Tips

Tips

• SD-WAN, NFV deployment leads software-defined networking charge

  An SD-WAN or NFV deployment can cut costs and simplify network management. Discover how these two software-defined networking technologies can work in your data center.  Continue Reading

• Choices for Red Hat virtualization include RHEL, RHEV and OpenStack

  While the KVM functionality in Red Hat Enterprise Linux can help admins manage VMs on a few servers, larger deployments may call for RHEV and OpenStack.  Continue Reading

• Xeon E5 v4 workload and upgrade considerations for admins

  Increased compute capabilities in the Intel Xeon E5 v4 and E7 v4 family help accommodate cloud and scale-up workloads -- but not everyone should rush to upgrade.  Continue Reading

• Three interface options for remote server monitoring, management

  Remote server management interfaces, such as IPMI, iDRAC and iLO, give data center admins a central location to monitor fan speeds, power supply status, temperature and more.  Continue Reading

• New IT jobs emerge to target user experience, service delivery

  Experts in user experience and IT as a service are becoming critical in the enterprise, especially as the gap narrows between IT and business teams in new IT jobs.  Continue Reading

• Three types of mainframe monitoring tools to track performance

  Mainframe users face a variety of options when it comes to system monitoring tools. Determine if a real-time, near-time or post-processor tool is the best fit for your IT needs.  Continue Reading

• Get to know ASHRAE 90.4, the new energy efficiency standard

  ASHRAE recently released its new 90.4 energy efficiency standard. Here's how it differs from 90.1, and what data center managers need to know.  Continue Reading

• New data center metrics to gauge energy, cooling efficiency

  New data center metrics go beyond power usage effectiveness to determine the overall efficiency of infrastructure, focusing on more than energy and cooling.  Continue Reading

• Test the water before a data lake implementation

  Before rushing into a large-scale data lake implementation, start small and treat the technology as an extension to your existing analytics systems.  Continue Reading

• IT lifecycle management drives smarter refresh decisions

  IT teams need to strike a balance between keeping up with the latest technology and being cost-effective. Proper IT lifecycle management techniques can help.  Continue Reading

• Anticipate data center challenges with an IT monitoring strategy

  Data center challenges come in all shapes and sizes, but by keeping close tabs on systems and data, admins can be ready to react.  Continue Reading

• Five tools to enable Linux automation, monitoring and backup

  When it comes to Linux data center tools, there is no shortage of options. For automation, backup and monitoring, consider these five Linux tools first.  Continue Reading

• Leaf-spine architecture meets new data center traffic demands

  Leaf-spine architectures are becoming more popular as businesses attempt to ease data center traffic flow, reduce latency and minimize bottlenecks.  Continue Reading

• Construct a winning data center project plan

  Before embarking on new data center projects, such as an upgrade or move to the cloud, clearly define all goals and expectations -- and not just for IT.  Continue Reading

• Six helpful Linux networking commands to monitor connectivity

  There are plenty of useful Linux tools to help in the event of a network connection failure. Here are six of the top commands to stay ahead when trouble occurs.  Continue Reading

• A disaster recovery report uncovers the errors that led to chaos

  In this disaster recovery report, discover the failure points that led to catastrophe and learn how to make decisions that will lead to data center success.  Continue Reading

• What happens when disaster recovery policies go up in smoke

  Starting with an alarm and ending in disaster, one data center fire nearly wiped out an entire operation. Ultimately, poor design and budget choices were to blame.  Continue Reading

• Find alternatives to rip-and-replace with a server upgrade checklist

  As storage and network technology advances, a server upgrade can be a more effective approach than a complete replacement.  Continue Reading

• New IT roles to put on your hiring radar

  The shifting nature of the IT industry doesn't just influence new technology; it's spawning some noteworthy changes in IT staffing, especially around big data and cloud.  Continue Reading

• Weigh these SaaS pros and cons for your IT landscape

  The cloud service most akin to packaged software, SaaS options are easy to consume but hard to customize. Here's what it means for IT.  Continue Reading

• Machine learning examples crop up for data center management

  Machine learning implementations are finally making their way to the enterprise -- and the data center seems to be a perfect match.  Continue Reading

• HCI can pave the way to a software-defined platform

  To achieve a true software-defined data center, IT teams need to piece together multiple technologies. Hyper-converged infrastructure might be able to help.  Continue Reading

• Choose the right IT operating model for the business

  Enterprise IT organizations face operating model transitions as they work to meet cost and execution demands of the business. This could mean an on-premises, cloud or outsourced IT model.  Continue Reading

• Virtualization containers spark a consolidation comeback

  Over the past 10 years, virtualization has made waves in data centers everywhere. But now, containers are tipping the scale back toward server consolidation.  Continue Reading

• Latest SSD and HDD trends trigger transition in data centers

  In capacity and cost comparisons of SSD and HDD storage, solid-state is favorable. Find out what the transition will mean for data centers as the future of HDD looks grim.  Continue Reading

• Two server memory types shaking up performance expectations

  Memory manufacturers are getting creative for high performance. High Bandwidth Memory and Hybrid Memory Cube modules could appear in the next generation of servers.  Continue Reading

• Tackle the cooling challenges that edge computing poses

  Edge computing is the next new trend, but recognize its obstacles before riding the wave.  Continue Reading

• Get to know server memory types in the evolving IT space

  Understanding server memory reliability, performance and configuration can pay off in the data center, especially with advanced technologies on the market.  Continue Reading

• SD-WAN benefits create serious competition for MPLS

  SD-WAN architecture offers features that reduce operational costs and simplify deployment models. Learn how to take advantage of SD-WAN benefits and navigate its potential downfalls.  Continue Reading

• Cloud data transfer remains sticking point in hybrid cloud model

  The blending of in-house and public clouds is challenging, but special attention to networking and data management ensures a smooth implementation to the hybrid cloud model.  Continue Reading

• Tips to ace tough IT operations interview questions

  Few things career-wise are as nerve-wracking as job interviews. Knowing what to expect going into that first meeting for a Web or app administrator role can quell some uneasiness.  Continue Reading

• PaaS examples prove apps dictate infrastructure choices

  PaaS is the least-known XaaS category. However, it is a great way to bootstrap custom app development and increase IT productivity.  Continue Reading

• Blade server architecture under threat by hyper-convergence

  Blade servers were the original converged IT hardware box -- so how do they stack up to the converged offerings on the market today?  Continue Reading

• Ten reasons to consider a hyper-converged data center

  Adopting hyper-convergence seems like all the rage among enterprise IT. But not everyone is jumping on board -- and neither should you, unless these 10 reasons fit your needs.  Continue Reading

• Draw up a data center network diagram you'll actually use

  Creating a data center network diagram is time-consuming but necessary work. Keep the scope narrow and know the priorities of your diagram to save time and energy.  Continue Reading

• Software-defined applications and infrastructure explained

  The inner mechanics of today's software-defined applications and infrastructure reveal an interconnected web of isolated components and scalable resources, supervised by automated management.  Continue Reading

• As turnkey data center options grow, so do deployment challenges

  Businesses need to deploy new IT systems quickly. Gradually, vendors have found ways to integrate IT and energy components in the pursuit of a truly turnkey data center option.  Continue Reading

• Allocate IT resources for big data and IoT-based projects

  Companies embarking on new big data and IoT-based projects would do well to critically examine the necessary processing power, memory, storage and networking resources involved, and how to best make use of the required capacity.  Continue Reading

• The right infrastructure for fast and big data architectures

  Learn the differences between fast and big data architectures before buying new software and hardware for the data center.  Continue Reading

• Is it better to build or buy data center hardware?

  Choosing converged systems or ODM servers for data center hardware depends on the capabilities of your in-house IT staff.  Continue Reading

• Two key disaster recovery colocation questions to ask

  Choosing a disaster recovery colocation provider may seem daunting. However, knowing what to look for beforehand can help you make the right choice.  Continue Reading

• How to succeed in an ops career without really trying

  An ops career can be stressful if you don't approach decision makers, vendors and end users with flexibility and realistic expectations.  Continue Reading

• Future-proof your colo data center choice

  Figure out which colo data center will meet your current and future needs. Be sure to take into account power draw, cost, security and additional services.  Continue Reading

• Mainframe capacity planning takes on unpredictable workloads

  An extension of Capacity Provisioning Manager into the hardware eases mainframe capacity planning headaches.  Continue Reading

• Three server security tools you might not know

  The security of the individual data center server can get lost in the shuffle of protecting enterprise networks. These server security tools will help.  Continue Reading

• Ten server deployment checklist considerations

  Use this server deployment checklist to make sure you've covered all your bases. From power distribution outlets to available network connectivity, server deployment can be an arduous process.  Continue Reading

• These IaaS examples show data centers can share the load

  Not every IT workload belongs directly under your control in the data center. Consider these IaaS pros and cons for example workloads.  Continue Reading

• IT certification programs to get in-demand skills for 2016

  IT certification programs offer important skills for evolving technological needs. Data center pros will find a lot of clouds on the skills horizon, and can get these certifications to excel.  Continue Reading

• Four paths to a cloud bursting architecture

  The lack of capable infrastructure hinders a typical cloud bursting architecture. Choose one of these four paths to better implement cloud bursting.  Continue Reading

• How to correctly install SUSE Manager the first time

  Make sure your SUSE Manager installation goes smoothly by following this step-by-step walkthrough.  Continue Reading

• The right apps capitalize on IT scalability from HCI

  Hyper-converged infrastructures give IT organizations easy, fast scalability when correctly implemented.  Continue Reading

• Growing cloud capabilities influence IT capacity planning

  IT capacity planning must take into account the decrease hardware space requirements, ramping up densities and the potential to interface with cloud services.  Continue Reading

• Thread safety isn't the only way to boost mainframe performance

  Thread safety boosts the performance of DB2 and other mainframe apps, but could unnecessarily complicate code.  Continue Reading

• The top Linux commands for server administrators

  Managing Linux servers requires command line skills. Keep a list of the top Linux commands to schedule tasks, check statuses and see open files.  Continue Reading

• Analyze Linux network connectivity issues with the ping utility

  Linux administrators can narrow down network connectivity problems by deploying the ping utility.  Continue Reading

• IBM's zEDC brings hardware compression to z systems

  Hardware compression is still vital to many enterprises with mainframes. IBM's zEDC hardware data compression feature enables compression for mainframe workloads at potential cost savings.  Continue Reading

• The Linux ip command makes network config easy

  The Linux ip command makes monitoring a Linux network configuration easy, but you need to know what to look for.  Continue Reading

• New data storage methods broaden IT horizons

  Data center managers have more choice than ever with SSDs, object storage and more, which means evolving ideas about the best methods of data storage.  Continue Reading

• Budgets prompt data center vs. colocation discussion

  Rather than spending another budget cycle struggling to fund the data center, start outsourcing selectively -- and improve at the same time.  Continue Reading

• High server throughput leads to better utilization, lower costs

  Higher throughput means fewer servers to handle a given workload and potentially lower licensing costs as well.  Continue Reading

• The new IT security threat coming to your data center

  The latest and greatest in technology opens new opportunities for hackers to penetrate sensitive corporate data.  Continue Reading

• A data center design guide to get it right the first time

  Corporate moves, rapid IT refreshes, virtualization initiatives and other factors affect your data center design. Use this data center planning guide for a facility that lasts.  Continue Reading

• IT cost management shaped by data center spending

  Reduce server costs and data center operations expenditures by investing in the right areas, such as networking and storage.  Continue Reading

• Enterprise server architectures headed for a shake up

  After a few humdrum years, server architectures are in for big changes to close out the decade.  Continue Reading

• SUSE Manager handles more than just SLES

  SUSE Manager maintains control over server patching on SUSE and Red Hat OSes, but what happens with Red Hat's shift away from Spacewalk?  Continue Reading

• Try a hyper-converged infrastructure setup alongside servers

  Introducing a hyper-converged infrastructure setup in your data center doesn't have to be an all-in endeavor.  Continue Reading

• Today's top IT skills extend far beyond the data center

  Microservices, virtualization, cloud, and other shifts in IT mean traditional deep technical skills are fading from importance. Broad expertise and communication are now the top IT skills.  Continue Reading

• Hidden colocation cost drivers that add up

  These unexpected charges and fees can balloon colocation costs for enterprise IT organizations.  Continue Reading

• Two key aspects to consolidating data centers after an acquisition

  When consolidating data centers after a corporate merger, scrutinize custom software applications and security. You may improve IT operations.  Continue Reading

• Data center humidity recommendation falls dramatically

  An ASHRAE study's conclusions are disproving the conventional wisdom around data centers' relative humidity levels.  Continue Reading

• Essential Linux server software for enterprises

  Businesses can deploy a mix of Linux server software offerings to take advantage of the cost and flexibility benefits of open source.  Continue Reading

• Adopt this battle-tested IT implementation plan

  New business initiatives live or die by the quality of their IT implementation plan. Experienced IT teams share their methodology.  Continue Reading

• Are you stuck in a legacy data center state of mind?

  Legacy data centers with proprietary code and outdated business practices are familiar, labyrinthine and difficult to leave behind.  Continue Reading

• Automated infrastructure management untangles cabling

  Cable management typically requires cumbersome manual approaches. As the pace of data center operations accelerates, automation must infiltrate the cable infrastructure.  Continue Reading

• Linux mount command reveals storage device access path

  New Linux server administrators will find mounting storage devices very different than they have seen on Windows servers.  Continue Reading

• SUSE makes Btrfs stable, flexible SLES file system of choice

  Btrfs proves a viable and more flexible file system for production Linux servers, with proper configuration and setup.  Continue Reading

• IT benchmarking incorporates more than server performance

  While a server performance test is a key IT benchmarking metric, it coexists with prices and the target workloads to yield a true IT performance benchmark.  Continue Reading

• Managing shadow IT risk to the business

  With more users turning to external IT platforms to meet business needs, IT professionals must take steps to start managing shadow IT.  Continue Reading

• A cloud migration plan for conservative data centers

  Enterprises migrating to the cloud prefer a slow and considered approach that protects sensitive data and ensures performance levels.  Continue Reading

• Shape mobility plans with the COBIT 5 framework

  The COBIT 5 framework helps IT organizations bring online new enterprise platforms like mobility without compromising data security and control.  Continue Reading

• Network bottleneck looms when data center storage improves

  The high-IOPS, low-latency potential of SSDs moves bottlenecks to the network. SDN offers provisioning adjustments to avoid any slowdown in the data center.  Continue Reading

• Is IT service continuity only for the rich?

  Technologies like cloud and virtualization mean IT service continuity no longer requires an extra data center or two.  Continue Reading

• External penetration testing still critical in cloud

  By moving to the cloud, a business can offload some responsibility for lost or stolen data, but external penetration testing in the data center remains critical.  Continue Reading

• Get the best mix of servers and storage in the data center

  A fleet of servers is only as good as its connected storage. The right storage design for your data center depends on cost, simplicity and performance requirements.  Continue Reading

• Compare HCI from SimpliVity vs. Nutanix vs. VMware

  Before you buy SimpliVity, Nutanix or VMware's EVO:RAIL hyper-converged infrastructure, learn what resources and scalability each line offers.  Continue Reading

• Expect big changes from Red Hat Satellite 6

  Red Hat overhauled its Satellite server management tool in version 6, which means a lot more functionality and features but a complex adjustment period for server admins.  Continue Reading

• Rank colocation companies with this checklist

  Use this checklist to make fair and comprehensive comparisons between colocation data center providers.  Continue Reading

• Software testing techniques to address distributed databases

  Data that lives across multiple IT infrastructures makes software testing difficult. New technologies in virtualization offer some relief.  Continue Reading

• Let's get white box servers straight

  What's the difference between white box servers and Open Compute servers? What's the risk involved without brand-name server features?  Continue Reading

• Extend UPS battery life, avoid catastrophic data center failure

  Are you managing your UPS battery life expectations? Just because the warranty says it will last doesn't mean you should take their word for it.  Continue Reading

• Learn mainframe SIMD instructions for the IBM z13's processor

  SIMD instructions in the z13 vector extension facility accelerate processing of social media and big data workloads.  Continue Reading

• Create an efficient data management process in the enterprise

  Big data can lead to bigger problems, as enterprises struggle to process, store and organize information of varying levels of importance and ownership.  Continue Reading

• Matching applications to the right converged technologies

  Users in the data center share how the converged technology they chose -- from hyper-converged infrastructure to appliance -- meets the needs of a given application.  Continue Reading

• How the brave virtualize DNS, AD and other core IT services

  Critical IT infrastructure services -- DNS, DHCP servers -- don't need to live in the physical realm.  Continue Reading

• Build Linux from scratch to improve admin skills

  There's a sure-fire way to increase your knowledge about the Linux kernel and how to troubleshoot Linux servers: Build one yourself.  Continue Reading

• How does a wholesale data center differ from retail?

  One offers more control, while the other offers more flexible space. If you're considering a colocation facility, how do you decide between wholesale and retail?  Continue Reading

• Five COBOL interview questions to land a new job

  Time for a new job on the mainframe? Brush up on your COBOL basics and prepare for these strategic interview questions.  Continue Reading

• Checklist of IT KPIs for responsive data center ops

  The right metrics, aligned with business needs, strengthen data center monitoring and capacity planning. KPIs orient IT performance to specific goals.  Continue Reading

• Give the Linux quagga router a try for SDN

  The open source quagga router is garnering attention as a flexible choice for SDN. It's easy to set up with the right hardware.  Continue Reading

• What's the best flash storage choice for your data center?

  All-flash data centers are futuristic concepts, but there are many ways to implement server-side or array-based flash storage in a data center today.  Continue Reading