Lori MacVittie

It’s really easy to quantify some of the costs associated with a security breach. Number of customers impacted times the cost of a first class stamp plus the cost of a sheet of paper plus the cost of ink divided by … you get the picture. Some of the costs are easier than others to calculate. Some of them are not, and others appear downright impossible. One of the “costs” often cited but rarely quantified is the cost to an organization’s reputation. How does one calculate that? Well, if folks sat down with the business people more often (the ones that live on the other side of the Meyer-Briggs Mountain) we’d find it’s not really as difficult to calculate as one might think. While IT folks analyze flows and packet traces, business folks analyze market trends and impacts – such as those arising from poor customer service. And if a breach of security isn’t interpreted b... (more)

SDN, OpenFlow, and Infrastructure 2.0

Like cloud two or three years ago, SDN and OpenFlow is dominating the discussions. During a show that’s (in theory at least) dedicated to networking, this should be no surprise. Is it making networking sexy again? Yes, insomuch as we’re at least talking about networking again, which is about it considering that the network is an integral component of all the other technology and models that took the spotlight from it in the first place. Considering recent commentary on SDN* and OpenFlow, it seems folks are still divided on OpenFlow and SDN and are trying to figure out where it fi... (more)

Back to Basics: Load Balancing Virtualized Applications

The introduction of virtualization and cloud computing to data centers has been heralded as “transformational” and “disruptive” and “game changing.” From an operational IT perspective, that’s absolutely true. But like transformational innovation in other industries, such disruption is often not in how the core solution is leveraged or used, but how it impacts operations and the broader ecosystem, rather than the individual tasked with using the solution. The transformation of the auto-industry, for example, toward alternative fuel-sourced vehicles is disruptive and changes much ab... (more)

Doing VDI, Only Better

There are three core vendors and protocols supporting VDI today. Microsoft with RDP, Citrix with ICA, and VMware with PCoIP. For most organizations a single vendor approach has been necessary, primarily because the costs associated with the supporting network and application delivery network infrastructure required to deliver VDI with the appropriate levels of security while meeting performance expectations of users and the need to maintain high availability. It’s a tall order that’s getting taller with every mobile client introduced, especially when you toss in a liberal dose o... (more)

Introducing the F5 Technical Certification Program

Can you explain the role of the Cache-Control HTTP header? How about the operational flow of data during an SMTP authentication exchange? Are you well-versed in the anatomy of an SSL handshake and the implications of encrypting data as it flows across the network? Can you explain the features and functionalities of protocols and technologies specific to the Transport layer? If so, then you won’t need to study nearly as much as many of your compatriots when you take the test to become an F5 Certified™ professional. Introducing the F5 Technical Certification Program (F5-TCP) F5 Cert... (more)