Paul Rubens

If you’re planning to implement a network access control system to ensure that only authorized users with fully patched and virus-protected hardware can access corporate resources, then you’re in good company. About a third of large US companies are intending to start adopting it this year, according to research carried out by Cambridge, MA- based […]

In 2004 I wrote that although the US Government was implementing next generation IPv6-compliant gear, large corporations were adopting a wait-and-see approach to the updated Internet Protocol. Jim Bound, chairman of the North American IPv6 Task Force, warned at the time: “If you are not thinking about planning a move to IPv6 today, it’s costing […]

Certification – it’s expensive, and it’s hard work. So is it worth it, to get a few letters after your name? That’s the sixty-four thousand dollar question. The first thing to think about is what a certification like Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) or Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) actually means. It shows prospective employers that […]

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. It’s a well worn cliche, but it’s an important one to bear in mind when you’re thinking about the security of your corporate network. That’s because if there’s a single point on your network’s perimeter defense that is weak, then that’s the place from which […]

License model? License muddle is probably a more accurate description of how most large companies acquire and manage their software. The fact is that keeping tabs on who has got what application in any organization is a logistical nightmare. To keep it all straight, every company should have an asset manager responsible for ensuring (at […]

Internet Protocol (IP), or, more accurately, IPv4, has been keeping the Internet humming for more than 30 years. However, over that time, it has been modified, patched and kludged repeatedly to keep up with the evolving needs of the Internet-using community. When IPv4 was originally developed, no-one could have foreseen how pervasive the Internet would […]

Voice over IP (VoIP) has been the next big thing for several years now, but what was once hype is turning into practical discussions. All signs indicate that 2004 will finally be the year that VoIP technology arrives on a network near you — maybe even one you manage. The idea behind VoIP is simple. […]

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. It’s a well worn cliche, but it’s an important one to bear in mind when you’re thinking about the security of your corporate network. That’s because if there’s a single point on your network’s perimeter defense that is weak, then that’s the place from which […]

License model? License muddle is probably a more accurate description of how most large companies acquire and manage their software. The fact is that keeping tabs on who has got what application in any organization is a logistical nightmare. To keep it all straight, every company should have an asset manager responsible for ensuring (at […]

You can’t manage what you can’t see. So it’s not surprising that with corporate networks congested more and more by P2P, streaming media, and other “leisure” traffic, network admins are increasingly turning to specialized network management software packages and appliances to give them the information they need to take back control of their bandwidth. Of […]