Networking Topic Center

The latest news, analysis, opinions and more on computer networking

EU probe could could slow European vendors supplying tech for China's 4G deployment

The European Union may be trying to protect its telecom equipment industry with its recent threat to investigate China over networking equipment imports. But the move could end up hurting the chances of Western vendors intent on supplying technology to China's upcoming 4G services launch, according to analysts.
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Telenor cyberespionage attack has Indian origins

A recent intrusion on the computer network of Norwegian telecommunications company Telenor was the result of a large cyberespionage operation of Indian origin that for the past few years has targeted business, government and political organizations from different countries, according to researchers from security firm Norman Shark.

Corning taps into optical fiber for better indoor wireless

Bringing wireless indoors, which was once just a matter of antennas carrying a few cellular bands so people could get phone calls, has grown far more complex and demanding in the age of Wi-Fi, multiple radio bands and more powerful antennas.

40 years ago, Ethernet's fathers were the startup kids

Bob Metcalfe, Dave Boggs and the rest of the scientists at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center in 1973 were a lot like young developers at a Silicon Valley startup today.

Cisco cites data-center, wireless for quarterly revenue increase

Data-center and wireless sales led growth at Cisco Systems in its fiscal third quarter, as it saw customers spending more in the U.S. and developing countries but reported continuing weakness in Southern Europe.

7 steps to securing Java

Java, the popular OS-independent platform and programming language, runs on just about every kind of electronic device imaginable, including computers, cell phones, printers, TVs, DVDs, home security systems, automated teller machines, navigation systems, games and medical devices.

Networks in 2020: More traffic, less energy

Networks could use far less energy by 2020 even though they'll be carrying much more traffic, an industry group says.

FCC moves toward new in-flight broadband service

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has taken a major step toward helping more airlines offer in-cabin wireless broadband, with the agency voting Thursday to explore using new spectrum for air-to-ground broadband service.

Facebook plans to design an open-source switch

As part of the Open Compute Project (OCP), Facebook's network engineering team is leading a project to develop an open source networking switch.

VMware: Faster app provisioning makes SDN a keeper

Software defined networking (SDN) is generating a lot of buzz these days, but the technology will ultimately make itself useful in the enterprise largely because it will save enterprises time in deploying new applications, predicted Martin Casado, chief architect of networking at VMware.

Smartphones take center stage in two-factor authentication schemes

We all know that relying on a simple user ID and password combination is fraught with peril. One alternative is to use one of the single sign-on solutions we reviewed last year, but there are less expensive options that could also be easier to install.

Why a Blackberry Is Better Than an iPhone

The BlackBerry has always been a business phone. The iPhone wowed us all--and it nearly put BlackBerry out of business--but it emphasizes entertainment and not productivity. If you're an IT executive, it's finally time to put function before form, CIO.com columnist Rob Enderle writes.

Tech Titans Talk: The IDG Enterprise Interview Series

In the IDG Enterprise Interview Series, you'll hear from technology CIOs and CEOs on today's burgeoning trends, ongoing headaches and upcoming product plans. Check out this informative series from IDG Enterprise Chief Content Officer John Gallant and his team of editors.

How to keep your network in tip-top health

Using any one of the six netword management suites in this review will help diagnose and cure network ills

What I learned living abroad as a digital nomad

Digital nomad Mike Elgan returns to the U.S. after 10 months of travel and shares these tips for working and living abroad.

Clarifying the role of software-defined networking northbound APIs

With software-defined networking the control of the network is pried out of the data handling devices and centralized on a controller that uses a common protocol, OpenFlow, to direct the switches on the southbound side. That much has been established. But what of the oft-mentioned northbound APIs that will let applications tell the controller what they need from the network? What kind of progress is the Open Networking Foundation making on that front? Network World Editor in Chief John Dix put the question to Robert Sherwood, CTO of Big Switch Networks and head of the ONF's Architecture and Framework Working Group, which is responsible for multiple things, including the creation of these northbound APIs.

Google Fiber divides users into 'the fast' and 'the furious'

Google's Fiber project in in Kanas City, Austin and Provo shows that very high Internet speeds are possible in the U.S., but nobody except Google is working to make it happen.

IoT development needs context and leadership

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a concept first suggested in 1999 by Kevin Ashton, the co-founder of Auto-ID Center at MIT. And it's popular again--thanks to mobility and the maturing of tracking technologies like RFID, NFC, and QR codes, according to Claus Mortensen, principal of emerging technologies at IDC Asia Pacific.

Directly connected to the Internet of Things

Last week here in Backspin I discussed how real-world "things" that aren't easily augmented with digital instrumentation, such as bicycles, cars and even dogs, can be indirectly connected to the Internet of Things (IoT) using physical ID tags and online proxies. This is, as I pointed out, a powerful concept.

Mobile data and messaging exceeds voice revenues for the first time on mobiles: Telsyte

The value of mobile data and messaging revenues has exceeded voice call revenues for the first time in Australia, according to new research from technology analyst firm, Telsyte.