Stories by Jim Metzler

Complete guide to network virtualization

There are a number of emerging and proposed standard protocols focused on optimizing the support that data center Ethernet LANs provide for server virtualization. Several of these protocols are aimed at network virtualization via the creation of multiple virtual Ethernet networks that can share a common physical infrastructure in a manner that is somewhat analogous to multiple virtual machines sharing a common physical server.

Are you ready for networking in the cloud?

The two primary forms of public cloud computing, Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), are both growing dramatically in popularity. Over the last few years, the primary focus of the IaaS providers has been on offering the basic compute and storage resources required to run applications.

Kevin Mitnick seeks refuge from hackers

Kevin Mitnick, the ex-hacker turned security consultant, is such a high-profile target himself that the Web-hosting firm he was using finally told him it wouldn't host Web pages for him anymore.

Baking security into a switch

I read a little about Cisco's TrustSec architecture, and I'm wondering if it's something we should take a look at. It seems like getting more security built into a switch is a good idea, but I can't tell how realistic that idea is yet.

Web services take off

When Soren Burkhart landed the job of CIO at Aloha Air Group a year ago, his marching orders were to quickly break through the constraints of the company's legacy mainframe system. The problem was serious. "Integration points to external vendors were very limited and very brittle. To extend the system to incorporate customer requirements was close to impossible," he says.