Key Points:
- Currently, the Wi-Fi market is at a major transition point. Last year, certified Wi-Fi 7 products burst onto the scene. This next generation of wireless technology promises to deliver additional performance enhancements and other improvements than previous Wi-Fi generations of products.
- Wi-Fi technology is a core part of our coverage at Network Computing. Below are some of our top Wi-Fi 7 articles of the last year, with a brief summary of each article.
- With features like multi-link operation, which enables simultaneous use of multiple frequency bands, and improved spectrum efficiency, Wi-Fi 7 is ideal for handling high-density environments and latency-sensitive applications such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and real-time collaboration tools. Here's why businesses should watch Wi-Fi 7 closely.
- However, enterprises must assess the readiness of their existing infrastructure, compatibility with legacy devices, and potential deployment costs. Strategic planning and phased rollouts can help ensure a smooth transition while maximizing the benefits of this next-generation wireless standard. Here are tips for enterprises evaluating Wi-Fi 7.
- The Wi-Fi Alliance's launch of the Wi-Fi Certified 7 program marked a critical milestone in advancing enterprise connectivity, providing IT managers with a clear path to adopting this next-generation wireless standard. Will this alliance help drive deployment?
- Enterprise connectivity demands are on the rise. The growing use of video, exploding data volumes, and the increased adoption of bandwidth and latency-depended apps require new infrastructure.
You already know that every day at Network Computing brings the how and why behind next-gen networks, data centers, storage systems, communications, and cloud architecture.
That means original reporting from our team of journalists and unique commentary you won’t see anywhere else! But in case you missed them, here are some of our other must-read favorites from this week:
Underwater Whispers or Suspicious Sabotage?
Key Points:
- In the latest round of disconnection in the Baltic Sea, Finnish authorities seized, boarded, and sequestered a ship carrying Russian oil that is suspected of causing the most recent cuts.
- The European Union (EU) has begun preparing sanctions on Russia's 'shadow fleet' after the latest Baltic Sea cable was damaged, said Finland Prime Minister Pettori Orpo.
- Since the 2022 restrictions on oil imports, Russia is said to have assembled a fleet of several hundred ships to transport oil beyond the reach of the sanction. The shadow fleet is said to generate billions of dollars a year in additional revenue for waging war in Ukraine.
- The outages have sent shockwaves across Europe following the severing over a month ago of multiple subsea cables in countries bordering the Baltic Sea. Last week, representatives of the affected nations reached out for help from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
- Why approach NATO? NATO was formed in 1949 consisting of a group of 32 countries from Europe and North America. It exists to protect the people and territory of its members. An attack on one member is viewed as an attack on all by the collective defense.
Essential Network Metrics
Key Points:
- When end users begin complaining about slow or generally unreliable network performance, the network leader must take immediate action. But where to begin? The answer, in most cases, can be found by studying a handful of key metrics.
- Uptime is the most important network metric, says
Gaurav Kataria
, a
Meta
software engineer. "It's the foundation all other metrics are built upon," he states in an email interview. "Without a high uptime, you can't expect to have a reliable and efficient network," he notes.
- Packet loss runs a close second to uptime in terms of importance. "It's a key indicator of network performance and can have a significant impact on user experience," Kataria says.
- High packet loss rates can lead to poor voice and video quality, slow file transfers, and decreased overall network performance. Packet loss provides valuable insights into overall network performance.
- Reliability isn’t just about preventing downtime—it’s also about creating confidence. One of Mains' clients, using a SaaS platform for healthcare services, struggled with a reliability rate of 98 percent.
Secure Your Data in the Roaring Era of Public Cloud and Generative AI
Key Points:
- Earlier this year, Zscaler introduced a data security posture management (DSPM) solution that protects data both when it’s being transferred (in motion) and when it’s stored (at rest), ensuring it stays safe across channels like email, web, applications, and the cloud.
- Looking ahead, Zscaler envisions the AI security market evolving around three key trends:
- Unified data protection where data is at rest and in motion will no longer be so much of a focus. Instead, the focus will shift to better understanding data and its use.
- The current siloed approach will be replaced by all-in-one platforms that can locate and secure data across different environments. This change is already underway and is expected to grow quickly.
- AI-driven security will make data protection smarter and faster. It will help monitor how employees use AI tools like ChatGPT, track their activities, and prevent the misuse of sensitive data.
- I recently met with Srikanth Nellore,
Zscaler
’s senior director and worldwide public cloud specialist for DSPM. In my latest ZKast, we discussed how Zscaler is addressing the challenges of data protection, gen AI, and data migration to public clouds.
- Click the article above for the full video.
Staying a Step Ahead in the Digital World
Key Points:
- Cyber resilience is a hot topic as more and more organizations realize that it is not a matter of if but when they will be attacked. In fact, 94% of cloud users were targeted at some point during every month of 2023, and of those, 62% were successfully compromised.
- However, one of the areas that gets lost in cyber resilience discussions are network devices, even though they are essential to keeping your business up and running. In these five questions, we'll get to the bottom of why cyber resilience for network devices is lagging and what to do about it.
- The ability to persistently prevent, withstand, and recover from disruptions to network devices due to cyberattacks or man-made or natural disasters.
- There are two primary reasons. First, unlike endpoints, there are hundreds of different manufacturers that make up your network device topology in your environment. Having people manually maintain and manage a diverse environment is hard enough. But even the largest and most well-resourced organizations find it difficult to manage that complexity all the time to keep network devices resilient.
Commentary of the Week
Key Points:
- Phishing attacks frequently begin with a threat actor using ready-made phishing kits or prepackaged tools that streamline and greatly simplify the beginning phases of an attack.
- Through the rise of GenAI, and in combination with access to dark web forums and marketplaces to purchase sophisticated tools, novice scripties can interact with expert threat actors to expand their knowledge.
- They can also buy toolkits that advance and hone their skills, eventually becoming expert-level threat actors who conduct intricate and meticulous operations.
- Attackers use both genuine and illicit bulletproof hosting providers to remain anonymous, avoid discovery, and prolong their scam activities. These services are accessible, affordable, and scalable, allowing people with only modest technological skills to conduct sophisticated phishing attacks.
- Stopping these attacks can be tricky, given how convincing the websites and emails can appear to users. However, organizations and individuals must be vigilant in their efforts and continue to use regular security awareness training to educate users, employees, partners, and clients on the evolving dangers.
Latest Major Tech Layoff Announcements
Original Story by Jessica C. Davis, Updated by Brandon Taylor
Key Points:
- As COVID drove everyone online, tech companies hired like crazy. Now we are hitting the COVID tech bust as tech giants shed jobs by the thousands.
- Updated January 3, 2025 with layoff announcements from Bench Accounting, Lilium, BionicHIVE and Refinery29.
- Check back regularly for updates to InformationWeek's IT job layoffs tracker.
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