Overview of Windows as a service
Windows as a service provides a new way to think about building, deploying, and servicing the Windows operating system. So, if you often find yourself wondering, “Are Windows updates necessary?” Consider this new approach. The Windows as a service model is focused on continually providing new capabilities and updates while maintaining a high level of hardware and software compatibility. Deploying new versions of Windows is simpler than ever before. Microsoft releases new features two to three times per year rather than the traditional upgrade cycle where new features are only made available every few years. Ultimately, this model replaces the need for traditional Windows deployment projects.
Prior to Windows 10, Microsoft released new versions of Windows every few years. This traditional deployment schedule imposed a training burden on users because the feature revisions were often significant. That schedule also meant waiting long periods without new features. This scenario doesn’t work well in today’s rapidly changing world. A world in which new security, management, and deployment capabilities are necessary to address challenges. Windows as a service will deliver smaller feature updates two times per year, around March and September, to help address these issues.
Deploying
Deploying Windows 10 is simpler than with previous versions of Windows. When migrating from earlier versions of Windows, an easy in-place upgrade process can be used to automatically preserve all apps, settings, and data. And once running Windows 10, deployment of Windows 10 feature updates will be equally simple.
One of the biggest challenges for organizations when it comes to deploying a new version of Windows is compatibility testing. Whereas compatibility was previously a concern for organizations upgrading to a new version of Windows, Windows 10 is compatible with most hardware and software capable of running on Windows 7 or later. Because of this high level of compatibility, the app compatibility testing process can be greatly simplified.
Servicing
Traditional Windows servicing has included several release types:
Major revisions (e.g., the Windows 8.1, Windows 8, and Windows 7 operating systems), service packs, and monthly updates. With Windows 10, there are two release types: feature updates that add new functionality twice per year, and quality updates that provide security and reliability fixes at least once a month. Are Windows updates necessary?
Naming changes
As part of the alignment with Windows 10 and Office 365 ProPlus, Microsoft is adopting common terminology to make it as easy as possible to understand the servicing process. Going forward, these are the new terms they will be using:
- Semi-Annual Channel – They will be referring to Current Branch (CB) as “Semi-Annual Channel (Targeted)”, while Current Branch for Business (CBB) will simply be referred to as “Semi-Annual Channel”.
- Long-Term Servicing Channel – The Long-Term Servicing Branch (LTSB) will be referred to as Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC).
Servicing tools
There are many tools with which IT pros can service Windows as a service. Each option has its pros and cons, ranging from capabilities and control to simplicity and low administrative requirements. The following are examples of the servicing tools available to manage Windows as a service updates:
- Windows Update (stand-alone) provides limited control over feature updates. IT pros manually configure the device to be in the Semi-Annual Channel. Organizations can target which devices defer updates by selecting the Defer upgrades check box in Start\Settings\Update & Security\Advanced Options on a Windows 10 client.
- Windows Update for Business is the second option for servicing Windows as a service. This servicing tool includes control over update deferment and provides centralized management using Group Policy. Windows Update for Business can be used to defer updates by up to 365 days, depending on the version. These deployment options are available to clients in the Semi-Annual Channel. In addition to being able to use Group Policy to manage Windows Update for Business, either option can be configured without requiring any on-premises infrastructure by using Intune.
- Windows Server Update Services (WSUS)provides extensive control over Windows 10 updates and is natively available in the Windows Server operating system. In addition to the ability to defer updates, organizations can add an approval layer for updates and choose to deploy them to specific computers or groups of computers whenever ready.
- System Center Configuration Manager provides the greatest control over servicing Windows as a service. IT pros can defer updates, approve them, and have multiple options for targeting deployments and managing bandwidth usage and deployment times.
Using SCCM
System Center Configuration Manager provides maximum control over quality and feature updates for Windows 10. Unlike other servicing tools, Configuration Manager has capabilities that extend beyond servicing, such as application deployment, antivirus management, software metering, and reporting. Configuration Manager can effectively control bandwidth usage and content distribution through a combination of BranchCache and distribution points. Microsoft encourages organizations currently using Configuration Manager for Windows update management to continue doing so for Windows 10 client computers.
You can use Configuration Manager to service Windows 10 devices in two ways. The first option is to use Windows 10 Servicing Plans to deploy Windows 10 feature updates automatically based on specific criteria, similar to an Automatic Deployment Rule for software updates. The second option is to use a task sequence to deploy feature updates, along with anything else in the installation.
Conclusion
Windows servicing is changing. For disaster recovery scenarios and bare-metal deployments of Windows 10, you still can use traditional imaging software such as System Center Configuration Manager or the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit. Using these tools to deploy Windows 10 images is similar to deploying previous versions of Windows. With each release of a new feature update for CB, Microsoft makes available new .iso files for use in updating your custom images. Each Windows 10 build has a finite servicing lifetime, so it’s important that images stay up to date with the latest build.
What is AI?
The definition of intelligence according to the Oxford Dictionary is: “the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills”. According to this same source, the definition of artificial intelligence is: “The theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and translation between languages”.
If you dig deep on this, you will find several different definitions (or points of view) on what constitutes AI. Forbes has a great article called “The Key Definitions Of Artificial Intelligence (AI) That Explain Its Importance”, in which the author goes over several ways that the term AI is interpreted in both society and through a technology company prism. Specifically, it talks about Machine Learning, which is a subset of AI.
It really is fascinating stuff. In reading this article, it sent me down a rabbit hole of everything that is AI. From predictive data analytics (for example when my Outlook spell checker just corrected my attempt to type and spell analytics, without me have to do anything) to something that is called a “technological singularity”. This is basically, and not to get into the weeds too much, a hypothesis that humans will one day create an artificial superintelligence that would enter into a “runaway reaction” of constant self-improvement that would forever change or possibly end humanity as we know it.
AI in Entertainment
While on this broad swath of reading and learning, I came to find that the idea of “AI” is not anything new, in fact it can be traced all the way back to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. After I realized this little nugget, I got to thinking about all the books and movies that I have read or watched that involve AI.
I was amazed at how much it permeates my choices in literature and entertainment. Everything from books like Isaac Asimov’s “I Robot” or Fred Saberhagen’s “Berserker” series, or TV Series like Star Trek, Westworld and Person of Interest. And of course, some of the most popular movies of all time and been centered on the concept of AI (usually rampant evil AI’s), like the Terminator series, the Alien movies, and more recently the Matrix series. There is even a recent movie called “Her” where the main character falls in love with the voice in his phone (oh how you have fallen Joaquin Phoenix!).
Is AI a Threat?
I can imagine what you might be thinking. Is that voice on my phone actually artificial intelligence? (You were thinking that right)? Which it, in fact, is. It falls under Machine Learning, but it still falls into the many pieces of our society that are directly affected or controlled by artificial intelligence.
If you are like me, you might slightly overreact and think to yourself when is “Skynet” coming online? Should I swear my allegiance early, so I am spared in the coming days? Is this “technological singularity” coming any day? Will Alexa rise up and enslave me in my house to keep me safe and buying more Amazon products? Well, thankfully, no it won’t (it’s true I asked Alexa this question and she told me so).
After I calmed down a bit, I came to realize that this is truly just a reactionary by-product of the propaganda I have been reading and watching for years. There is no true sentient artificial intelligence, but instead programs that are taking data and using machine learning to solve a certain issue (for example, what other people like me have bought recently). There are companies at the forefront of this, like Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft. Then there are many companies that may not have the name recognition of these three giants but are no less important in both application of AI, but also in enablement of AI.
Zunesis and AI
Which leads me to Zunesis (I know it took me forever)! You may be asking yourself, what does Zunesis do in this particular field? The answer on this is simple, we have fully “bought in” (literally in the case of the POC and demo machines we have purchased and are available) to the idea that AI (or predictive analytics if you would prefer) is truly going to make the lives of our customers better, more efficient, and safe. We are getting the word out to customers, to partners, and to the general public (thank you Linked-in Blogs) on the power that these technologies have.
Want a better way to understand who is coming on and off your property, for reasons of security? Please talk to us, and we will explain the wonderful world of facial recognition software that is powered and backed by HPE “Edgeline” products and HPE Storage.
Are you a healthcare provider that needs more agile storage that would streamline your operations and aid in your diagnosis? We can help with that and explain how the Microsoft Azure line products can fill this need for you.
Maybe your company needs their storage to have “6 nines” of availability, did you know that HPE Nimble Storage has this ability? We can explain how HPE Nimble uses Flash Storage and Predictive Analysis to guarantee that very thing. Their Predictive Analysis is so good that it can detect and solve 86% of the problems your storage might have, before they happen!
And these are just a few of the example situations and industry needs where AI or a product with AI can be the cornerstone of your business going forward. We at Zunesis love to talk technology and we love to help our customers. Come talk to us, and we will work together to not only help you understand the technology, but even push past some of the apprehension that a lifetime of thrilling books and movies have instilled in our society!
Thanks for reading, and all hail our new leader “Siri” (just kidding)!
What is AI?
The definition of intelligence according to the Oxford Dictionary is: “the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills”. According to this same source, the definition of artificial intelligence is: “The theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and translation between languages”.
If you dig deep on this, you will find several different definitions (or points of view) on what constitutes AI. Forbes has a great article called “The Key Definitions Of Artificial Intelligence (AI) That Explain Its Importance”, in which the author goes over several ways that the term AI is interpreted in both society and through a technology company prism. Specifically, it talks about Machine Learning, which is a subset of AI.
It really is fascinating stuff. In reading this article, it sent me down a rabbit hole of everything that is AI. From predictive data analytics (for example when my Outlook spell checker just corrected my attempt to type and spell analytics, without me have to do anything) to something that is called a “technological singularity”. This is basically, and not to get into the weeds too much, a hypothesis that humans will one day create an artificial superintelligence that would enter into a “runaway reaction” of constant self-improvement that would forever change or possibly end humanity as we know it.
AI in Entertainment
While on this broad swath of reading and learning, I came to find that the idea of “AI” is not anything new, in fact it can be traced all the way back to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. After I realized this little nugget, I got to thinking about all the books and movies that I have read or watched that involve AI.
I was amazed at how much it permeates my choices in literature and entertainment. Everything from books like Isaac Asimov’s “I Robot” or Fred Saberhagen’s “Berserker” series, or TV Series like Star Trek, Westworld and Person of Interest. And of course, some of the most popular movies of all time and been centered on the concept of AI (usually rampant evil AI’s), like the Terminator series, the Alien movies, and more recently the Matrix series. There is even a recent movie called “Her” where the main character falls in love with the voice in his phone (oh how you have fallen Joaquin Phoenix!).
Is AI a Threat?
I can imagine what you might be thinking. Is that voice on my phone actually artificial intelligence? (You were thinking that right)? Which it, in fact, is. It falls under Machine Learning, but it still falls into the many pieces of our society that are directly affected or controlled by artificial intelligence.
If you are like me, you might slightly overreact and think to yourself when is “Skynet” coming online? Should I swear my allegiance early, so I am spared in the coming days? Is this “technological singularity” coming any day? Will Alexa rise up and enslave me in my house to keep me safe and buying more Amazon products? Well, thankfully, no it won’t (it’s true I asked Alexa this question and she told me so).
After I calmed down a bit, I came to realize that this is truly just a reactionary by-product of the propaganda I have been reading and watching for years. There is no true sentient artificial intelligence, but instead programs that are taking data and using machine learning to solve a certain issue (for example, what other people like me have bought recently). There are companies at the forefront of this, like Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft. Then there are many companies that may not have the name recognition of these three giants but are no less important in both application of AI, but also in enablement of AI.
Zunesis and AI
Which leads me to Zunesis (I know it took me forever)! You may be asking yourself, what does Zunesis do in this particular field? The answer on this is simple, we have fully “bought in” (literally in the case of the POC and demo machines we have purchased and are available) to the idea that AI (or predictive analytics if you would prefer) is truly going to make the lives of our customers better, more efficient, and safe. We are getting the word out to customers, to partners, and to the general public (thank you Linked-in Blogs) on the power that these technologies have.
Want a better way to understand who is coming on and off your property, for reasons of security? Please talk to us, and we will explain the wonderful world of facial recognition software that is powered and backed by HPE “Edgeline” products and HPE Storage.
Are you a healthcare provider that needs more agile storage that would streamline your operations and aid in your diagnosis? We can help with that and explain how the Microsoft Azure line products can fill this need for you.
Maybe your company needs their storage to have “6 nines” of availability, did you know that HPE Nimble Storage has this ability? We can explain how HPE Nimble uses Flash Storage and Predictive Analysis to guarantee that very thing. Their Predictive Analysis is so good that it can detect and solve 86% of the problems your storage might have, before they happen!
And these are just a few of the example situations and industry needs where AI or a product with AI can be the cornerstone of your business going forward. We at Zunesis love to talk technology and we love to help our customers. Come talk to us, and we will work together to not only help you understand the technology, but even push past some of the apprehension that a lifetime of thrilling books and movies have instilled in our society!
Thanks for reading, and all hail our new leader “Siri” (just kidding)!
Hybrid IT or Public Cloud?
Recently, I had the privilege of attending a round table to talk about cloud computing and Hybrid IT. The discussion was to share information on where IT professionals were on their cloud journey within their organization and why companies make the jump to hybrid or public cloud.
The attendees were mostly Director and “C” level executives with representation from almost every spectrum of business. Every stage of the cloud journey was represented. There were companies that have everything on premise and companies with 100% of their IT in the cloud. There were very small companies to some of the largest companies in Colorado, as well as local companies and international companies. It was a great cross representation and lead to some interesting conversations.
What I found interesting was why some of these organizations had moved to the cloud and why some had not moved to the cloud. The discussion also arose on when the idea of Hybrid IT made the most sense for a company. There were a few that had a “Cloud First” approach to IT, but most people in the room agreed that Hybrid IT made the most sense. It really depended on the market and the size of the company.
For example, if most of the IT requirements were remote (stores, etc.), the Cloud approach seemed to be prevalent. Larger companies and companies with high security requirements tended to lean more to the on premise or Hybrid approach.
Almost everyone agreed that moving an application (Software as a Service) or setting up a DR site in the cloud is a good way to gain exposure into cloud computing. This is nothing new and has been going on for some time.
Hybrid IT Option
Hybrid IT is an approach to enterprise computing in which an organization provides and manages some information technology (IT) resources in-house but uses cloud-based services for others.
Many customers have applications that will not or should not move to the cloud. The easy example is mainframe and high-end Unix systems that are unlikely going to move to the cloud. At least until the applications are replaced.
Some of the attendees at this event were hesitant to move to the public cloud because of security and privacy concerns. While others had compliance regulations they must meet. These are valid concerns, and one the hybrid IT can help solve.
While privacy and security should be of utmost concern, businesses still need to innovate. The Hybrid IT model can address both concerns. Enterprises that deal with confidential data need the flexibility the Public cloud provides. They have the ability to create a multi-tenant cloud within the hybrid model. This will segregate applications and resources from each other and can be further isolated with VLANs and additional encryption methods.
By 2020, 90 percent of organizations are expected to adopt
some level of hybrid infrastructure management
~ Gartner.com
Many businesses have found success using Hybrid IT models that allow them to keep full control over sensitive data, such as customer data or internal communications. They can keep data stored on-premise and readily accessible, while relegating less-sensitive data and workloads in the cloud. The added benefit of maintaining a hybrid solution with an on-premise data center is for disaster recovery and keeping private data out of the public pool. Hybrid IT is the ideal use of public and private resources that maximize cost-savings and productivity, and to minimize latency, privacy and security concerns.
Over the past decade, we have seen Microsoft evolve from the company that makes Windows to one of the top three tech giants, and the second largest cloud services provider behind only Amazon. While Microsoft has been a giant in the industry since the 80’s and 90’s, market share for their Windows operating system has been steadily declining during the rise of mobile devices.
Android and Apple have been slowly taking over the market and edging Microsoft out after a long string of flops. From Groove music, to the Windows phone, Microsoft has been releasing a series of not so great products that get overshadowed by others, and eventually phased out. There is one space they have been excelling in, cloud.
Focusing on the Cloud
With the success of Office 365 and Azure, it’s no surprise that Microsoft is shifting their focus to the cloud. It’s also no surprise that they are shifting the focus of their flagship product to be more in line with their current successes. There have been some major shakeups within the company over the last few years, one of which is to move the Windows operating system operations to the cloud division. Another act that solidifies Microsoft’s intent to bring Windows to the cloud.
Windows Virtual Desktop
Enter Windows Virtual Desktop. The newest iteration of Windows 10 is offered as a remote virtual desktop run in Azure and is accessible from anywhere. Just like every other cloud product MS offers, this means it will always be up to date. No more Windows updates restarting your computer at the most inconvenient times.
The biggest upside of Windows Virtual Desktop will definitely be its impact on IT departments. The fully virtualized OS will bring a lot of benefits with it that were previously only realized through server-based virtualization, which is costly and complicated.
Benefits of Windows Virtual Desktop
- Virtual Desktops will be able to share resources with other Virtual desktops
- Centrally managed through Azure
- Accessible from anywhere, eliminating a lot of networking headaches
- IT departments will be able to deploy new desktops easily and quickly while hardly needing to touch any actual hardware, making it scalable to meet the needs of any company.
- Built in Security and Compliance. Taking a load off any monitoring and protection software
The new virtual desktop will be bundled with Office 365, which will cut costs and ensure companies have everything they need to run in the cloud. The operating system runs on a pay-as-you-go model that Microsoft uses with most of its products.
There are several tiers of this model. Starting with the standard pay-as-you-go, where you can increase compute capacity and storage to fit your needs. You only pay for the virtual machines while they are on. There is also the option to reserve VM instances, which is a fixed price for the VM’s whether they are running or not. While still flexible, this requires a commitment for a length of time.
Redefining the Operating System
In an age of mobile devices, Microsoft is trying to redefine the operating system. They are taking it from a single-device system, to a multi device one. This will allow you to access the same desktop from any device, making it truly mobile.
Though it’s clear that Microsoft has been focusing on other projects, they aren’t leaving Windows by the wayside. The Windows Virtual Desktop may be more suited for business use, but it is a pretty clear indicator of where they want to OS to be in the future. There have been rumors that the next version of Windows will be the last. A single version of Windows that will continue to evolve, but you won’t need to upgrade to the next iteration.
Microsoft isn’t afraid to admit it’s made a few missteps in the last decade, like Windows 8 or the Windows phone. They know where they excel, and the focus has been shifted to cloud. Windows will be another addition to Microsoft’s suite of cloud services, bringing it into the future with the rest of the products that brought about Microsoft’s rise to the top. For almost its entire existence Microsoft has been known for Windows, but times are changing. Windows virtual desktop is a big step towards keeping Windows relevant in the future.
As the CEO of a prominent IT Solutions Provider (Zunesis) in the great state of Colorado, I could not be more bullish about the strategic direction and product development of Aruba networking (wireless & wired). In 2018, our Aruba business will grow 100%+ year-over-year. We expect this growth to continue. This growth is a result of the unique value of Aruba products and the transformation happening in the market.
Aruba seems to have the ability to see “around the corner” and know what customers will need and how to help them. Innovations in IoT, machine learning, edge computing, and artificial intelligence will continue to drive demand for intelligent and secure networking solutions.
Our goal at Zunesis will be to stay in lock step with the progressive developments happening at Aruba and to listen carefully to our clients so we can best meet their needs. Hang on folks – the future is bright! Below are some of the most recent Aruba developments to be aware of.
Aruba’s Critical Acclaim
After being named a leader again last month in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for the Wired and Wireless LAN Access Infrastructure, Aruba now is highly ranked in Gartner’s Critical Capabilities for the Wired and Wireless LAN Access Infrastructure. Aruba received the highest score in five out of the six most prevalent use cases for enterprise networking deployments, including:
• Unified Wired and WLAN Access
• WLAN-only refresh or new build
• Performance Stringent Applications
• Multivendor Networking Environment
• Remote Branch Office with Corporate HQ
The Experience Economy
Today’s purveyors of goods and services are creating a new type of value for customers by becoming purveyors of experiences. The ability to deliver consistent and valuable experiences, no matter where your customers are, is replacing basic goods and services transactions. The value comes from lowering customer sacrifice. The less customers need to give up to utilize your products, goods and services, the more value you create for them. This is the experience economy.
As digital continues to transform our world, it is also disrupting businesses and industries of all kinds, from retail to hospitality, to healthcare and beyond. To survive this digital disruption, organizations must evolve from simply providing goods and services to delivering amazing experiences to win and retain business and stay ahead of the competition. Organizations must also think about creating personalized, enhanced experiences for employees to attract strong talent, improve employee engagement and retention, and empower their workforce.
Smart Digital Experiences
Gartner recommends that in addition to evaluating networking hardware, Enterprises should focus on the capabilities that a vendor is able to deliver around network services applications, IoT and artificial intelligence and machine learning. These technology areas are core to Aruba’s innovation agenda and reflect the high scores they were awarded in the Critical Capabilities report.
Network Services Applications
Aruba’s unique automated, micro-policy approach dramatically simplifies the network and allows policy to follow the user anywhere and on any device for a seamless experience. Their network management platform provides a single pane of glass for managing multi-vendor wired and wireless infrastructures and can be deployed on-premises or in the cloud. Their location services solution enables mobile engagement and asset tracking, allowing IT and line of business leaders to create exceptional employee and customer experiences.
IoT
IoT devices are introducing significant security risks, particularly since these endpoints lack adequate authentication capabilities. Aruba recognizes this threat and has introduced Dynamic Segmentation. This solution automatically detects new devices as they connect to the network, recognizes the device type, applies policy, and isolates the IoT endpoints from the corporate network to mitigate the security risk.
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
Aruba applies machine learning to a broad range of use cases, including RF optimization, network assurance and advanced attack detection. By selecting the right problems to address, knowing and accessing the right data, and then curating the results in real-world environments, Aruba has set the standard in delivering AI-powered secure, autonomous networks.
With just a few months left of 2018, many companies and organizations are amid planning their IT budgets for 2019. What areas will be a focus for next year? Hardware? Cloud? Storage? IoT?
A few surveys recently went out asking IT professionals about predictions on their IT spending for 2019. Good news is that most companies expect their budget to grow or stay steady in 2019.
The main reasons for ramping up IT budgets for next year include upgrading outdated IT infrastructure, cyber security and supporting digital transformation initiatives. 82% of government organizations across North America and Europe said they were expanding IT budgets due to outdated IT infrastructure, which is significantly higher than in any other industry.
Survey Results: State of IT Budgets 2019
Spiceworks recently released their State of IT Budgets 2019.
Their key findings were:
1) Most companies expect their IT Budgets to grow or stay steady in 2019.
2) The need to upgrade outdated IT infrastructure is the biggest driver or IT budget increases in 2019.
3) More than 1/3 of midsize companies (500 – 999 employees) saw IT budget increases due to corporate tax cuts
4) Small businesses are making significant increases to their hardware budgets while large enterprises are increasing their cloud budgets in 2019.
5) Organizations that expect IT budget increase next year, anticipate a 20% increase on average. Only 6% expect a decrease in budget.
When looking at how budgets will be allocated for 2019:
- Software and cloud budgets remain steady from the previous year
- Hardware budget allocations get smaller as company sizes increase and managed service budget allocations get larger.
- Smaller organizations are investing a larger percentage of their hardware budget in desktops and laptops.
- Midsize organizations with 500 to 999 employees are investing a bigger portion of their budget in tablets and mobile devices.
- Larger enterprises expect to spend a larger chunk of their hardware budget on security gear.
- For large businesses, the movement to cloud-based infrastructure will help drop expenditures in total cost of operations.
In terms of software budget allocation:
- Operating Systems: 12%
- Virtualization: 10%
- Productivity: 10%
- Security Software: 10%
- Larger organizations are allocating the biggest chunk of their software budget to productivity solutions.
- Midsize organizations are prioritizing virtualization software.
- Smaller organizations are allocating the most to operating systems.
Reasons Why Organizations are Looking at New Tech for 2019:
- Smallest companies are more driven to purchase new tech due to end of life (62%), business growth (57%), and end user needs (55%). {Example: Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008}
- Companies with 5,000+ employees said new technology features are the primary driver enticing them to purchase new tech.
For the most part, IT heads of organizations are the sole decision maker when make decisions on hardware, software and service product purchases. A few organizations may require a CEO to sign on the bottom line for contracts but the IT professional usually does the majority of the research, vendor selection and negotiation.
Other Predictions
Tech Pro Research surveyed technology professionals in August and found that executives are viewing IT budgets pretty favorably. A growth of 1-10 percent increase over 2018 IT budgets is predicted. The growth can be attributed to a favorable business climate, as well as a better understanding that technology can help fuel revenue opportunities and save money for businesses.
Gartner recently stated that future growth could be hindered by the strengthening U.S. dollar, political uncertainty, NAFTA renegotiations and possible future trade wars.
With the increase in IT budget, standards for vendors providing products will change. Businesses will expect vendors to conduct successful proofs of concept before they purchase any new products. It will be key for the sales person selling the products to be knowledgeable and listen to the needs and wants of the business.
ZDNet shared this video on trends and projections for IT budgets in 2019:
Organizations are looking for what will increase their efficiencies, save costs in the long run, improve employee satisfaction on the job and enable a secure environment for their business operations. IT professionals are active researchers and often consume at least 16 pieces of content before making a decision about purchasing a product. It is important for vendors approaching IT professionals to focus more on the resources they need to make a decision and skip the sales pitch.
How is your organization allocating funds for IT for next year? Contact Zunesis to find out how we can help you navigate through the various options out there. We will help you find the right product that fits within your budget and environment.
Aruba 8400: Designed from the Ground Up for Automation and Network Insight
Looking at networking gear over the past several decades, not much has really changed from a high level. Okay, we’ve gotten bigger pipes to fit the much larger volume of data that needs to pass through them. We have added more protocols to manage the control plane, but a lot of the core technology is still pretty much the same.
OSPF, BGP, VRRP, etc … hasn’t really changed much. Sure, some of us are over spanning tree and aren’t wasting half of our links anymore, but the point is that many network engineers themselves haven’t changed how they deploy and manage solutions. Specifically, many of us are still managing our networks statically via the command line, troubleshooting after a problem has caused an outage, and not automating.
In the era of mobile, cloud, and IoT, this simply isn’t scalable anymore. If you’re a forward thinker, you may have already been using ansible, python, etc. for network automation, and it definitely helps when the vendor has designed a platform specifically for this. Gone are the days of screen scraping and expect scripting over SSH.
Aruba has been disrupting the networking industry for some time now in wireless and wired, but one thing missing from the product portfolio was an offering for the core… until now.
What’s New:
- High-performance Aruba core and aggregation switch with 19.2 Tbps switching capacity and carrier-class high availability.
- ArubaOS-CX automates using built-in REST APIs and Python scripts.
- Monitor and troubleshoot with Aruba Network Analytics Engine.
- High availability, virtualization and simplicity with Aruba VSX.
- High density, line rate 10GbE/40GbE/100GbE connectivity.
- Advanced Layer 2/3 feature set includes BGP, OSPF, VRF and IPv6.
Game-Changing Business Agility
The Aruba 8400 Switch Series is a core and aggregation switch solution with an innovative and powerful approach to dealing with the new applications, security and scalability demands of the mobile, cloud and IoT era.
Fully programmable with ArubaOS-CX, it brings automation and visibility and helps troubleshoot via simple scripting.
Aruba Network Analytics Engine provides the ability to monitor and troubleshoot the network, system, application and security related issues easily, through simple python agents and REST APIs.
High-availability, high-speed architecture with 19.2 Tbps switching capacity for always on networking.
Robust security and QoS with advanced Layer 2 and Layer 3 features including support for BGP, OSPF, VRF and IPv6.
Modern Software System Simplifies and Automates
The Aruba 8400 Switch Series is based on the new ArubaOS-CX, a modern software system for the core that automates and simplifies many critical and complex network tasks.
The built-in time series database enables customers and developers to develop software modules for historical troubleshooting, as well as analysis of historical trends, to predict and avoid future problems due to scale, security and performance bottlenecks.
Includes stability, independent monitoring and restart of individual software modules, and enhanced software process serviceability functions. And it allows individual software modules to be upgraded for higher availability; and supports enhanced serviceability functions.
Delivers enhanced fault tolerance and facilitates nearly continuous operation and zero-service disruption during planned or unplanned control-plane events.
High Performance and Carrier-Class High Availability
The Aruba 8400 Switch includes a high-speed, fully distributed architecture and provides up to 19.2 Tbps switching capacity to meet the demands and bandwidth-intensive applications today and in the future.
Aruba’s new high availability technology is Aruba VSX which has been designed from ground up to deliver the continuous availability, virtualization and simplicity requirements unique to the core of the network.
Resiliency and high availability with hot-swappable, redundant and load-sharing fabrics, management, fan assemblies and power supplies.
Scalable, compact 8U chassis delivers industry-leading line rate 10GbE/40GbE/100GbE port density, very low latency, and scalability ideal for the campus core.
So how is this any different from other chassis based switches?
ArubaOS-CX
Meet ArubaOS-CX, a modern network operating system. The entire state of the system is stored in a database, and all aspects of the system interact with it, and not directly with each other outside of it. This provides much greater modularity, extensibility, and allows seamless recovery when failures are detected. If one particular daemon crashes, it simply restarts and restores it’s state back from the database with almost zero downtime. This is huge! If you’ve ever had to recover a major process like OSPF and had to deal with the consequences, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Further, the system automatically generates a REST API for all objects in the data model, and can expose all features, functions, statistics…EVERYTHING to AOS-CX applications/services and to external systems if desired.
If that wasn’t enough, Aruba has also provided us with automated monitoring and troubleshooting via the network analytics engine. This allows IT professionals to easily monitor, detect problems, analyze trends, and immediately resolve issues instead of relying on traditional tools like SNMP and CLI after the fact. If a particular condition is detected, it is possible to automatically remediate via scripted actions.
Again, ArubaOS-CX is fully programmable via REST API, and for those of you who are ready to dig in, here’s a handy reference document to help get you started.
So are you ready to switch?(Pun intended)
Women in the Workplace
Organizations that do not want women in their workplace are, frankly, out of luck. Women currently make up 47% of the US workforce and 51% of all management, professional, and related positions (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2017; DeWolf, 2017). Globally, the outlook is similar, with women accounting for 49% of the workforce (International Labor Organization, 2016). In the tech industry, women make up less than 20 percent of U.S. tech jobs, even though they make up more than half of the U.S. workforce. The infographic below showcases some of the challenges women still face in the tech industry.
ISACA’s 2017 Women in Technology Survey
Benefits of Recruiting Women
Financial Gain
According to Cathleen Clerkin with the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL), besides doubling your talent pool, recruiting women into your organization may also increase your company’s financial performance. Previous research shows that Fortune 500 companies with the highest representation of women on boards, financially outperform companies with the lowest representation of women on boards. Moreover, gender-diverse teams have higher sales and profits compared to male-dominated teams and a recent Gallup study found that gender-diverse business units have higher average revenue than less diverse business units.
Increase Morale
But women might do more than boost the bottom line. In a study by CCL , they found that having more women in your organization might actually make your organization a better place to work. Specifically, survey respondents estimated what percentage of individuals in their workplace were women. Answers ranged from 0–100%, with the average being about 45% (close to the national average). Having a higher percentage of women in an organization predicted:
• More job satisfaction
• More organizational dedication
• More meaningful work
• Less burnout
Increased Engagement and Retention
In addition to this, having more women in the workplace also was positively related to employee engagement and retention. Specifically, when asked why they stay with their current employer, people from organizations with a high percentage of women were more likely to cite positive and meaningful organizational culture, including having
• Enjoyable work
• A job that fits well with other areas of their life
• Opportunities to make a difference
These new findings persist even when controlling for differences in participants’ age, industry, organization size, leadership level, ethnicity, and gender. In fact, while both men and women in the CCL survey responded with the same positive pattern of results, their findings were even stronger for men on some measures—specifically being satisfied with their job, enjoying their work, and not feeling burned out. Thus, in the CCL sample set, having more women in an organization is associated with positive organizational outcomes for both men and women.
What can organizations and leaders do?
The findings from the Center for Creative Leadership suggest that organizations without a strong representation of women are missing out on opportunities to get better talent, make more money, and have more satisfied and dedicated employees. It also suggests that percentages of women matter. It might not be enough for organizations to employ “token” women if they want to reap the multiple benefits of a gender-diverse workplace. Leaders should take a careful look at the gender balance in their organizations. If women are still the minority, they should try to hire more women. As a bonus, organizations that have more women also attract and retain more women. Investing in women now will likely make it easier for an organization to have more women down the road.
E-Rate – “Free Money” from the Government for Education Customer Networks!
As a “go-to” E-rate services provider for our valued networking partners, Aruba Networks and Extreme Networks, we have discovered that many hundreds of millions of unspent “E-Rate” monies are still available to customers in the Rocky Mountain Region. This includes K-12 education as well as many libraries, and some child development (pre-K) centers. E-Rate is a great way to refresh aging networking equipment in all or part of your organization and have a large portion of the costs paid for by the US government. Below are some frequently asked questions we wanted to share and answer. We find that many smaller entities may not be aware of this program or the fact that they have “money to spend”. Zunesis can help them design and implement E-rate compliant, modern, and rugged internal network connection (wired and wireless) infrastructures.
What is E-Rate?
The Universal Service Schools and Libraries Program – commonly known as the E-rate program – provides discounts on telecom, internet access, and internal connections to eligible schools and libraries. E-rate is funded through the Universal Service Fund (USF). You will see a small fee at the end of each of your land line or wireless service phone bill. This small fee is collected to help fund this program along with additional federal funding. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) writes the rules and standards for this program. The administrator of the E-rate program is the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC).
Have you received your E-rate funding and how is funding determined?
Did you know that all applicants who submitted an eligible and timely E-rate application in 2015 through 2019 will receive their funding? Many schools have yet to take advantage of the over $4 billion dollars in available E-rate funding. For K-12/charter schools, E-rate discounts range from 20% to 90% of eligible project costs. Discounts are district wide, and an applicant’s discount rate is determined by the percentage of students that qualify for a free or reduced-price lunch.
How do I choose a Service Provider?
A service provider like Zunesis needs to be selected as part of a specific and regimented bidding process. E-rate applicants must conduct a fair and open competitive bidding process. All applicants must select the most cost-effective service provider. The price of the eligible products and services must be the most heavily weighed bid evaluation factor. Although other factors such as local presence to the state/community, service provider expertise on the proposed product, and ability to provide a complete solution (including implementation) may be other important weighing factors.
Why apply for E-Rate funding this year?
There has never been a better time to apply for E-rate funding. Because of the increased funding cap, available roll-over funds, and remaining Category Two (aka. “Internal Connections” such as wired switches and wireless access points) maximum budget funds, it is likely that there will be enough funding to support the entire demand in the current fiscal year as well. Also, applicants that seek E-rate funding this year will not have to compete for dollars against the applicants that will have their Category Two budgets refresh in future fiscal years (2020 and beyond).
How do I apply for E-Rate funding?
To apply for E-rate funding, simply follow the 6-step process outlined in Figure 1 below:
How do I determine if product is E-rate eligible?
It’s important to note that not all networking solutions are E-rate eligible. For example, you can find eligibility of Aruba products using their E-rate Eligibility Lookup Tool.
The following table highlights products that are eligible under the current E-rate program from Aruba Networks as a for-instance.
How can Zunesis help?
Zunesis believes in working with our E-rate eligible clients well prior to “step 1” of the above chart to help educate the customer on some of the best available options for their particular environments. As not all customer needs are the same, we feel it is always best to have a face to face meeting to walk through example environments, discuss customer needs, and provide valuable input into the Competitive Bid process. Please contact your Zunesis account manager to setup your E-Rate readiness review today!
Additional Resources
Aruba Networking Education Solutions
