new business opportunities and react quickly to retail demands. It also identifies outdated or inept business methodologies ready for upgrade or redesign. Now in its fourth edition, "Enterprise Networking" is a valuable resource for everyone involved with IT in the corporate world, providing a quick, high-level insight into the main technical and business issues and an overview of the opportunities, the challenges and the trends in the modern networked computing field. Its contents are designed to help readers make better, more informed decisions. "Enterprise Networking" delves into key corporate networking issues such as the acceptance of cloud computing, the realisation of network functions virtualisation (NFV) and the potential of software-defined networking (SDN). It goes behind the scenes to expose the workings of a new generation of technologies, such as the importance of decreased latency, which is today as urgent as increasing speed. Peer-to-peer messaging, cache-friendly algorithms and real-time analytics play increasingly important roles in this quest. Also included are notes on how effective data gathering, data analysis and the subsequent application and interpretation of business intelligence make it possible for planners and strategists to reveal unseen trends linked to customer behaviour changes, operational patterns and future business trends. "These are modern technologies with the potential to advance significant change in the way networks are built, operated and managed," says Martin May, the regional director of Extreme Networks in South Africa, under whose aegis the book is published. For those who are sceptical about an industry-sponsored tome, it may come as a surprise to find the technical information non-partisan. "'Enterprise Networking' is a no-nonsense, no-hype and sales-free zone designed as a useful source of information, not a thinly-disguised product brochure," stresses May. Looking ahead, "Enterprise Networking" also examines the technologies that keep the growing army of mobile workers on their feet. These are the cadres from the 'bring your own device' (BYOD) movement, the new breed of 'on-the-go' executives who demand access to almost every networked and Internet-based service from anywhere on the planet using their latest PC tablets, smartphones, laptop PCs and wearable devices. The e-book also reveals modern-day fears linked to security issues. Privacy heads the list. Details concerning secure access to cloud services and relevant authentication/authorisation and endpoint security validation information are included. For readers with a penchant for 'big iron', "Enterprise Networking" steps into the data centre, examining its pathway to virtualisation – along with its server and storage infrastructures. It reveals how virtualisation is changing the footprint of the in-house data centre, shrinking it in size and scope along with the need for physical servers and large storage repositories. "For network managers and administrators, maintaining a competitive edge in the marketplace – particularly in the light of projected new technological improvements – is vital," adds May. "Failure could mean the difference between a fast-tracked promotion and a slow walk to the HR department to collect severance pay." Enterprise Networking's contents are structured to reflect the contrasting – and sometimes contradictory – worlds of today; the physical world of wired and wireless networks, switches and routers, access points and BYODs, and the new-age world of cloud-based networks and the 'on-demand' consumption of computing resources. "Enterprise Networking" is available as a free e-book over the Internet and can be downloaded www.extremenetworks.co.za (http://www.extremenetworks.co.za). (c) 2014 ITWeb Limited. All rights reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info). |