Commentary

4 Core Compute Options with Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

By DAVID VARNUM, CCIE, VCP, MCSE+ on July 24, 2019

Google Cloud Platform (GCP) may not be as common of a household name as Amazon Web Services (AWS), but that’s rapidly changing. GCP is one of the “big three” public cloud providers in the market, along with AWS and Microsoft Azure. GCP is riding on top of one of the largest networks in the globe […]

The Best WMI Tools & Software for Windows Management Instrumentation Administration!

By NMS Admin on May 9, 2019

Here is our list of the best WMI tools & software for Windows management instrumentation administration: Paessler PRTG – EDITOR’S CHOICE This package of monitoring tools includes a WMI receiver, which presents a summary and gives access to each individual notification. Available for Windows Server or as a SaaS platform. Get a 30-day free trial. […]

The Fundamentals of Google Compute Engine (GCE)

By DAVID VARNUM, CCIE, VCP, MCSE+ on March 28, 2019

Google Compute Engine (GCE) is part of Google’s Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) offering, where you can build high-performance, fault-tolerant, massively scalable compute nodes to handle your application’s needs. Virtual Machine instances are provisioned in GCE and can be pre-packed or fully customized. In this article, we’ll cover some of the fundamentals of VM Instances within GCE. Virtual Machine […]

Network Security – 7 Essentials for Stronger NetSec & Perimeter Protection!

By NMS Admin on March 7, 2019

Network Security is the Practices, Policies and Security measures created and implemented to Monitor and Prevent unauthorized access in a computer network. The term Networks can relate to objects including Local Area networks, WAN Links and DMZ Networks that all need to be protected. Over a decade ago, when I was an IT consultant to […]

Ransomware Attack – How to Survive it and Beef up Network Security!

By Brenna Miles on December 20, 2018

Ransomware Attacks have been a huge threat to businesses for many years. They happen. And they happen more often than reported and people would like to admit. And although the FBI has recently stated that there is a decline in attacks, businesses should remain aware of the possible ransomware attack. It is in times like these […]

Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Networking Fundamentals

By DAVID VARNUM, CCIE, VCP, MCSE+ on October 18, 2018

If your organization or customers haven’t yet migrated to the cloud, don’t think it won’t happen, because it very likely will. If you’re a network engineer, system admin, or anyone that is supporting infrastructure in the cloud, it’s in in your best interest to understand how it differs from your traditional on-premises data center environments […]

The Top 4 ways to Utilize Wireshark Successfully!

By Steve Occhiogrosso on August 20, 2018

Wireshark can be a very powerful however getting the most out of this tool can be tricky. There are definitely many variables out there that make capturing and analyzing data a very convoluted and difficult. However there are a few quick an easy tricks you can use to ensure you are getting the most out of […]

Cisco Live 2017: The the Follow-up

By Steve Occhiogrosso on August 14, 2017

Cisco Live 2017 was a busy week. From the various keynotes and the product announcements there is a fair amount of news to keep an eye out for. New Catalyst 9000 switching range: Cisco announced a new Catalyst 9000 range, not to be confused with the Nexus 9000 range. The new Catalyst 9k range is designed […]

Are you ready for Cisco Live US 2017!

By Steve Occhiogrosso on June 19, 2017

Cisco Live US 2017 is upon us! CLUS itself is the biggest Cisco conference of the year seeing as many as 30,000+ attendees! However, why is it the biggest and what makes it so popular as we all know the biggest may not always be the best. The sheer number of attendees should be a key […]

SolarWinds Orion API & SDK – Scripting with Python (Part 3)

By DAVID VARNUM, CCIE, VCP, MCSE+ on October 2, 2016

This is the third article in a series we’re calling “SolarWinds Orion API & SDK”. The first article covered concepts, purpose and how to get started with the SDK. In the second article we took a look at interaction with the API via cURL and a REST client. By now you should have a taste of what […]

SolarWinds Orion API & SDK – Using SWQL, REST, and CURL (Part 2)

By DAVID VARNUM, CCIE, VCP, MCSE+ on September 19, 2016

In Part 1 of this article series we discussed basics of the SolarWinds Orion API & SDK, why you would use it, and how to get it. We also looked at some general concepts regarding APIs, REST and JSON. By the end of the first article, you should have either installed the pre-compiled MSI, or […]

SolarWinds Orion API & SDK – Getting Started (Part 1)

By DAVID VARNUM, CCIE, VCP, MCSE+ on September 12, 2016

Industry consumers are rapidly demanding automation, orchestration and programmability features from vendors, with the goal of making networks and systems more fluid, easy to deploy, and intelligent. Sometimes overlooked, a key component in automation is monitoring and documentation. Sure, you can auto-provision virtual machines and virtual networks, automate branch office connectivity, device policies, and more, but […]

Recapping Cisco Live 2016: Top 10 favorite moments

By DAVID VARNUM, CCIE, VCP, MCSE+ on July 22, 2016

Cisco Live is an annual event for IT professionals to connect with peers, develop solutions, widen skill-sets, lab scenarios, drink beer and celebrate! Seven years later and I’m still enthralled by the experience and value this event provides for Networking professionals. Whether your focus is with routing/switching, wireless, security, computing, storage, automation, IoT, you name it, Cisco Live […]

5 Reasons to test drive SolarWinds NPM on your virtual GNS3 network

By NMS Admin on March 16, 2016

SolarWinds is an industry leader in Network Performance Monitoring (NPM) and continues to prove so with its wide adoption, active communities and consistent evolution. New features and valuable enhancements are constantly being adding to their flagship NPM product, enabling customers to gain better visibility into their networks, troubleshoot with efficacy, and forecast infrastructure needs. GNS3 is the […]

Getting You and Your Network Ready for Cisco Live!

By NMS Admin on June 5, 2015

It is time to put your network aside and head to San Diego for a week. Why? Because it’s almost time for Cisco Live! From June 7 to 11, all the network gurus, geeks, nerds and experts will be in attendance. If you are going to be there this year, here are a few tips […]

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