Stories by Paul Venezia

Budget-beating bandwidth

Sometimes, a switch is just a switch. Sometimes, it's worth another look. Dell has long been looking to expand its reach beyond servers in the datacenter, hoping to capitalize on the small to midsize business that needs high-capacity switching power but isn't ready to spring for a Cisco-powered network. The Dell PowerConnect 5324 is the most recent example of this initiative.

Linux-based Nitix serves the works

If there's one thing IT managers of small businesses or branch offices need, it's solid, uncomplicated technology. Net Integration Technologies thinks it has the answer. The company's Nitix server is essentially a custom Linux distribution focused on the small office. Driven entirely from a Web interface, the solution boasts an impressive array of features, using the most common Linux services such as Samba and Apache.

Dell PowerConnect switch takes aim at network core

Long a purveyor of server solutions, Dell is branching out into the world of network switching. With the brand-new Dell PowerConnect 6024, the company is leaping from their previous layer 2 edge switches to the centre of the network: layer 3 core switching.

Building a better firewall

The firewall as a layer 4 packet-inspection device has reached maturity. Although not every network requires high-end LAN switching gear, every Internet-connected network needs a firewall, if only to provide NAT services and simple packet filtering. What's growing out of this mature market is the next wave of firewalls.

NetDetector captures intrusions

It's not often that I bear witness to a perfect match of innovation and execution, but Niksun Ltd.'s NetDetector is as close as I've seen. To the casual observer, the NetDetector appears to be simply another IDS (intrusion-detection system), but it actually goes much further than that.

Product Review: Entry-level SAN arrays square off

The days of adding a local disk to every server are waning. With the rise of the storage SAN, it's no longer necessary to make an educated guess on future storage needs when you spec server hardware. In a SAN environment, servers deliver data requested by the client applications; the SAN takes care of storing that data.

NetScreen’s IDP-100 impressive

Watching out for stealthy invaders is only the first step towards effective intrusion protection. Paul Venezia reports