The Lippis Report

The Web Malware Pandemic

Just as the Internet, the Web, and the information age have revolutionized our businesses and our lives, these developments have also radically changed the face of crime. Computer and Internet crime are no exception. Today, computers factor in nearly every form of crime – from crimes facilitated by computers (credit card theft, for example), to crimes, which are specifically computer-to-computer (malware, for example), and to crimes in which computers play an incidental supporting role (i.e. an illegal gambling bookie that keeps computerized records). This paper addresses one single facet of cybercrime – the manipulation of Web content and Web technologies for criminal and/or for illicit gains

THE WORLD’S LARGEST SECURITY ANALYSIS OF REAL-WORLD WEB TRAFFIC
By Cisco Systems

The ScanSafe Global Threat Report is an analysis of more than a trillion Web requests processed in 2009 by the ScanSafe Threat Center on behalf of the company’s corporate clients in over 80 countries across five continents. Our leading position of providing security in-the-cloud provides unparalleled insight in the real-world Web threats faced by the today’s enterprise; this report represents the world’s largest security analysis of real- world Web traffic.

Download it now here.

Power Management Is Added To Edge Switches
by Lippis Consulting

Wiring closet switches are undergoing a renaissance as the number and type of end-point devices accessing applications through multiple networks soar. Once the device for connecting desktops, wiring closet switches now connect wireless access points, laptops, kiosks, netbooks, IP phones, printers, video desktop systems, electrical power systems and more. As networks go borderless so too are wiring closet switches. Wiring closet switches are pervasive as they connect all end-points into an enterprise network distributing network services, applications and now power throughout a corporation. Network intelligence and services have shifted toward network access, enabling power management, unified communications, integrated security, wireless LAN access, application delivery, and high availability to support real time applications and much more. This white paper documents the dynamics forcing a change in wiring closet switching with recommendations and guidelines for IT business leaders to assist them in fixed switch vendor selection. The new Cisco edge switching products, Cisco Catalyst 3750-X, 3560-X, and 2960-S Series Switches are profiled as they represent progressive thinking in this space.

In addition to desktop connectivity wiring closet switches now connect wireless access points, laptops, kiosks, netbooks, IP phones, printers, video desktop systems and more while also managing electrical power of the devices they connect. New PoE Plus standard 802.3at allow 30W per port to be delivered which has driven a change in wiring closet power management. I talk with Berna Devrim, Sr. Manager, Access Switching Marketing at Cisco Systems about the dynamics forcing a change in wiring closet switching and the new Cisco X and S series of edge switching products which represent progressive thinking in this space. Enjoy, Nick.

By Avaya

To succeed in a tough marketplace, small businesses must be accessible, without significant interruption, even in the most adverse situations. This kind of ongoing accessibility is an important aspect of business continuity — a critical success strategy that doesn’t just happen, but requires proactive planning. Although there are several aspects to a business continuity plan, a major component of any plan should be the SME’s communications capabilities, not just its equipment or data. This paper will explore how different kinds of interruptions can adversely affect an SME’s business continuity and illustrate how, through advanced features such as resiliency and mobility, Avaya’s IP Office can help SMEs overcome interruptions and maintain business continuity.

Find out how by downloading this paper here.

Hear how virtualization has spread beyond the data center into the core network to increase utilization, security, and functionality.

Listen to the podcast here

Info-Tech Research Group found that in each case, the five- year TCO of 3Com’s H3C portfolio is lower than its comparable Cisco products, across 1000-, 3000-, and 5000-user campus LAN scenarios. Cisco charges a price premium of 34% to 40% over H3C solutions, which fluctuates depending on the design. These percentages translate into thousands of dollars in cost-savings for customers who choose H3C and H3C infrastructure. Given the turbulent economic climate, this can mean more money for other projects, fewer job cuts, or even a stronger bottom line.

Download Info-Tech Research Group’s campus TCO analysis here.

By Cisco

The adoption of cloud-based computing and applications promises to improve the agility, efficiency, and cost effectiveness of IT operations required to provision, scale, and deliver applications to the enterprise. However, as with other new technology trends, delivering applications from the cloud to the remote sites creates additional challenges in application performance, availability, and security. This document discusses some cloud deployment scenarios and shows how Cisco WAAS solves application-delivery challenges for customers.
To understand how cloud-based application-delivery challenges can be overcome download this white paper.

3com offers a global support network for its customers that are staffed around the world. Their hallmark is flexibility in engagement arrangement and customization of support needs. Vendor transition and product support are two key aspects offered by 3Com so that risk of vendor transition is transferred to 3Com and not the customer. Service and support is needed more now then ever as data center and enterprise network design and deployments have become complex thanks to a plethora of new technologies and options. I discuss the Importance of service and support in enterprise networking with Imran Khan Vice President of Global Services at 3Com. Enjoy, Nick

Nick Lippis will be keynoting the AT&T and Avaya “No Pain, All Gain: Migrate to IP Telephony on Your Terms and Save Money” small business webinar on January 27th at 1:00 pm ET. You can find out more about this webinar and register for it here.

Hope to see you there and bring your questions about unified communication in the Small to Medium sized Enterprise!

By Arista

The standard for 10 Gigabit Ethernet (IEEE802.3ae) was ratified in 2002. While 10GbE deployments have grown every year since then, the technology has primarily been used to interconnect switches and routers. Almost all of the server connections in data centers have remained at 1 Gbps, limiting the amount of network throughput available to each server. With recent enhancements in CPU performance, system I/O, and storage I/O the gigabit network has increasingly become the application and workload performance bottleneck.
The primary reason for staying with Gigabit Ethernet has been cost-performance. Until recently it has been more cost-effective to have multiple GbE connections rather than a single 10 GbE port. In addition, most installed servers typically cannot utilize the full bandwidth of a 10 GbE connection. However both of these factors are changing, which are leading to widespread adoption of 10 GbE for server connectivity over the next few years.

Download this white paper for an overview of the factors that are driving the growth for 10 GbE in the data center.

Zeus Kerravala of The Yankee Group and I make our annual top ten IT predictions. This year we make ten predictions ranging from data center/cloud/virtualization/IT Budgets, etc., to which firms will be gone by the end of the year. Enjoy, Nick

By Cisco Systems

Mobility has become a business expectation. IT is coming face to face with an increasingly savvy user community which is demanding the wireless performance required to deliver a ubiquitous computing experience. Wireless technologies are striving to keep up, and the ratification of 802.11n promises to unleash the true power of mobility. This checklist provides prescriptive guidance on how IT can harness the value of 802.11n, while avoiding the pitfalls.
To integrate 802.11n into your enterprise network, follow these steps.

By ABIresearch

As sales of IEEE 802.11n wireless LAN equipment have increased over the past year, there has been a general outcry from some vendors who sell WLAN products exclusively for IT managers; they want to move to all wireless networks. Some skeptical IT managers have questioned the objectivity of such vendors and pointed to famed psychologist Abraham Maslow’s observation that “if you only have a hammer, then you tend to see every problem as a nail.” There are legitimate reasons to consider wireless LAN deployments just as there are good reasons to deploy wire line solutions. The purpose of this research brief is to look at the current network infrastructure landscape, consider the advantages and disadvantages of both types of solutions, and determine a common sense strategy for IT managers and CIOs, who are in the process of trying to determine the best course of action for their own particular network environments. Determining their own network technology roadmap requires honest answers to a number of questions rather than succumbing to vendor hype and hyperbole.
Find out how to approach wired and wireless LAN deploy by downloading this paper.