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IT pundits talk quite a bit about delivering "value" to the business and transforming the IT organization from a cost center to a profit center. However, sometimes simple vigilance can get you into the good graces of the executive suite.

Senior manager of IT security at global executive relocation service provider Sirva Inc. Waqas Akkawi was recently taken to dinner by the company's president after he and his staff prevented a Trojan from hijacking the executive's personal banking information.

The president had picked up the Zeus Trojan on his corporate laptop while outside the corporate network More...

Slowly but surely, networking vendors are rolling out data center fabric technologies that will enable enterprises to build out large, Layer 2-based data center networks to support virtual machine mobility and private cloud computing.

Brocade announced its VDX series of switches this week, a line of Layer 2 Ethernet switches that use the emerging IETF protocol Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL) to create large, multipath Layer 2 Ethernet fabrics. The first generation of these switches, the VDX 6720, is available today.

Cisco Systems announced its own flavor of TRILL-based Layer 2 More...

Can a network interface card (NIC) from another network enter my network without my knowledge? This all depends on the configuration of your network gear. Many devices allow MAC address filtering. With MAC addressing filtering in place you...

What is the use of interfaces in Snort execution? How does one select the required interface in Snort execution? An interface refers to what network interface cards (NIC) you are using to monitor the network. Then interface is typically...

What are the disadvantages to a layered approach to enterprise security? Disadvantage? Layering presents a disadvantage only in that adding additional layers of controls can inhibit usability. Sometimes organizations fight...

What threat do mobile devices pose to my enterprise network? What approach should we take to dealing with smartphones? Mobile devices can potentially pose a huge threat. Smartphones not only have network connectivity, but also have the...

How do you install wireless Internet in a hotel and in each room? In-room wireless requires a larger coverage area, but the same back-end public access portal and payment infrastructure. If you don't already have that infrastructure and want to...

IPv6 will solve the problem of the IP addressing space issues we're experiencing with IPv4, but may leave you open to security threats if you don't know how it works. Understand IPv6 vulnerabilities, and alleviate your concerns by arming yourself with the tools and methods talked about in this podcast interview with IPv6 Security: Protection measures for the next Internet Protocol author Scott Hogg.

Read a Q&A on IPv6 network security threats from both book authors Scott Hogg and Eric Vyncke.

Read Introduction to IPv6, Chapter 1 of the book IPv6 Security to learn more.

Learn about the network security issues associated with the Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) from 'IPv6 Security' book author Scott Hogg. In this podcast interview he explains how you can protect your enterprise network against these vulnerabilities and more.

SearchNetworking.com's certification article two weeks ago about the importance of getting certified despite rising costs got a number of reader responses. One of the most common refrains was that -- as one reader put it -- employers in the past didn't seem to care about certifications, but now the credentials appear indispensable even as companies seem less willing to defray the costs. That reader, from Riverside, Calif., said he will move forward and study for the CCNA exam without knowing whether he can really afford all the costs.

Today, we have Fred Weiller, director of marketing for Learning@Cisco, to answer some of your questions in a podcast. He addresses topics ranging from why today's economy is better suited for those with certifications, to what Cisco is doing to keep the challenging certification process as affordable as possible, including new online initiatives to aid both self-training and to point potential students to government-sponsored or -subsidized education programs. After readers wrote in to ask how they could get certified for less, we got Learning@Cisco's Fred Weiller on the phone to explain why certifications are more important than ever, and how you can afford them. (Podcast)

If you're looking for a new take on network security, listen to our three-part podcast series on preventing data theft and leakage with Christopher Burgess, author of the recent book Secrets Stolen, Fortunes Lost: Preventing Intellectual Property Theft and Economic Espionage in the 21st Century. Burgess is a senior security advisor with Cisco Systems.

Click the play buttons below to listen to "Learn how to secure your network from data theft from a former CIA officer."

Part A: The changing intellectual property theft landscape

Burgess explains how the IP theft has changed over the past few years. (6:41)

Part B: How networking pros can prevent data theft

Hear what networking professionals need to know to play their part in preventing data theft. (3:10)

Part C: User engagement as a network security strategy

Burgess lays out the best strategies to keep network and data safe and your users productive. (2:58)

Read more of Burgess' thoughts, and some caveats, in the recent article on network security and user trust, or find more general advice on our network security homepage. If you're looking for a new take on network security, listen to our three-part podcast series on preventing data theft and leakage with Christopher Burgess, author of the recent book, "Secrets Stolen, Fortunes Lost: Preventing Intellectual Property Theft and Economic Espionage in the 21st Century." Christopher is a senior security advisor with Cisco Systems.

A Regional Internet Registry (RIR) is a not-for-profit organization that oversees Internet Protocol (IP) address space...

What is a logical network?

A logical network is one that appears to the user as a single, separate entity although it might...

A patch antenna is a wafer-like directional antenna suitable for covering single-floor small offices, small stores and...

Port Address Translation (PAT), is an extension to network address translation (NAT) that permits multiple devices on a ...

What is green networking?

Green networking is the practice of selecting energy-efficient networking technologies...

In your opinion, why do Wi-Fi clients vary in how they perform on a WLAN, and what should the industry do about it?

Wireless technology is evolving rapidly. Some manufacturers are taking their best guess on what they should add to their hardware/software to be prepared for the new wireless technologies. Other manufacturers haven't updated their technology in...

Can you define Juniper's cloud strategy from a high level?

Juniper's product line covers routing to switching to security. And when you look at this whole cloud computing schema, you see the data predictions in data centers and you see the users on the other end being connected through the network, whether it's a local area network or a wide area network.

We see our...

What's your sense of how the Brocade-Foundry merger has gone? Has Brocade, the storage networking vendor, successfully integrated Foundry and its data center network infrastructure products?

I think at the genetic level, Brocade got what it needed and what it wanted from the acquisition. You've got to recognize that the Brocade leadership team did what a lot of...

What is Brocade's plan for campus LAN? Is campus network technology going to be a priority for you?

Absolutely. Brocade did not get into the Foundry business to back away from the footprint that Foundry had. The value of that asset was turning Brocade into a full networking company. I freely admit that some agendas are coming into the market that may or may not be...