As AI adoption accelerates, executive IT leaders face mounting pressure to support advanced modeling, training and inferencing workflows without compromising security. The volume of data generated across enterprises is expanding rapidly, and the infrastructure required to process this information must be high performing and deeply secure. Investing in data center modernization is essential as you scale AI initiatives that demand consistency, predictability and stronger protection across your environment.

The majority of organizations recognize the urgency. More than 77 percent are exploring or investing significantly in generative AI, according to Dell鈥檚 research (IDC Future Enterprise Resiliency and Spending Survey, July 2023). At the same time, global damages tied to cybercrime are projected to reach 10.5 trillion dollars by 2025, underscoring the growing threat to enterprise systems and sensitive workloads. These pressures make it increasingly important to evaluate how your infrastructure supports advanced AI while reinforcing the trustworthiness of your operational environment.

This is where Dell PowerEdge servers are valuable. They provide acceleration ready architecture and foundational security controls, enabling you to grow enterprise AI operations without exposing avoidable risks. From the hardware root of trust to Zero Trust aligned validation processes, the platform is designed to help you operate with confidence.

Building a Powerful Platform for AI Workflows and Data Center Modernization

Managing AI workloads requires more than raw compute power. You need systems optimized for parallel processing, high throughput data access and workload isolation. The latest Dell PowerEdge servers deliver dense, accelerator ready configurations that support leading GPU technologies used for natural language processing, large scale recommendation engines, generative AI pipelines and simulation workloads. Models such as the PowerEdge XE9680 can be configured with up to eight NVIDIA H100 or H200 GPUs or eight AMD MI300X accelerators, enabling reliable processing for multi-modality AI use cases.

These capabilities help you accelerate AI time to value by enabling complex training and inferencing tasks to run at scale. As you expand AI adoption across business functions, partnering with an AI infrastructure partner such as WEI provides deeper guidance for optimizing compute, storage and networking architectures.

Strengthening data center modernization is not limited to performance. You also must ensure consistency in how systems are updated, managed and protected. PowerEdge innovations such as advanced thermal engineering, accelerator optimized configurations and platform level integration help support demanding AI workflows without exposing infrastructure weaknesses.

Creating a Strong Foundation for Cyber-Resilient Infrastructure Security

AI adoption introduces new risks. Data moves across hybrid environments, threat actors use automation to exploit vulnerabilities and the attack surface grows as more systems contribute to AI pipelines. A secure environment requires a platform built to validate integrity at every stage.

PowerEdge platforms incorporate a silicon-based root of trust that verifies firmware and BIOS authenticity at boot. This provides cryptographic assurance that the system has not been tampered with before your operating system or AI workloads begin running. Additional controls include TPM based attestation, drift detection, signed firmware updates, threat detection and secure identity based access through iDRAC9.

These capabilities help build a cyber-resilient infrastructure that addresses threats across hardware, firmware and operational management. Chassis intrusion detection protects against physical access attempts, while certificate automation and TLS 1.3 support protect data in flight. Secure Enterprise Key Management and self-encrypting drives protect data at rest and provide centralized control for cryptographic keys.

The combination of these controls allows you to maintain a Zero Trust aligned posture across your server lifecycle. This ensures every action from deployment to decommissioning is validated, authorized and monitored. When paired with best enterprise AI integration services, these capabilities help you adopt AI without compromising the trustworthiness of your systems.

Aligning Security to Enterprise AI Operations

Your leadership team is expected to accelerate AI adoption while ensuring long term protection for sensitive data and mission critical applications. Investing in cyber-resilient infrastructure through the use of Dell PowerEdge servers allows you to support sophisticated AI models with consistent protection and predictable operations. These platforms help you maintain continuous verification and enable enterprise AI operations that require both high performance and strong safeguards.

Final Thoughts

AI success requires an infrastructure strategy bringing together performance, consistency and verified trust. Through a combination of architecture engineered for accelerators and deeply integrated security features, Dell PowerEdge servers provide a path to maturing your AI capabilities while strengthening your cyber-resilient infrastructure.

WEI specializes in data center modernization, AI infrastructure planning and secure implementation strategies. If you are ready to advance your enterprise AI operations, contact us now to begin designing a roadmap built for your organization鈥檚 needs.

Next Steps: Whether you鈥檙e deploying AI now or planning future implementations, PowerEdge provides the security foundation and performance capabilities your organization needs. Before your next infrastructure refresh, explore how Dell PowerEdge can strengthen both your security posture and AI readiness. Download a read our free tech brief,

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Today鈥檚 data centers are the operational core of the enterprise. They support essential functions such as hybrid work, customer-facing applications, real-time analytics, and service delivery. Their performance directly influences business outcomes, including revenue growth, product development, and customer satisfaction.

Consistently achieving these outcomes is a challenge. The density of today鈥檚 IT environments often stands in the way, whether it stems from hybrid environments, multivendor systems, or increasing demands for speed, security, and performance.

At WEI, we help enterprise IT teams overcome these challenges with practical solutions that align infrastructure to strategic goals. Juniper Apstra is one such solution. It brings clarity, control, and consistency to data center operations by applying intent-based networking principles.

Shifting from Traditional to Intent-Based Networking

Traditional network management often involves manual configuration, device-by-device troubleshooting, and reactive maintenance. As networks grow more complex, this model becomes difficult to sustain. Mistakes multiply, time-to-resolution increases, and service delivery suffers.

Intent-based networking changes this model by shifting the focus from configuration to outcome. It defines what the network is supposed to achieve, and the system automates how to get there. It also continuously validates that the network is operating as intended.

This model not only reduces manual work, it improves alignment between IT infrastructure and business objectives. Juniper Apstra is built on this principle and puts it into practice through intelligent automation and real-time validation. It serves as a leading example of intent-based networking solutions that are delivering tangible .

Juniper Apstra: Designed for Consistency

Juniper Apstra is an intent-based networking solution that centralizes and simplifies data center management. It uses a blueprint model that allows IT teams to define desired outcomes across architecture, performance, and security. These blueprints are continuously validated against real-time network data to ensure compliance and stability.

Juniper customers have reported such as:

• 90 percent faster deployments
• 83 percent reduction in operational expenses
• 320 percent return on investment, often with payback in less than six months

These are not just technical improvements. They translate into faster time-to-market, stronger budget control, and more reliable service delivery.

AI-Native Management

Apstra includes advanced capabilities that support AI-native data center management, powered by Juniper Mist AI and the virtual network assistant, Marvis. These tools provide deep, actionable insights that help IT teams stay ahead of problems.

For example, Apstra can detect a failing optic before users are affected. It can map application performance to specific infrastructure components and suggest changes to prevent service disruptions. It also stores configuration history so teams can roll back quickly in multivendor environments.

These features allow teams to spend less time troubleshooting and more time focusing on strategic initiatives. Apstra represents a new standard for AI-native data center management that is built on automation, insight, and proactive response.

Supporting Hybrid and Distributed Environments

Most enterprise IT environments now include a mix of on-premises data centers, public and private clouds, and edge locations. Juniper Apstra supports these distributed environments through its cloud-hosted Apstra Cloud Services.

This suite of applications allows centralized control across all infrastructure components. IT teams can apply consistent policies, manage security standards, and maintain operational practices regardless of where workloads reside or what platforms are in use.

This capability is especially valuable for organizations managing AI, IoT, or latency-sensitive applications. It ensures that performance targets are met regardless of location and contributes to effective AI-native data center management across hybrid environments.

Built-In Zero Trust Security

Security is a core part of Apstra鈥檚 architecture. It applies Zero Trust principles by automating policy enforcement and network segmentation. This creates secure zones and limits lateral movement, reducing exposure to internal threats.

Apstra continuously monitors network behavior to detect any deviation from defined intent. If something changes that shouldn’t have, Apstra identifies it and initiates corrective action.

This approach helps organizations maintain compliance and protect sensitive workloads without sacrificing operational agility.

Freedom to Choose Technology

Apstra is built to support multivendor environments, which is a common occurrence in enterprise IT settings. It allows organizations to choose the best hardware and software for their needs without getting locked into a single ecosystem. It also integrates with popular automation tools such as Terraform and Ansible.

This flexibility protects your technology investments and supports future growth. You can adopt new solutions as needed while maintaining consistent network management practices. This type of adaptability makes Apstra one of the most effective intent-based networking solutions for enterprises seeking long-term agility and control.

WEI: Your Partner in Data Center Modernization

At WEI, we bring deep expertise in designing and deploying modern data center solutions. We help clients tailor Juniper Apstra to fit their specific environment and goals. From blueprint development to ongoing optimization, we work alongside your team to ensure long-term success.

Our clients have seen significant improvements, as these results are a direct outcome of aligning the right technology with a strong implementation strategy that incorporates intent-based networking and modern data center management practices.

Watch: WEI’s Campus Capabilities 

Final Thoughts

Juniper Apstra provides the tools to make a positive shift in how networks are designed and managed possible. Its intent-based networking model, AI-native data center management capabilities, and multivendor support give IT leaders the ability to build and maintain networks that support business growth.

If your organization is looking to improve data center performance, reduce operational risk, or prepare for next-generation workloads, we invite you to connect with our team. WEI can help you define the right outcomes and implement a plan to achieve them with confidence using leading intent-based networking solutions. 

Next Steps: Discover how Juniper Apstra is reshaping retail networks for a more connected, intelligent, and secure future. Download our free tech brief,  

The post Modernize Your Data Center with Intent-Based Networking 疯情AV appeared first on IT 疯情AV Provider - IT Consulting - Technology 疯情AV.

As higher education continues integrating new technologies, institutions are rethinking how they manage and protect data. This shift is driven by the need to enhance operational efficiency, ensure campus safety, and uncover meaningful insights from the vast amount of information generated daily.

In this blog, we explore how data modernization, combined with advanced cybersecurity approaches like zero trust security and ransomware defenses, empowers schools to address these priorities effectively.

Watch: Becoming An Insights-Driven Enterprise With WEI & HPE

Understanding Data Modernization In Higher Education

Data modernization involves upgrading how data is collected, stored, and analyzed. Higher education institutions handle various types of data, from sensitive research to student information, which includes academic, financial, and health records. In one of our recent podcasts, Chris Robinson, CTO for Storage at HPE, noted, “The security of data is as important as the data itself. Institutions need systems that ensure data is immutable and recoverable even in the face of ransomware attacks.”

Institutions often partner with experts to optimize their data strategies. For example, we collaborated with universities and colleges to assess, design, and deploy advanced infrastructure, incorporating best practices and industry-leading technologies. Their approach enables universities to enhance data protection and management, as seen in their work with numerous higher education clients.

Building Safer Campuses

Ransomware attacks can disrupt systems and compromise sensitive information. A safe campus goes beyond physical security measures; it extends into the digital realm where cybersecurity solutions play a vital role.

Robinson states, “Protecting sensitive research and student data requires implementing zero trust frameworks and ensuring continuous monitoring.” To establish a secure digital environment, institutions should consider these actionable steps:

1. Implementing zero trust security frameworks: Ensure all users, devices, and applications are verified before accessing campus networks.
2. Enhancing network visibility: Use tools to monitor activity and detect anomalies in real-time.
3. Conducting regular security training: Educate students and staff on best practices for safe online behavior.

Collaboration with partners like WEI ensures institutions can adopt advanced solutions tailored to their unique needs. WEI’s expertise in data center refreshes and network upgrades has helped universities stay ahead of emerging threats.

Watch: Unlocking Excellence In Higher Education With WEI

Leveraging Technology For Hidden Data Value

Modern education technology generates a wealth of often underutilized data. Institutions can unlock hidden value by analyzing data from smart boards, online collaboration tools, and hybrid learning platforms.

HPE’s GreenLake platform and Alletra systems, paired with HPE ProLiant Gen 11 servers powered by fifth-generation Intel Xeon scalable processors, enable higher education to adopt cloud-based data services and provide a single pane of glass for managing and provisioning resources. These tools empower institutions to:

• Improve student engagement: Detailed analytics enhance personalized learning approaches.
• Advance research capabilities: Trends and patterns in vast datasets accelerate academic research.
• Optimize resource allocation: Advanced analytics help institutions make cost-effective decisions.

WEI’s collaborative approach has helped build long-lasting relationships with schools, where focusing on the customer leads to mutual success. Our team worked closely with colleges to refresh their data centers and networks, offering customized assessments, designs, and deployments tailored to their specific needs. This hands-on method, paired with HPE’s unified integration capabilities, ensures actionable insights while maintaining data integrity and security.

Cybersecurity 疯情AV For Higher Education

Today, institutions must integrate comprehensive cybersecurity solutions to protect data and ensure operational continuity. Anya Kamenetz, an education thought leader, highlights the dual responsibility of safeguarding and utilizing data effectively: “Academic records, health data, and collaborative works are integral to students’ futures. Protecting this information while leveraging it for growth is a delicate balance.”

HPE GreenLake offers systems with features like data immutability, which prevent tampering even during ransomware attacks. With HPE’s Alletra systems and ProLiant Gen 11 servers, educational institutions can establish secure environments tailored to hybrid cloud operations. Robinson explains, “Even if ransomware gets into the system, our solutions ensure data remains secure and recoverable.”

To implement adequate cybersecurity measures, institutions should adopt these key strategies:

• Data encryption: Protects sensitive information, even if intercepted.
• Immutable storage: Ensures data cannot be altered or deleted, safeguarding against ransomware.
• Proactive threat detection: HPE GreenLake uses AI and machine learning to identify and mitigate threats in real-time.

There’s a growing demand for operationalizing technology consumption, and HPE’s GreenLake platform addresses this need by offering cloud data services with centralized management. This approach, paired with a zero trust framework, enables institutions to seamlessly integrate security into every layer of their infrastructure.

The increasing reliance on technology highlights the critical need for maintaining secure and adaptable systems. HPE GreenLake’s cybersecurity, storage, and cloud solutions enable higher education institutions to address disruptions confidently and safeguard their communities.

Final Thoughts

Modernizing data systems and enhancing cybersecurity are essential for higher education institutions striving to support their academic missions and safeguard their communities. By addressing challenges proactively and partnering with experienced and recognized providers like WEI, universities and colleges can navigate this transformative era with confidence.

Contact us today to learn how our team can assist your institution in achieving its data and security goals.

Next Steps: With WEI’s expertise and HPE GreenLake’s cutting-edge tools, your organization can simplify operations all while reducing operational strain on IT teams. Unlock the potential of hybrid cloud solutions for your enterprise. Download the free tech brief, take the first step towards transforming your IT infrastructure.

The post How Higher Education Can Benefit From Integrated Cybersecurity 疯情AV appeared first on IT 疯情AV Provider - IT Consulting - Technology 疯情AV.

Just as a city relies on infrastructure like roads, bridges, and utilities to connect its residents, ensure their safety, and foster productivity, data centers have become the critical foundation of modern digital operations. These facilities house essential systems and processes that keep businesses running smoothly.

Data centers require thoughtful design and advanced networking capabilities to support these critical functions. Smart planning, much like urban planning that enables a city to thrive, is crucial for ensuring smooth operations within a data center.

In this article, we’ll explore how proven urban planning principles apply to data center networking, and how organizations can create smarter data centers to meet current demands and prepare for future growth.

The Principles Of A Smart Data Center

A smart data center works similarly to a city’s traffic lights, using intelligent automation and integration to modernize operations and performance, while ensuring security. Security systems immediately detect and respond to threats, and utilities are optimized to conserve resources.

This “smart city” analogy highlights the benefits of advanced data center design and network strategies:

• Improved operational efficiency: Automated systems reduce manual errors and improve coordination.
• Enhanced performance: Resources are allocated effectively to handle demand spikes.
• Stronger security: protect sensitive data.

According to a , organizations using advanced data center networking technologies report up to 80% faster time to market for complex IT projects. This emphasizes the importance of a smart data center design that keeps up with modern demands.

To achieve this, there are five key principles of intelligent data center networking every organization should know for optimal performance and security. Let’s dive in.

1. Modernize With DPU-Enabled Switches

Traditional data centers rely on CPUs and GPUs to process demanding workloads, including big data analytics and AI. Recently, the increased adoption of data processing units (DPUs) plays an important role by offloading resource-intensive networking, security, and storage tasks. This shift enables CPUs to focus on core applications.

Think of DPUs as expressways in a city, directing high volumes of traffic to prevent congestion. These specialized processors manage tasks like:

• Encryption and firewalling
• High-speed telemetry for real-time insights
• Load balancing and micro-segmentation

Much like urban planners optimize highways and toll booths to improve traffic flow, DPU-enabled switches optimize network strategies and reduce latency by processing data at wire speed, ensuring seamless communication across workloads. Unlike SmartNICs which require server-specific configurations, DPU-enabled switches integrate without modifying existing server hardware or software. This makes them adaptable for both new and existing data center designs.

2. Transition To A Distributed Services Architecture

A distributed services architecture ensures that networking and security functions are embedded directly into the data center fabric, rather than isolated in centralized locations. This model eliminates bottlenecks and improves accessibility by:

• Embedding security and network functions close to workloads.
• Simplifying infrastructure by consolidating services.
• Supporting millions of tasks without slowing down operations.

Organizations adopting this approach align their network strategies with modern cloud-centric practices, like cities adapting to current urban planning principles to address growing populations and changing demands.

3. Extend Zero Trust Closer To Applications

Zero Trust is like your vigilant neighborhood watch. It assumes that every individual, or data packet, is a potential threat unless explicitly verified. Extending Zero Trust closer to applications provides:

• Fine-grained micro-segmentation to protect sensitive areas.
• Stateful traffic inspection to prevent unauthorized access.
• Integrated policies that simplify compliance with regulations.

By embedding Zero Trust principles into top-of-rack switches, organizations can ensure that their equipment is always secure. One case study revealed that implementing a distributed services switch while improving performance tenfold. This highlights how adopting Zero Trust principles at the infrastructure level strengthens security and delivers substantial cost savings and performance gains.

4. Blend Network And Security AIOps

Good urban planning prioritizes efficient traffic flow, reliable access to services, and public safety. Similarly, combining network and security AIOps ensures communication, consistent monitoring, and dependable protection within data center networking.

Here’s how this approach transforms modern data center design and network strategy:

• Visibility and accurate telemetry: Traditional methods rely on probes or agents, which only provide partial insights into network activity. This is similar to relying on outdated traffic signals to manage a growing city. With AIOps embedded directly into the data center fabric, telemetry becomes accurate and ubiquitous, eliminating blind spots and ensuring full visibility.
• Troubleshooting for faster resolutions: Just as urban planners address congestion by analyzing traffic patterns, AIOps tools enable network teams to trace issues quickly. Detailed telemetry reduces mean-time-to-innocence (MTTI), helping identify root causes of application performance problems and improving overall operations.
• Integration with security tools: AIOps solutions integrate with tools like XDR and SIEM/SOAR, much like modern city infrastructure incorporates smart systems for better coordination. This integration allows real-time anomaly detection, streamlining workflows and bolstering security measures.

Blending AIOps into data center design builds a resilient foundation, ensuring operations flow as smoothly as a well-planned city.

5. Leverage Edge And Hybrid Cloud 疯情AV

In the context of modern data center design, think about infrastructure the same way urban planners approach city layouts. A smart data center optimizes resources by integrating edge, colocation, and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) – similar to how a well-planned city balances residential, commercial, and industrial zones.

Here are key benefits to keep in mind when designing your data center:

• Optimize workload placement: Place applications and workloads based on the location of data generation, whether at the edge or in colocation centers. The networking infrastructure must enable fast connectivity between locations.
• Enhance connectivity: Colocation enables high-bandwidth, low-latency links to cloud and network providers, improving transaction speeds. Direct connections to business ecosystems further boost operational synergy. A colocation center paired with IaaS offers:
  • Single-tenant cloud-like experiences, maintaining control over data and applications
  • Low latency with direct cloud and network connections
  • Reduced egress charges, paying only for what’s used
  • Enhanced sustainability with energy-efficient practices
• Adopt efficient consumption models: Pay-as-you-go IaaS eliminates overprovisioning and cuts costs, aligning IT investments with usage.

This approach is crucial as 90% of enterprise workloads are expected to run on hybrid cloud by 2027, supporting both business goals like sustainability and operational efficiency. Fourth-generation architectures take full advantage of the deployment options and consumption models offered by as-a-service and colocation data center services, empowering businesses to adapt and optimize their IT environments. By integrating these elements, companies can enhance their network strategy, ensuring a more interconnected and efficient infrastructure.

Final Thoughts

The shift from centralized to distributed data center networking requires architectures that unify infrastructure services and streamline deployment. Just as well-planned cities streamline infrastructure, strategic data center design ensures data flow, simplified management, and secure operations across distributed architectures. Modern, fourth-generation fabric designs now eliminate reliance on isolated hardware and complex configurations, which enables faster resource provisioning and enhanced performance without compromising security.

Much like your trusted urban planners, WEI provides unparalleled expertise in smart data center networking. From simplifying management to enhancing performance and scaling infrastructure, our team of experts delivers custom-tailored solutions that address your specific needs. Contact WEI today to learn how we can help you design a smarter, more efficient data center.

Next Steps: Greater visibility and better security tools are needed to ensure the Zero Trust network environment that companies desire. Additionally, hybrid networks have evolved far beyond the basic composition of a public cloud and on-prem environment.

WEI’s free tech brief identifies the three main components of HPE Aruba Networking’s powerful EdgeConnect Enterprise platform. to access your free copy of the tech brief, SD-WAN: 3 Components To Efficiently Connect Users To Applications.

The post Implement These Five Design Principles For A Smarter Data Center appeared first on IT 疯情AV Provider - IT Consulting - Technology 疯情AV.

In an era where technology is the backbone of education, institutions across the United States are facing unprecedented challenges in adapting to the fast-evolving digital landscape. To empower these institutions with cutting-edge IT solutions, WEI is proud to announce its partnership with the NorthEast Regional Computing Program (NERCOMP) as a 疯情AV Partner. This collaboration signifies a new chapter in educational IT, where innovation meets the unique needs of higher education.

Understanding Higher Education’s Unique IT Needs

Higher education institutions have complex business environments. Their user base is incredibly diverse, encompassing students, faculty, staff, and researchers, all with distinct access requirements and needs. Additionally, to open access and collaborative learning introduces complex security challenges. From supporting a wide range of devices to managing highly scalable networks that must flex during peak times like enrollment and special events, educational institutions require IT solutions that are not just robust, but also adaptable and future-proof. WEI’s proven success in the higher education vertical is due to our understanding of its unique needs, which differ significantly from those of the traditional enterprise.

Watch: WEI and UMass Collaborate On Enterprise Procurement Process

How WEI Meets These Challenges

At WEI, we understand that the stakes in education are high. Every technology decision impacts not just operations but also the educational outcomes of thousands of students. That’s why we bring more than 35 years of IT expertise to the table, offering solutions that are specifically designed to meet the unique demands of higher education. Here are a few examples.

• Scalable Network 疯情AV: We ensure your campus networks can handle the ebb and flow of user demand, providing reliable and secure connections across devices, from laptops and tablets to specialized research equipment.
• Tailored Security Strategies: We develop comprehensive security frameworks that balance the need for open access with robust protection against cyber threats. This includes implementing AI-driven security tools that proactively monitor and secure your network.
• Data Center Modernization: Our data center solutions are built with efficiency and cost-effectiveness in mind. By integrating advanced automation and AI technologies, we reduce manual tasks and enhance the performance of your IT infrastructure, allowing your institution to focus more on education and less on IT management.

Watch: Tour WEI’s Headquarters

Delivering Value Through Innovation

What sets WEI apart is our deep commitment to customer success. We don’t just offer technology; we offer a partnership. Our team of 85+ engineers work closely with educational institutions to design, implement, and manage IT solutions that align with their specific goals. Whether it’s enhancing your data center’s capabilities, securing your network, or optimizing your IT environment for future growth, WEI’s solutions are tailored to deliver real business outcomes.

Through our exciting partnership with NERCOMP, we are extending this expertise to a broader audience, ensuring that more institutions can benefit from our innovative solutions. We’re here to help you navigate the complexities of modern IT, from cloud computing to cybersecurity, so you can provide a seamless educational experience for your students and faculty.

A Commitment To Education And Empowerment

At WEI, we believe that education extends beyond the classroom. That’s why we offer our clients access to our Demonstration Lab, Proof-of-Concept Lab, and a range of training workshops, at no additional cost. These resources are designed to empower your IT team, providing them with the tools and knowledge they need to optimize your institution’s technology infrastructure.

Our partnership with NERCOMP is not just about providing IT solutions, it’s about building a community where educational institutions can thrive in the digital age. We’re here to support you every step of the way, ensuring that your IT environment is not just a support function, but a strategic asset that drives educational success.

It Starts With The Datacenter

Just as professors teach with purpose, your data center should operate with intention as well. At WEI, our data center modernization solutions are engineered to transform your IT infrastructure into a dynamic and responsive environment. Leveraging cutting-edge automation and AI-driven analytics, we optimize your data center’s operations, reducing manual interventions and minimizing downtime.

This results in a data center that not only scales effortlessly during peak usage periods but also proactively identifies and resolves potential issues before they impact your institution. Whether you’re consolidating resources or expanding your infrastructure, WEI ensures your data center is a strategic asset that enhances educational outcomes while controlling costs.

Location-Based Network

The network of a modernized university must do more than connect resources and funnel workloads. At WEI, we’ve introduced the concept of Location-Based Networks (LBN) to campuses, revolutionizing how institutions interact with their students and manage resources. LBN can provide location-specific information such as the location of classes, events, and services to your students as they traverse your campus. LBN can also help locate portable assets such as lab equipment and student devices, or even track the movement of foot traffic throughout your campus retail stores and cafeterias to identify demand patterns.

Network Security

There is no doubt that large campuses have a serious challenge in securing network infrastructure, connected devices, and end users. Network administrators cannot achieve this by using a prevention only strategy. Instead, a proactive approach that encompasses robust detection, rapid response and resilient recovery mechanisms is required. To achieve that, WEI’s comprehensive security strategies include the following:

1. Unified Security Dashboard: It starts with implementing a cloud-based security dashboard that provides your cybersecurity personnel with complete visibility across the entire network. This centralized platform enables efficient monitoring and management of security events.
2. AI-Powered Analysis: Incorporate AI tools to analyze network traffic and identify anomalies or suspicious patterns that may indicate potential attacks. These tools enhance the ability to detect threats early and respond swiftly.
3. Beyond Cybersecurity: Your network should also enhance overall physical security across the campus. This includes capabilities such as:
   • Locating individuals who need assistance during emergencies
   • Steering students and faculty away from potentially problematic areas

Watch: Harnessing A Diverse Talent Pipeline For Cybersecurity Personnel

The Cloud

Our cloud solutions empower educational institutions to leverage the full potential of cloud computing. Whether you’re transitioning to a hybrid cloud model or optimizing an existing cloud environment, WEI provides comprehensive cloud management services that ensure agility, security, and cost-efficiency. Our solutions include seamless cloud migration, robust multi-cloud management, and advanced data security protocols that safeguard your institution’s sensitive information while enabling flexible access to resources.

The cloud is constantly moving forward, and WEI cloud engineers can make sure your institution remains a step ahead in this non-stop evolution.

Virtualization

Your server infrastructure may be virtual, but the costs of maintaining and supporting it are very real. WEI virtualization strategists bring expertise in today’s leading virtual platforms, assisting with capacity planning, resolving misconfiguration issues, and optimizing resource allocation. Most importantly, we ensure that the resiliency of your virtual environment aligns with your institution’s service objectives. Whether you’re implementing a new infrastructure, migrating to a new platform, or optimizing your existing setup, WEI can elevate your virtual infrastructure to the next level.

Conclusion

The partnership between WEI and NERCOMP marks another step forward in empowering educational institutions with the technology and support they need to excel in a rapidly changing digital landscape. By combining our deep expertise in IT solutions with NERCOMP’s commitment to advancing education, we’re creating a powerful alliance that will drive innovation, enhance security, and streamline operations across campuses in the Northeast.

We understand that in education, every IT decision impacts the learning experience. That’s why we are dedicated to being more than just a vendor, we are your partner in progress, committed to helping you build an IT infrastructure that not only supports but also elevates your institution’s mission.

Next Steps: As you navigate the complexities of modern education, know that WEI is here to provide the solutions, support, and training needed to transform your IT environment into a strategic asset. Together, we can create a future where technology and education go hand in hand, leading to better outcomes for students, faculty, and staff.

Ready to elevate your IT strategy? Connect with us today to explore how WEI and NERCOMP can help your institution achieve its goals and drive lasting success.

The post Elevating Higher Education: WEI Partners With NERCOMP For IT Innovation appeared first on IT 疯情AV Provider - IT Consulting - Technology 疯情AV.

When a student driver attends their initial driving lesson, one of the first discussions is centered around blind spots. When driving, we rely on mirrors and active awareness to monitor our surroundings, but blind spots still remain. According to the National Highway Safety Administration, there are an estimated 840,000 blind spot related accidents in the United States each year. Despite these blind spots, people continue to drive as the ability to get someplace quickly and easily fills a basic necessity.

Security Blind Sports

Blind spots are not just prevalent when driving a car. They exist across your IT estate. We know they do because regardless of how many security tools that companies deploy, data breaches still occur nearly every day. These blind spots within an enterprise are created by many factors including outdated software and systems, inadequate authentication protection, lack of employee training, cloud misconfigurations, and insufficient network and physical security measures. Despite the daily headlines about the latest data breaches affecting businesses, the race to data modernization continues, driven by the need to meet various human use cases.

Enabling Data-Driven Organizations

Navigating the digital landscape parallels driving on a busy highway: both involve inherent risks beyond our control. Just as we maneuver among fast-moving vehicles on the road, organizations manage sensitive data in an environment where threat actors constantly seek unauthorized access. Despite these evident risks, businesses are accelerating their digital transformation and leveraging AI-driven analytics to extract greater value.

A study highlights the significant advantages of AI data-driven companies over their peers across key business metrics:

• Operational efficiency: 81% vs. 58%
• Revenues: 77% vs. 61%
• Customer loyalty and retention: 77% vs. 45%
• Employee satisfaction: 68% vs. 39%
• IT cost predictability: 59% vs. 44%

Multiple studies corroborate these findings, underscoring a growing recognition of data’s pivotal role in driving competitive advantage and business growth in the modern economy. However, if your business is going to continue to be driven by data, you need to know how to secure it. WEI has expertise in data modernization and cybersecurity and has identified three primary security challenges that every organization needs to overcome.

Watch: Adapting To The Evolving Education Tech Landscape

Security Challenge #1

The first challenge is the expansive nature of the attack surface within data-driven enterprises. Data modernization often involves cloud utilization, and many companies use multiple clouds to leverage each one’s strengths. Organizations that were once accustomed to a robust security perimeter around their on-prem environment now face the daunting task of protecting a vastly larger area that cannot be secured by a mere wall. To complicate matters, different cloud vendors use varying access controls. While all major cloud providers evaluate policies to determine resource access, the specific evaluation logic and order can differ between platforms.

Security Challenge #2

The second challenge extends beyond merely protecting larger volumes of data. As data generation reaches unprecedented levels, security tools simultaneously produce overwhelming amounts of security-related metrics. IT teams find themselves drowning in telemetry data, while cybersecurity teams grapple with a deluge of alerts. This abundance of information, however, doesn’t necessarily simplify tasks. In fact, it can be counterproductive as security teams must sift through vast quantities of data to identify meaningful indicators of potential attacks. This information overload can obscure critical signals, potentially delaying response times to genuine threats.

Security Challenge #3

The third challenge is the sobering reality of breach inevitability. Despite best efforts, completely preventing breaches remains an elusive goal. An attack of some type is going to happen one day and such incidents inflict both quantifiable losses and intangible damage to a business’s reputation. The constant barrage of attacks breeds frustration among business leaders and security professionals alike.

Overcoming These Challenges

The persistent threat landscape of our world today necessitates a comprehensive approach encompassing robust detection, rapid response, and resilient recovery mechanisms. While preventing every zero-day attack is unrealistic, organizations can prepare effectively for inevitable incidents. Success in this environment hinges on having security professionals who can discern between relevant and irrelevant risks. It’s about developing the acumen to prioritize threats and allocate resources efficiently.

At WEI, our approach to security projects begins with a deep dive into the customer’s business context and objectives. By thoroughly understanding their business landscape, our security teams craft holistic cybersecurity solutions tailored to each client’s unique needs. This strategy goes beyond merely implementing products or features. It is about delivering comprehensive solutions that drive tangible outcomes and align with the organization’s broader goals.

Watch: Refresh Your Infrastructure Playbook w/HPE Alletra Storage Updates

Just as a defensive driver constantly scans their environment, a security-conscious organization must maintain unwavering vigilance across its entire digital landscape. By proactively identifying and addressing known blind spots, and anticipating emerging and evolving threats, organizations can finally get a handle on protecting the data that drives their business.

If you are ready elevate your cybersecurity posture and navigate the digital landscape with greater confidence, we invite you to reach out to 疯情AV Let us show you how our expertise can transform your security challenges into opportunities for innovation and resilience. Contact us today to begin your journey towards a more secure and prosperous digital future.

Next Steps: In today’s competitive landscape, becoming a data-driven organization is essential for understanding customer needs, driving strategic decisions, and achieving business growth. Every day, WEI helps businesses leverage advanced analytics, big data, IoT, and cloud computing to gain real-time insights and make agile decisions. This transformation enables companies to tailor their offerings, improve customer acquisition and retention, and drive profitability.

Download to discover:

• The definition of data modernization
• The importance of being data-driven
• The power and potential of untapped data
• Why technology should have a human element
• Three cybersecurity challenges for data modernization

The post Overcoming 3 Primary Security Challenges for Data-driven Organizations appeared first on IT 疯情AV Provider - IT Consulting - Technology 疯情AV.

The non-stop digital revolution demands agile and adaptable data center network infrastructures that seamlessly adjust to evolving business needs, accommodate unforeseen circumstances, support distributed architectures, and mitigate security threats continuously.

For long-term success, IT teams require reliable data center operations to ensure service continuity and availability. As it is, many solutions suffer from excessive complexity, delaying value realization. This article explores how an intent-based approach streamlines data center operations to avoid these common pitfalls.

Defining The Role Of Data Centers

Modern data centers are more than server housings; they form the backbone for cloud computing, big data analytics, web applications, hybrid work models, and the Internet of Things (IoT). This evolution transforms data centers into strategic business assets.

Given their critical role, efficient data center design is essential. Traditional designs, often cobbled together, fall short of today’s demands for reliability and cost-efficiency. An effective data center network solution should focus on these key operational goals:

1. Adoption Of A Unified Management Platform
   A unified management platform allows administrators to oversee all functions from a central interface, simplifying the complex web of data center operations. This integration can reduce the chances of errors, improve response times to issues, and provide a holistic view of the entire data center’s performance and health. By consolidating management tools, organizations can significantly cut down on the time and resources spent on training and maintenance.
2. Extensive Automation
   Automating routine tasks such as system updates, backups, and monitoring can dramatically increase efficiency and reduce human error. Automation also frees up IT staff to focus on more strategic tasks, fostering innovation and improving overall productivity. Additionally, automated systems can respond to issues faster than human operators, minimizing downtime and maintaining higher levels of service reliability.
3. Continuous Performance Validation
   By constantly monitoring performance metrics and comparing them to predefined benchmarks, organizations can identify and address potential issues before they escalate. This proactive approach helps maintain optimal performance, reducing the risk of outages, and ensuring that the infrastructure can handle evolving workloads and demands.
4. Powerful Security Measures
   Real-time alerts enable immediate action, mitigating potential damage and maintaining the integrity and confidentiality of data. Comprehensive security strategies should also include regular updates, patches, and employee training to address new vulnerabilities.
5. Component Integration
   Integrated components eliminate compatibility issues and streamline communication between different parts of the system. This cohesion leads to smoother operations, easier troubleshooting, and more straightforward scalability. When every component, from servers to storage and networking equipment, is designed to work in harmony, the entire data center functions more effectively and efficiently, providing a stable foundation for current and future needs.

These goals might seem daunting, but a trusted and proven IT solutions provider such as WEI can help make each of them achievable.

The Need For An Efficient Data Center Network

Intent-based networking (IBN) streamlines data center management by converting business goals – connectivity, security, and performance – into automated configurations, ensuring consistent service and alignment between design and deployment.

During the design and planning stage, known as Day Zero, data center objectives are established, typically including:

• Scalability: Accommodate growth in traffic, applications, and services without a complete redesign.
• High Availability: Ensure continuous operation with minimal downtime.
• Optimized Performance: Efficiently handle the anticipated load with effective traffic management.
• Energy Efficiency: Reduce operating costs and meet sustainability objectives.
• Automated Operations: Minimize manual intervention and human errors.

Achieving these objectives becomes increasingly challenging during Day 2 operations, and throughout the network lifecycle, due to configuration drift, policy overlaps, and hardware refresh cycles.

IBN continuously validates the network’s configuration against its intended design, swiftly identifying and correcting deviations to enhance agility and operational efficiency. It consolidates tasks into a single program, eliminating the need for disparate tools and boosting reliability and cost-effectiveness. This streamlined approach also ensures consistent performance and frees organizations from costly and prohibitive vendor lock-in.

Choosing The Right Partner And Solution

A user-friendly network management solution enables IT teams to free up resources for strategic initiatives. This efficiency arises from a holistic data center network approach requiring:

• Purpose-Built Software: Avoid using multiple, disjointed products with a single, unified platform.
• Intuitive Interface: Simplify network management with a user-friendly, point-and-click interface.
• Full Lifecycle Support: Manage the entire network lifecycle, from design to ongoing maintenance.
• Automated Operations: Reduce manual tasks and human error.
• Intent-Based Analytics: Gain proactive insights and optimize the network for peak performance.

Juniper Apstra architecture simplifies data center network management with its intent-based platform that automates design, deployment, and operations. It features a user-friendly interface for easy configuration, while also being programmable for large-scale automation and orchestration.

Empower Your Data Center Network

Juniper Apstra streamlines data center network design, configuration, and management. Partnering with a trusted IT provider like WEI ensures you maximize these proven benefits:

• : Centralize design, configuration, and operational policies to align with business goals. Built-in templates further streamline service setup for consistent security and resilience.
• Adaptability For Modern Data Centers: Support multi-vendor environments and integrate with popular cloud management tools like Terraform and Ansible for ultimate flexibility.
• Embedded Zero-Trust Security: Secure the network with zero-trust principles, automatic segmentation, and continuous monitoring.
• : Quickly roll back changes to any previous revision, restoring the network to its former state, and providing confidence to make proactive improvements.
• Data-Driven Insights: Experience significant benefits such as a 70% reduction in Mean Time to Response (MTTR), 80% increase in operational efficiency, 90% decrease in time to delivery, and a 320% return on investment (ROI), with a payback period under six months.

Final Thoughts

Implementing IBN in your data center provides significant operational efficiencies and cost savings throughout its lifecycle. WEI, a trusted Juniper Networks partner, has extensive experience in leveraging Juniper Apstra’s transformative capabilities. Our IBN experts understand your data center’s unique needs and can collaborate to achieve optimal outcomes for your facility and business.

To explore how IBN is designed to streamline data center management and support your organization’s success, contact us today for a consultation.

Next Steps: Juniper Apstra’s intent-based networking platform is a single software solution that streamlines and automates the design, deployment, and ongoing management of data center networks. Apstra features a user-friendly, point-and-click interface and offers a programmable interface option for automating and orchestrating services and networks on a large scale.

Download our free tech brief, to learn more about the transformative benefits of Juniper Apstra. Contact our team to help assist you in identifying and realizing the necessary outcomes for your data center and the business it supports.

The post How To Ensure Your Data Center Network Delivers Your Business Goals appeared first on IT 疯情AV Provider - IT Consulting - Technology 疯情AV.

Businesses constantly pursue strategies to enhance their IT infrastructure and leverage data-driven insights to drive growth and innovation. With the rise of insights-driven enterprises, the importance of unlocking the full potential of business data has become increasingly evident.

As businesses embark on this modernization journey, they face various challenges, particularly in areas such as security and data management. To shed light on these burdens, WEI works alongside industry experts to gain valuable insights on data utilization and cybersecurity to guide customers to meaningful IT modernization.

Understanding Pain Points And Embracing Modernization

In a recent WEI podcast focused on IT infrastructure modernization and its critical role in leveraging business data effectively, experts Matt Leal, Shawn Murphy, and former White House CIO Theresa Payton discuss the practicalities and strategic importance of data modernization.

While the benefits of modernization are undeniable, challenges like cybersecurity loom large. Shawn Murphy, Cybersecurity 疯情AV Architect at WEI, emphasizes these burdens:

• Expanding Threat Landscape: With cloud computing, remote work, and SaaS services, the attack surface has become much larger and is constantly changing. This makes it harder to pinpoint what needs protection.
• Data Proliferation: The increase in data collection leads to an extensive attack surface. It could overwhelm security teams with information and hinder their ability to analyze it effectively.
• Inability To Stop All Breaches: News reports may highlight some breaches, but the reality is likely much worse. The FBI estimates that in losses. This doesn’t account for unreported breaches or losses like damaged reputation or privacy violations.

“Proactive measures are crucial,” Murphy explains, as WEI focuses its cybersecurity solutions heavily within the prevention phase. He also highlights the importance of developing useful metrics to measure the effectiveness of cybersecurity initiatives.

Additionally, Matt Leal, Presales 疯情AV Architect at WEI, shares the importance of a holistic solution. “While some industries are more advanced, any organization can progress with the right support. Our customers span various industries. Each has its own challenges, but we provide tailored solutions to overcome them.” Murphy adds that healthcare, for example, has specific data privacy regulations that may hinder cloud adoption. However, partnering with a Value-Added Reseller (VAR) like WEI can help organizations navigate these complexities and accelerate modernization.

Theresa Payton, former White House Chief Information Officer and currently the CEO at , emphasizes the importance of human-centric stories in aligning technology initiatives with business strategies. She believes that understanding the human element is crucial for successful secured digital transformation.

In this context, a strategic and holistic approach to IT modernization takes center stage. Prioritizing robust cybersecurity measures becomes essential to safeguard and enhance business operations.

To connect technology effectively with people, she suggests the following:

• Prioritize The Human Element: Understand who you serve and their needs. Whether it’s employees, customers, or any other user group, identify their goals and challenges.
• Position Technology As A Solution: Instead of merely listing features, explain how technology addresses specific needs and improves the user experience.
• Tailor Your Message: When communicating with executives, frame your message around “secured digital transformation” that supports the human user story.

By keeping the human element at the center and demonstrating how technology serves it, organizations can bridge the gap and ensure that technology empowers the people it’s meant to serve. Understanding your audience and enhancing user experiences are critical steps in achieving organizational goals through advanced solutions.

The Crucial Role of Secure Data Storage

Data-driven insights are now the cornerstone of a successful business strategy. In fact, research shows that enterprises leveraging these insights are . However, complexities mentioned by Murphy can arise from data collection, analysis, and infrastructure management. Trusted partnerships with experienced technology providers, such as the case between HPE and WEI, can be crucial in navigating these hurdles.

Data security should be a paramount concern from the very beginning, meticulously woven into every aspect of the infrastructure, from the initial capture of data all the way through to its disposal. By prioritizing data security throughout the entire process, businesses can ensure they’re building a foundation of trust with their customers and stakeholders.

The concept of “secure by design” aligns with this need. It means cybersecurity is built into technology from the start and seamlessly aligns with business objectives. As we delve into the challenges faced by organizations like yours, our experts also explore the critical security considerations surrounding data storage. Leal reinforces this by pointing out that “modern solutions are often the most secure,”聺 underlining the importance of embracing innovation to combat evolving threats.

One such secure and adaptive modern solution is HPE Alletra. This storage platform is designed for the complexities of the modern IT landscape, functioning as an ally against data breaches. Built on the sturdy foundation of and powered by 4th Generation Intel Xeon Scalable Processors, the Alletra series delivers on performance, scalability, and crucially, security.

By assuming breaches will happen at any time, organizations can build stronger systems. This means having good checks and balances, clear rules for data, and even special techniques to protect it.

While data security is important, Payton argues organizations have a bigger responsibility to protect everyone involved. This means thinking about how data affects people, the risk of breaches, and what they owe those who trust them.

The best companies practice a culture of “care” for data. This ensures it’s always used and stored ethically and responsibly. Organizations need to ask, “Is this data really needed, or are we just collecting it because we can?” A culture of care makes companies consider the ethical side of things too.

Final Thoughts

The key to success in today’s digital world lies in embracing innovation, leveraging data effectively and responsibly, and prioritizing far-left cybersecurity throughout your operations. Navigating modernization isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. WEI can help by offering tailored solutions and expert guidance for businesses, from implementing cutting-edge technologies to developing robust cybersecurity strategies.

Reach out to our experienced team for more insights and assistance on your modernization journey.

Next steps: In a digitally connected hybrid world, security is a shared responsibility. The weakest link can potentially expose everyone connected. That is why HPE has created a vision to make security an inherent part of all operations as it manages more than two million devices and over one exabyte of data through its expansive HPE GreenLake platform.

In this , we identify: 

• Hybrid’s impact on cybersecurity
• HPE’s vision of security
• Siloed vs. shared security
• New approaches to cybersecurity talent
• Creating your own talent pipeline
• Resilience through Zero Trust

Download:

The post How Data Storage and Security Drive IT Modernization appeared first on IT 疯情AV Provider - IT Consulting - Technology 疯情AV.

In today’s hyper business climate, companies need to be faster and more agile in order to stay ahead of the competition. To keep up, IT decision-makers are looking for efficient ways to improve operations and reduce costs. Hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) is a popular solution but comes with some compromises such as higher costs or limited built-in data protection. HPE SimpliVity offers an alternative that provides the same hyperconvergence experience without sacrificing performance. Keep reading to discover more about this revolutionary technology!

What Is HPE SimpliVity?

HPE SimpliVity is an innovative HCI solution that simplifies IT operations, from edge to core. As an all-in-one platform for general-purpose workloads and VDI applications at the edges, it offers scalability in deployment so customers can start small and grow as needed – a major benefit in a hybrid-heavy workforce. Its packed data services enable efficient resource utilization while reducing complexity and overhead costs.

Video: Cheers To Backup & Recovery As A Service With HPE

This platform also offers an easy-to-use, two-node, high-availability system with built-in data protection and hyper-efficient storage for edge sites and data centers – all at a reduction of the total cost of ownership. , businesses can simplify the management of virtualized storage and will enjoy unified control over all IT operations in one efficient system.

Benefits Of HPE GreenLake for HPE SimpliVity

is also transforming IT by offering managed services as a pay-per-use model. HPE GreenLake for HPE SimpliVity allows organizations to now build their own VM as a service platform with ease. Additionally, with HPE GreenLake Central, organizations can track capabilities for consumption and costs, and it is easier to accelerate the value of application deployments while avoiding costly upfront investments. This provides an excellent opportunity for digital transformation with no overprovisioning needed, which also saves enterprises 30% in savings.

Four Ways HPE SimpliVity Is Creating A New Standard For HCI

1. All-In-One Solution

With its all-in-one intelligent solution, HPE SimpliVity simplifies the deployment and scaling process, streamlines management tasks through software-defined infrastructure, unifies control systems, and automates policies. The best part? It is powered by AI for a truly seamless experience.

This all-in-one HCI solution also provides an easy and fast way to deploy virtual or container-based workloads across your environment. With its rapid deployment capabilities, zero downtime refresh cycles, and modular systems for scaling up as needed, HPE SimpliVity is the perfect solution for any business looking to quickly adjust their IT infrastructure in response to changing demands.

Furthermore, for HPE SimpliVity enables businesses to predict and diagnose infrastructure issues with powerful telemetry, machine learning capabilities, and automated alerts. It provides a multi-site view of all VMs and backups complete with insights on hardware and software problems and recommendations for corrective action. This reduces operational expenses and alleviates support needs.

2. High Availability With Two Nodes

HPE SimpliVity is designed to enable continuous operations while saving you money and valuable space. This is achieved by using just two nodes, reducing the number of appliances required along with a smaller data center footprint. Furthermore, it meets SLAs through protection against multiple failures and uptime across multiple sites, via stretched clustering technology.

3. Incorporated Data Protection

HPE SimpliVity is the perfect choice for data protection, guaranteeing resiliency and disaster recovery. It has powerful capabilities such as VM backups anytime and anywhere with a or less. Also, with its secure cloud bank backup options to reduce costs and risks, organizations can mitigate ransomware threats while enjoying maximum safety of valuable data.

4. Increased Efficiency

With the help of HPE SimpliVity, expect to experience frequent backups with quick restores in addition to longer retention periods and faster recovery times using lightweight VMs. This innovative HCI solution saves of capacity on storage combined with guaranteed backup. Multi-site disaster recovery becomes more efficient due to a need for ten times fewer WAN links. This ultimately allows businesses to save money by reducing the amount of data sent over the network while minimizing expensive resources used within their data centers.

Final Thoughts

Organizations facing limited resources are turning to hyperconverged infrastructures as an effective solution for their business-critical applications. HPE SimpliVity is the perfect HCI tool that helps organizations save costs while meeting distributed edge requirements with ease. Get in touch with WEI today and consult one of our experts on how to reap the full benefits of a hyperconverged infrastructure.

Next Steps: WEI and HPE/Zerto recently welcomed Rachel Wilson for an exclusive IT security discussion. Rachel currently serves as the director of cybersecurity for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management and is a former NSA senior executive. Experts from WEI and HPE also provided data protection and disaster recovery options to help combat cyber threats to your organization, data, and self. Learn more by watching the full webcast below.

The post HPE SimpliVity And The Advantages Of HCI Without Compromise appeared first on IT 疯情AV Provider - IT Consulting - Technology 疯情AV.

For most businesses, strategizing for 2023 began well before the ball dropped for the New Year. This period of assessment always includes a thorough review of company budget, and identifying sensible investments for the year ahead. Whether you lead a medium-sized business or proudly serve a Fortune 500 enterprise, the number one goal is maximizing profit while minimizing costs.

IT is usually a hot topic during such strategy periods as technological costs yield a substantial expense for enterprises. It is no surprise that many executives often choose to make revisions to their IT environments as a result. Thankfully, the can help in that regard. At a high level, GreenLake offers customers financial flexibility and assists enterprises in identifying the resources and support they need with unforced growth.

In this blog post, we discuss the benefits of this increased flexibility and if 2023 is the right time for your company to switch over to GreenLake’s budget-friendly consumption model.

Improve Cybersecurity With Consistent Rollout Management

In our experience, one of the most common issues for medium and large businesses alike is keeping their system upgrades and patches up to date. Often, these rollouts require manual work by IT support teams and never quite make their way to the priority list. Not performing these software updates hurts performance as bugs are not corrected and security vulnerabilities remain hidden.

So, why do so many enterprises delay rollouts and leave themselves open to these kinds of attacks? In many cases, the biggest obstacle is the budget.

Because enterprises must prioritize other business expenses, many enterprises will wait for the next capital influx before they implement the necessary upgrades. Unfortunately, in many cases, that influx never happens. As a result, the IT environments of these businesses are left wide open to malicious events like malware. This is especially true when many of your employees access applications and data remotely.

That is where HPE GreenLake comes in. The platform delivers its entire business portfolio using an as-a-service model. With this model and help from WEI, businesses can subscribe to consistent services for a monthly rate rather than needing to wait to accrue an overwhelming lump sum.

This means that enterprises can continuously keep their systems updated without worrying about sudden spikes in their expenses. With this continuous support from both HPE and WEI, businesses can rest assured that their data is secure and critical patching tasks are automated.

GreenLake Prevents Over-Consumption

One of the primary challenges the as-a-service model addresses is over-provisioning and paying more than what’s required for your IT environment. As your business grows, your needs will most likely change. With HPE GreenLake, enterprises can modulate their IT environment to match their growing needs. And if your enterprise does not grow, the team at WEI will closely monitor your operations and have a plan in place for when growth does occur. And if you find that you are not using the resources you were given, you can decrease your subscription, something that is easier to address with HPE’s actual metered usage.

Strengthen And Maintain Your IT Workforce

The IT industry has not been immune to the changes brought about by the Great Resignation. As many enterprises can attest, it has been difficult to employ a higher skill level within the IT industry. Many businesses have to divert financial resources to training new employees who can keep the back-ends of their organizations functioning. From the look of things, this trend is projected to continue in 2023.

HPE GreenLake offers continual support that you can count on to alleviate the challenges of employee turnover. That way, if new team members join your enterprise in 2023, you can focus their attention on the areas that better align with business objectives.

Conclusion

Research indicates that spending in the IT industry is expected to grow by 5.1 percent to a total of $4.6 trillion in 2023. Set your business up for success in 2023 by finding a solution that works best for you. Whether you are a small business or an established enterprise, HPE GreenLake has a solution for you.

If you would like some help identifying what systems are right for you, WEI can get you started.Contact us today to figure out what tools are the right fit for you!

Next Steps: IT leaders everywhere are quickly realizing the powerful potential of HPE GreenLake as a premiere edge to cloud platform. The consumption model offers valuable predictability and manageability that allows IT leaders to get the most out of current resources and prevent costly over-provisioning. Discover how it makes sense for enterprises both financially and operationally by downloading our free tech brief below.

The post Let The Cloud Come To You With Financial Flexibility, Unforced Growth appeared first on IT 疯情AV Provider - IT Consulting - Technology 疯情AV.

To build a lasting house, you must first build a strong foundation. Without a strong foundation, you cannot build whatever you desire on it. The same principle can be applied to a data center. A data center requires a well-designed and stable infrastructure that offers the required agility to accommodate dynamically changing technology environments. Ultimately, this ensures greater longevity.

Meaningful Intention From Day One

Your company isn’t driven by technology, but by conducting good business. Your company’s mission statement, its goals, and objectives also derive around the intentions of the business. Shouldn’t your data center be driven by those intentions as well? Your competitors have access to the same technology as you. The differentiator today is how your technology is implemented so that it maximizes the full business potential of your organization. In today’s digitally transformed world, your applications are the tools of business. Maximum resiliency of your network infrastructure is critical for the success of your business operations.

Intent-based networking (IBN) utilizes artificial intelligence, machine learning, and orchestration to ensure that the data center remains true to the intentions of the business. is an IBN software-enabled solution that uses automation to prescribe and perform routing tasks and policies so that every component and dependency is on the same page. Should the data center color outside the lines of business intent, Juniper Apstra alerts team members and performs automated remediation if applicable, to ensure that things return as they should.

Purposeful Configuration

Nobody enjoys the process of manually configuring network devices, yet legacy networks rely on this ancient and mundane practice. Ultimately, this action opens the door to human error. Early attempts at automating these tasks were utilizing the same networking approach that required network engineers and administrators to specify configuration as a series of sequenced actions that told devices what they should do. Instead, IBN uses a declarative networking approach that defines the desired result.

Juniper Apstra takes business outcomes described by humans and converts them into configurations that are automatically generated and deployed to their rightful location. Because the system knows the desired outcome for each specific configuration, it continually works to maintain those outcomes through whatever challenge may present itself. Call it configuration with a purpose that is void of fat fingering and neglectful configuration errors that plague manual configuration deployments.

The Main Challenge With Traditional Data Center Implementation

In many ways, the traditional data center was a labyrinth of technology complexity that was comprised of shortcomings. Inefficient design processes made data center management highly reactionary because of elongated time periods required to implement or scale technology. The proprietary nature of legacy data centers resulted in vendor lock that restricted the ability of enterprises to adapt their technology to changing business conditions.

Eventually, these proprietary systems created silos that restricted workflows and required highly specialized skill sets that are now proving difficult to find and retain. IT teams lacked the necessary visibility to truly understand what was happening in a data center that boasted so many moving parts and interdependencies. Even when visibility was attainable, it required IT teams to swivel between multiple admin consoles, creating critical gaps in monitoring abilities.

Day Zero Cost

What does all this have to do with Day Zero costs? Well, everything. According to a recent study by Forrester that examined the economic impact of Juniper Apstra, companies that used Juniper’s IBN data center solution experienced significant cost savings. That’s because scoping and design time were reduced by 60% thanks to the reduced number of FTE hours required to design and prepare for these mammoth projects. This means a faster time to market for your data center and an accelerated ROI. Forrester estimates that the average organization using Juniper Apstra could implement a new data center in half the time of their existing data center, and realize a Zero Day savings rate of $73,000 in the first two years.

Future Dividends of Juniper Apstra

Many investors love stocks that pay tangible dividends because of regular return on investment. It’s the same with Juniper’s IBN approach. By ensuring that every infrastructure device is configured correctly the first time through step-by-step validation, your Juniper Apstra design will continue to pay dividends across the full life of the data center. Enforced and automated validation leads to greater stability and uptime, which means that your mission critical apps are operating more. The Forrester study cited a reduced implementation time by as much as 83%. Additionally, there are the benefits of managing a multivendor solution environment from a single admin console as well as the decreased reliance on IT teams to monitor and troubleshoot the network infrastructure.

Conclusion

Data center efficiency, stability, scalability, and resiliency begins on Day Zero, which is why an IBN approach from the very outset of your next data center project is so critical. Juniper Apstra incorporates AI, network orchestration and machine learning to ensure that every step involved in your next data center implementation is purposely intentioned and validated so that it works for the benefit of your business from beginning to end.

Next Steps: to learn how Juniper Apstra relieves the pain points mentioned above, staying the course with your network, and how to achieve cost savings across your network’s lifecycle.

The post Proving Its Value: A Day Zero Cost Analysis of Juniper Apstra appeared first on IT 疯情AV Provider - IT Consulting - Technology 疯情AV.

This summer and fall, our team has written a great deal on how Juniper Networks’ intent-based networking (IBN) technology is helping companies automate the configuration, deployment, and management of enterprise data center components. We’ve identified how IBN validates the operational state of the network to ensure that it matches its slated intentions. That’s important because in the end, your technology investments are only effective if they further the business objectives of the organization. IBN prevents your technology directives from going adrift.

But what about security? Security must always be part of any discussion involving new technology solutions due to the prevalence of cyberattacks that originate from an ever-expanding threat landscape. The increasing risk factors that companies face today are forcing them to adapt zero-trust security strategies to reduce their threat exposure. Juniper Apstra not only complies with a zero-trust security mandate, but it also helps enforce it.

Automation

Let’s roll the imaginary film and picture a typical bank robbery or museum heist in which the burglars case the building to study the patterned behavior of security guards and other personnel. People are the weak links in any security situation. It is why cybercriminals rely so heavily on phishing attacks to deliver their malicious code and malware payloads. One way to reduce your attack surface and attain greater security is by automating as many manual processes as possible.

This automation should start with device configuration as manual configuration opens the door to fat fingering or leaving checkboxes neglected by mistake. Juniper Asptra will create your configurations automatically, validate those configurations, and then deploy properly so you know they are done correctly the first time. This is also good for large, scaled implementations.

Next comes the policies that govern your traffic flows. IBN converts business language into applicable network rules so that the emphasis is placed on business objectives rather than network protocols. You can also pre-stage your security policies, allowing your team to visualize their impact and take appropriate recourse, if necessary.

Complete Visibility

You can’t protect what you can’t see. Juniper Apstra gives you a holistic view of your data center environment that allows you to not only see what is in your data center, but to also visually understand how all the pieces relate to one another. Juniper Apstra’s monitoring orchestrator can keep your IT teams informed of suspicious events such as the creation of new agents, processes, or connections. When such events are identified, the IBN system will immediately issue alerts to your team and roll back the changes automatically if desired.

System Uptime

Threat actors don’t implement their primary attack immediately upon their entry into a network. Instead, they spend an appropriate amount of time conducting reconnaissance to identify high-value targets and learn what security tools and measures you have in place to protect them. These invaders will often implement one or more preliminary attacks on your backup systems and security systems to take them out of commission, thus improving the odds of their primary attack. Juniper Apstra can monitor all the components in your security arsenal to ensure that they remain up and operational to protect your environment. Now your security systems can’t be meddled with without your knowledge.

Network Segmentation

While zero-trust security is the goal, chances are, some type of threat will inevitably penetrate your IT estate. That’s why resiliency is a primary objective. Network segmentation helps ensure resiliency by keeping ransomware, trojans and other types of malicious code at bay. Intent-based segmentation interprets business and security requirements and converts them into segmentation policies that spans your entire distributed network. It can isolate applications and other privileged areas from standards users and workloads. This will curb the spread of a malware attack, giving your IT security teams ample time to thwart the invasion. Juniper Apstra delivers network segmentation at scale and continually validates these segmentation policies to adjust them in real time, if necessary.

Confirmed Traffic Patterns

In an IBN, everything is driven by intent, and that includes your network traffic flows. Juniper Apstra gives you the visibility to see the actual traffic flows of your network. Know where traffic is originating and where it is going regardless of its encryption status. You can’t spot anomalies if you cannot identify what your typical traffic flows look like.

More Time for Innovation

By automating your configuration, deployment and monitoring tasks, your IT staff has more time to spend on cybersecurity initiatives such as disaster recovery efforts, incident response plans, and what-if scenarios. Juniper Apstra allows your IT staff to swap out the mundane manual tasks that they don’t like anyway for value added projects that there was never time to do before.

Conclusion

Intent-based networking translates into intent-based security. Through automation, enhanced visibility, alert management and policy-based segmentation, Juniper Apstra can help deliver the zero-trust security that security minded organizations are vying for today. Find out how Juniper Apstra not only delivers on greater productivity and efficiencies within the data center, but security as well.

Next Steps: to learn how Juniper Apstra relieves the pain points mentioned above, staying the course with your network, and how to achieve cost savings across your network’s lifecycle.

The post Zero-Trust Security Strategy With Juniper Networks’ Intent-Based Networking appeared first on IT 疯情AV Provider - IT Consulting - Technology 疯情AV.

Enterprise technology vendors bombard IT leaders everywhere with messaging that emphasizes the value or added value that their solutions provide. However, value is an open-ended term, and as a consequence, eventually loses its effectiveness.

On the other hand, measured value is a whole other matter. The ability to assign a quantitative value to a respective solution allows for more informed decision making. That’s why Juniper Networks commissioned to conduct a Total Economic Impact (TEI) study to examine the potential return on investment (ROI) that an organization might realize from a Juniper Apstra deployment.

Juniper Apstra is an intent-based networking (IBN) software-based solution that automates and validates everyday processes that make up the design, deployment, and operational stages of a large data center. The stages are often referred to as Day 0 through Day 2+. While it certainly works with other Juniper Network switches and products, it is vendor agnostic, thus providing deployment and management agility for those that utilize it.

In its study, Forrester interviewed four separate enterprises and then aggregated the collected data into a single composite organization. This organization utilized two major production centers, employed 7,500 people, and earned $3 billion in annual revenue. Prior to their Juniper Apstra implementations, all four organizations struggled with the typical challenges faced by many enterprises today:

• Inefficient design processes
• Overreliance on manual configuration tasks
• Endless event tracking
• Perpetual system updates that absorbed too much time away from understaffed IT teams

Day 0: Design Cost Savings

Time is money, especially when quantifying the time spent for an elongated IT project. The Forrester study showed that Juniper Apstra reduced the number of FTE hours required in the design phase of a new data center by 60%. By shrinking requirement scoping and design time, Forrester was able to quantify a savings of $73,000 within the first two years. Much of these savings were due to the preconfigured templates that designers can utilize without any preparation on their part. After all, you don’t want your high-priced engineers creating their own templates.

Day 1: Deployment Savings

Deployments never seem to go as smoothly as expected. Thankfully, Juniper Apstra can ensure that the deployment of your data center goes as planned. That’s because every device configuration is validated before deployment to ensure that the results match the intent of the configuration. Configurations are automatically generated so there’s no opportunity of fat fingering a device. Juniper Apstra also ensures that all cabling is in place correctly.

To sum up Day 1, Apstra eliminates all the “gotchas” that usually plague deployments. And all those “gotchas” represent real, precious dollars. The Forrester study estimates that implementation time can be reduced from 24 hours to 2 hours, per device, equating to a cost savings of $72,000 over the course of three years.

Day 2: Operational Savings

The brunt of savings takes place once the data center is operational, $448,000 to be exact, according to the study. Much of these savings is due to the reduced reliance on senior-level engineers that data centers have traditionally depended on to remain running. Forrester estimates that organizations can expect a 60% reduction in FTE hours, equating to nearly 2,500 labor hours less per year for their composite organization. That’s because so many actions can be automated with the Juniper Apstra platform. No more script writing or swiveling admin consoles to multitask!

Tool Replacement Cost Savings

IT teams have traditionally used multiple third-party tool sets to manage the data center. Forrester assigned a license cost of $80,000 as the average annual license cost per tool. On average, Juniper Apstra replaces two legacy tools that also provide far more functionality. In addition, IT personnel don’t have to be trained in future third party tools and managers don’t have to spend time procuring them. All of this constitutes a sizable expected savings rate of $358,107 over a three-year period.

Creating Real, Measurable Value

The Juniper Apstra intent-based networking solution is an example of the commitment that Juniper has toward creating real, measurable value for its customers. This is substantiated by a study conducted by IDC in which they interviewed companies worldwide that have deployed Juniper products and technology solutions in their data centers. Organizations that participated in the study had just over 5,400 IT users on average and hosted 100 business applications. In addition to non-quantitative benefits such as greater agility and reliability, IDC calculated a savings of $51,121 per 100 internal application users, constituting a $2.77 million savings on average. Study participants experienced a 361% ROI over 5 years, a 56% cost reduction in operational costs and an 11-month payback period.

Conclusion

While value may be a relative term, the measurable value that Juniper delivers with their product line is substantiated and quantified. Juniper Apstra is the latest example of how intent-based networking is revolutionizing how companies design, deploy and manage the modernized data center today. Of course, cost savings should never be the sole reason to decide on a technology solution. The value of Juniper Apstra goes far beyond any quantifiable formula.

Juniper Apstra ensures that the intent of your data center matches your business intentions so that your data center performs as first envisioned. With Juniper Apstra, you can realize the power of intent along with the cost savings of automated analytics. Find out more about this powerful combination by contacting a WEI IBN expert today.

Next Steps: to learn how Juniper Apstra relieves the pain points mentioned above, staying the course with your network, and how to achieve cost savings across your network’s lifecycle.

The post Four Ways IBN Creates Measurable Business Value appeared first on IT 疯情AV Provider - IT Consulting - Technology 疯情AV.

Modernized data centers require a great deal of investment and planning to be implemented and deployed correctly. As an IT leader, you must deploy the data center properly from the outset and ensure that it operates the way it was intended across its entire lifecycle. Otherwise, your enterprise will never realize its full potential and miss out on valuable ROI. While there are many challenges in building, operating, and supporting a data center today, we have identified five highly preventable pain points that companies find themselves struggling with today. The good news is that today’s intent-based networking (IBN) solutions such as Juniper Apstra can permanently relieve these common pain points.

1. Budget and Resource Limitations

Over the past two years, nearly every business has contended with limitations in the form of personnel shortages or limited supply chains. The higher cost of borrowing and financing further accentuates the challenge of starting a new data center project. Companies can no longer afford the traditional practice of overprovisioning. Instead, they need a holistic view that proactively determines predicted demands and match it with proportional resource capacities in real time. Additionally, data centers can no longer be dependent on manual processes because understaffed IT teams don’t have the means to constantly put out fires, troubleshoot, or update systems every day.

By leveraging advanced tool sets that are backed by automated analytics and machine learning, small IT staffs comprised of skilled personnel can get more out of your data center with less. IBN can vastly reduce the time it takes to plan and implement a data center. It can streamline and automate common operational tasks such as:

• Upgrades
• Configuration changes
• Monitoring
• Remediation

As a result, data center operations are no longer limited by your shorthanded IT staff or budget limitations.

2. Agility

Just as server virtualization allowed companies to escape the inelastic nature of hardware systems, companies need to find other ways to inject greater agility into their data centers. The agile approach to software development has accelerated the pace of new releases and updates to systems and applications. Companies must now ensure that their data centers can keep pace as well. Unfortunately, too many companies remain saddled with technical debt, brittle legacy technologies, and poor visibility into their IT estates. But speed is only part of the equation, however. IT teams must have a means of predicting the results of accelerated configuration changes in advance to ensure that new services and configurations are deployed carefully.

Only intelligent automation can keep pace with the fluid nature of software code. Because Juniper Apstra is technology agnostic, it can orchestrate multiple devices using prescribed templates and automation. Proposed designs and configuration changes can also be validated prior to deployment, giving admin teams the proper insight into the impact of those changes. This ensures that the end results are indeed matching the original intentions. Data centers might be composed of brick and mortar, but IBN will elasticize them.

3. Poor Reliability

Manually dependent processes are suspect to human error. That’s just a fact. A frivolous fat finger configuration mistake could invoke real consequences that disrupt your enterprise’s critical workflows. Human dependency also occurs when configurations aren’t documented or mapped out. Thus, when a key member of your team leaves, a valuable knowledge base walks out the door with them. Given this transient era of employment, perhaps this pain point rings a little louder.

can improve datacenter reliability by taking the human element out of as many basic processes as possible. By automating and validating these tasks, the chance of error is vastly reduced. Once deployed, every validated change is documented as part of a bigger process that maps out the entire inner workings of your data center. This gives all members of your staff equal access to all information.

4. Slow Deployments

Slow and steady is no longer applicable in a 24/7 world. You must stay ahead of your competition, both from a business perspective as well as a technological one. Being towards the end of the pack results in lost opportunities and increased costs. Whether you need to implement an entire data center or deploy a simple system update, Juniper Apstra can reduce the necessary provisioning time to get the job done quickly, while ensuring that it is done correctly as well.

5. Lack of Infrastructure choice

Everyone likes having options no matter the scenario. Options create opportunities that lead to success. Unfortunately, when you let a single vendor dictate your technology choices, you essentially surrender your freedom of choice. Contrary to what they believe, what is good for your top vendor isn’t necessarily good for you. There is real value in having a system controller for your data center, but only if it has the flexibility to support multiple vendors and devices. Juniper Apstra integrates with some of the biggest vendor names in the hardware and software industries including Cisco, Arista, Microsoft, Cumulus Networks, and of course, Juniper Networks.

Conclusion

You may not be currently contending with all these common pain points, but there’s probably one or two worth relating to. And as every scenario can be different, you probably have other pain points not mentioned here. Whatever the case, an IBN approach can help you alleviate them. IBN is a new concept, and one that can’t be fully understood in a single blog. That’s why we invite you to speak with one of our IBN experts at WEI that can fully explain this new empowering way to design, implement and manage next data center project.

Next Steps: to learn how Juniper Apstra relieves the pain points mentioned above, staying the course with your network, and how to achieve cost savings across your network’s lifecycle.

The post Five Data Center Pain Points That IBN Solves appeared first on IT 疯情AV Provider - IT Consulting - Technology 疯情AV.

Ethernet VPN-Virtual Extensible LAN (EVPN-VXLAN) is a network virtualization technology that supports large enterprise and multi-tenant environments. While single-vendor, chassis-based technologies may suffice for most traditional campus network architectures, they are not agile enough to support the scalability and expanding needs of today’s modern enterprises. EVPN-VXLAN/IP enables businesses to virtually connect geographically dispersed locations using Layer 2 (L2) bridging. It is ideal for data center interconnections, large campus environments, cloud-ready networks, and environments required to support substantially large numbers of endpoint devices.

What is EVPN-VXLAN?

Just as TCP/IP is a suite composed of the TCP and IP protocols, EVPN and VXLAN are separate components in themselves. EVPN serves as the control plane, using BPG extensions to transmit MAC address information. By moving the MAC learning process to the control plane, it avoids the flooding that is characteristic of traditional L2 networks in which the MAC tables must be constantly updated. It serves as a unifying overlay that accommodates resources from different data centers in much the same way that application containers float across virtual host servers.

VXLAN is an industry standard virtualization overlay protocol that expands the L2 network address space from 4,000 separate identities to 16 million. It is vendor neutral and switches that support it encapsulate L2 frames into L3 packets. VXLAN networks utilize spine-leaf switch architectures. Spine layer switches are used to pass traffic through leaf switches and are not VXLAN aware. On the other hand, leaf layer switches perform the VXLAN functionality and interconnect the spine to the array of endpoints. This dual layer topology is better suited for east-west traffic flows and provides increased redundancy as every leaf switch connects to every spine switch. It also negates the need for the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) configuration while still preventing loops.

Advantages of EVPN-VXLAN

A network overlay approach is essential in the era of computer mobility. This sense of mobility isn’t just present amongst client devices, but applications as well. Today’s applications are deployed onto virtual machines or containers that can stretch across multiple locations. This necessitates the need for a seamless mobility model that is flexible enough to continually support communications between application endpoints. This is regardless of where they are at the time. Pertinent advantages of EVPN/VXLAN/IP include:

1. Scalability: EVPN/VXLAN/IP makes it easy to add core, distribution, and access switches to the network without redesigning the underlaying network, allowing a campus fabric to significantly scale out to accommodate the influx of additional endpoints and traffic.
2. Flexibility: The open standards-based architecture of EVPN/VXLAN/IP ensures backwards and forwards interoperability, This makes it is easy to integrate into multiple networks.
3. Greater Security: Granular network segmentation of devices along with the ability to create group-based security policies provide greater control of end-user traffic while limiting the attack radius of suspicious traffic.
4. Improved Performance and Resiliency: Latency is reduced as every destination within the spine-leaf topology is never more than two hops away. Due to multiple active-active redundant links, the failure of a single spine or leaf will not disrupt the network.
5. Simplicity: Operational complexity is reduced as IT can easily configure the same VLANs across multiple buildings and sites.

Juniper Apstra Automated Data Center Migration Service

Planning a migration to a large enterprise environment that utilizes EVPN-VXLAN/IP is a mammoth endeavor and implementing one for the first time instills a substantial learning curve. The good news is that can make it easier regardless of your experience with network overlays. The service gives your IT team access to data center deployment experts who employ proven, best practice implementation methodologies and tools. The result is faster completion times, reduced deployment risks, and reduced costs. The Juniper Apstra service supports multiple migration scenarios:

• Move an existing Juniper EVPN-VXLAN/IP fabric data center network to one that is managed with Juniper Apstra.
• Upgrade from an existing legacy Juniper non-IP fabric data center to an EVPN-VXLAN/IP fabric data center managed with Juniper Apstra.
• Transition an existing non-Juniper fabric production data center to a Juniper EVPN-VXLAN/IP fabric data center managed with Juniper.

Harnessing this level of expertise in your next project also ensures that your future network environment remains aligned with assigned priorities such as minimal downtime and secure but efficient traffic flows.

Conclusion

In the same way that EVPN/VXLAN/IP segments and simplifies even the largest of networks, Juniper Apstra breaks down your next fabric data center project into distinct phases that make help ensure that your project is completed in an orderly fashion. Because Juniper Apstra is an , your next data center is sure to align with the business objectives of your organization. Learn how Juniper and EVPN/VXLAN/IP can add scalability, simplicity, and security to your next data center fabric.

Next Steps: Whether you are responding to evolving workloads and performance needs or changing scalability and resiliency requirements, chances are your enterprise will undergo a data center migration at some point. Download our white paper, and learn:

• The challenges of inevitable data center migrations
• How to incrementally build and validate blueprints
• How Juniper Apstra executes your intent
• Apstra automated data center deployment service

The post 5 Advantages Of A Juniper EVPN-VXLAN/IP Network appeared first on IT 疯情AV Provider - IT Consulting - Technology 疯情AV.

The common idiom, “Be as easy as one-two-three” is well embedded into our culture. It denotes that something is easy, simple, or intuitive enough to the point that it doesn’t require a serious amount of skill or effort. In turn, having the capability to break complex projects into shorter, more digestible three-step processes is something that modern professionals desire.

Enter Juniper Networks and its acquisition of Something that Juniper set out to achieve with their acquisition is taking on the mammoth task of creating a modernized data center and simplifying it. Juniper Apstra is a software-only, multi-vendor, intent-based networking solution that helps IT teams design and operate a modern day data center or campus fabric. Ultimately, it provides an organized means to help ensure that your project falls well within its projected window and meets your prescribed business objectives.

The Power of Intent-Based Networking

A lot of time is spent on advocating for the benefits of intent-based networking. Juniper Apstra helps translate business intent and technical objectives into policies and device configurations. This ensures that the data center is servicing the needs of your business. We are well past the era of technology wagging the tail of the dog. Business must drive technology today, and that starts with the data center. At WEI, we’ve talked a lot about the advantages of a network that is intent-based driven. Juniper Apstra is the only intent-based networking technology that is vendor agnostic for both hardware and device operating system. But you can’t tell the full story of Apstra without mentioning how it breaks a data center project into incremental chunks comprised of these same three steps: create, validate, and deploy.

Everything Must be Validated

It is relatively easy to create something. The challenge is creating something that meets your initial expectations. If not, the creation process is wasted. That’s where validation comes in. If your data center must match up with the objectives and needs of the business it supports, then every idea must be validated before it becomes implemented. For example, Apstra uses pre-condition validation to substantiate an initial request such as a new VLAN or security policy by examining all possible repercussions and whether the predicted result aligns with the initial intent.

Validation can also be extended into operations as well. For instance, is it okay to put a virtual host server into maintenance mode at this precise moment? Then we have post-condition validation, or what Apstra refers to as real-time expectations validation. Here, Apstra utilizes telemetry data and analytics to perform real-time validation checks to ensure that the proposed change achieved the desired result. In summary, every action affects the data center must first be validated before being deployed. It’s then continually validated until an instance occurs that no longer matches the original intent for its creation, which constitutes a new change.

Rinse And Repeat

We are not alluding that designing, creating, or operating a data center is easy. Today’s data centers are highly complex with many moving parts. And that’s where the is found – the solution breaks your project into standard phases with each phase comprised of specific activities. For instance, the end objective during the design phase is to create a blueprint. During the blueprint creation process, the necessary device and policy configurations are created automatically and then validated. Once validated, the designer can then commit them to the configuration at which time they are pushed out as an abstraction layer that is vendor neutral. Once the vendor models have been defined, Apstra will utilize zero-touch provisioning to configure all your devices while reducing the chance for human error.

The blueprint creation process is broken into multiple phases. You may want to begin by outlining your required leaf and spine switches and defining their ports. Next, you’ll design your racks, detailing things such as subnet allocation schemes, layer 2 application segments and layer 3 routing domains. You can then make rack accommodations for your servers. Each individual rack can be saved as a template that can be used repeatedly to save time. Before a template is saved, Apstra reviews it to ensure that you have all ports accounted for and that every server has pre-conditioned connectivity. All of this is done using an easy-to-use graphical user interface that makes it simple to maneuver and manage.

The entire blueprint creation process is a constant cycle of create, validate, and deploy. This rinse and repeat process reduces the need for costly troubleshooting down the road once items are in place because everything has been properly tested beforehand. Think of Apstra as your test environment — without the expense of creating one. Of course, there is bound to be a glitch or two, but the automated perpetual testing of the Apstra system will be detected and notify you.

Conclusion

When you build a data center, it is important to stay focused on the big picture. It is not about configuring devices, but rather configuring the entire fabric of your data center to ensure optimum operability. This is what Apstra does. It provides the disciplined simplicity that IT support teams yearn for today, and WEI can help your team realize this.

Next Steps: Whether you are responding to evolving workloads and performance needs or changing scalability and resiliency requirements, chances are your enterprise will undergo a data center migration at some point. Download our white paper, and learn:

• The challenges of inevitable data center migrations
• How to incrementally build and validate blueprints
• How Juniper Apstra executes your intent
• Apstra automated data center deployment service

The post Create, Validate, Deploy: Apstra’s 3-Step Process appeared first on IT 疯情AV Provider - IT Consulting - Technology 疯情AV.

Rome wasn’t built in a day and There’s a great deal of complexity and moving parts to consider along with many potential pain points that cause delays. That’s why the design phase is so critical. Whether you are constructing a data center or erecting a building, you need a blueprint to guide your crew throughout the process. A data center blueprint is more than just drawing equipment racks with mounted devices. It needs to include granular details such as IP address pools, VLAN IDs, routing protocols, and security policies – all of which must be pushed out in the form of configuration settings for all interconnected devices.

Sounds like an arduous process, doesn’t it? It can be if you don’t have a system in place to guide you. We’ve identified to be that essential system that provides the needed guidance, however. It’s an intent-based multi-vendor solution that automates and validates the process of designing and deploying your next data center project. Juniper Apstra will also assist you in operating and managing your data center throughout its life cycle, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet.

The Basic Process of Juniper Apstra

There are two fundamental aspects of the intent-based networking platform for creating a blueprint: intent fulfillment and intent assurance. Intent fulfillment means defining what the intent is so that the data center aligns properly with business objectives. Meanwhile, intent assurance involves validating the design elements before any configurations or settings are deployed. The entire process can be segmented into these five steps:

1. Define the intent for the project.
2. Translate intent into a series of prescriptive network configurations.
3. Verify that the changes are valid prior to deployment.
4. Deploy the verified configurations.
5. Monitor the network state to ensure continuous compliance with the intent and make changes, if necessary.

Juniper Apstra installs on more than just one virtual machine and is accessed using a web browser. You then start the blueprint creation process using preconfigured or custom templates. As the blueprint is created, Apstra creates the necessary configurations for your devices.

Designing Your Switches and Servers

The initial design steps are created using an abstraction layer that eliminates vendor dependencies. Here, you will define your spine and leaf switches as well as your servers as logical devices. For switches, you will specify details such as port count, port speed, and how the ports are to be used. For instance, you can require that the highest port number of every switch should always use 10 GB. Once these specifications are defined, you can choose amongst a list of multiple switch vendor models that comply with your stated specifications. You can then move on to servers. You only need to create one logical server to represent each server type, so you specify the details just once.

Designing Your Racks

Once your logical switches and servers are created you can go about laying out your racks. You can do this using existing templates, which you can modify to your needs. Like servers, you can design a rack once and use that design as many times as needed from then on. You can start inserting your spine and leaf switches followed by your servers. Once a rack has been completed, Apstra validates the number of available switchports to match your connectivity requirements and ensure that all servers have a connection. Once a rack is completed, you can save it as a template to be used again.

Defining Resource Pools

All your devices need their underlying resources pools. Apstra has four types of resource pools: IPv4 addresses, IPv6 addresses, ASN numbers and VLAN IDs. These pools will later be assigned to devices during the deployment stage. You define IPv4 addresses for things such as loopback IPs for BGP Router IDs and link IPs between switches. There are nifty status indicators that will let you know things like how many IP addresses within a subnet are being used. ASN pools are used for your inter-autonomous routing. Once completed, you can then create your routing policies that govern the movement of traffic throughout the data center.

The Final Blueprint

The final blueprint is comprised of the completed data center templates you created throughout the design process. Think of each template as an instance of the final design, with each instance containing the involved configurations that will be deployed. The design process is performed in blueprint staged view, which means that changes are not applied until committed. Only at that point will the incremental configurations be pushed out to your chosen devices using zero-touch-provisioning. The entire process from start to finish is designed for minimal manual intervention.

Conclusion

Designing a future data center is certainly a daunting task, but Juniper Apstra takes the intimidation away by guiding you through the entire process using an inviting GUI. For complex enterprises, cloud providers and service providers deploying more complex EVPN-VXLAN/IP fabric data centers, there is Juniper’s Apstra Automated Data Center Deployment Service. This proven service gives you access to highly experienced data center deployment experts who assist you when needed. Whatever your future data center migration demands, Juniper has the tools to simply and accelerate your project, while ensuring that it meets or exceeds its intended purpose.

Next Steps: Whether you are responding to evolving workloads and performance needs or changing scalability and resiliency requirements, chances are your enterprise will undergo a data center migration at some point. Download our white paper, and learn:

• The challenges of inevitable data center migrations
• How to incrementally build and validate blueprints
• How Juniper Apstra executes your intent
• Apstra automated data center deployment service

The post 5 Ways to Segment Your Next Data Migration Project appeared first on IT 疯情AV Provider - IT Consulting - Technology 疯情AV.

As of this year, of all corporate data is stored in the cloud, and this number is expected to grow as many organizations shift their resources to cloud environments. With such a large amount of data, it is crucial to have a good storage system to keep data safe and easily accessible. Luckily, HPE is adding new storage options to their GreenLake cloud service. In this helpful article, we cover everything you need to know about the HPE GreenLake storage offerings.

HPE GreenLake For Block Storage

You are probably familiar with block storage’s relatives – file storage and object storage. But what exactly is block storage and how does it differ? According to , “Block storage is the simplest form of data storage and is typically used in either storage area network (SAN) or cloud storage settings. Stored in fixed-sized blocks, files are more easily accessed for quick or frequent edits.” In other words, it chops data into blocks to store it as separate sections so it can be easily accessed in different operating systems, giving users full flexibility to configure their data. Block storage is an efficient and reliable way to store data and can be easily managed, making it perfect for organizations that make large transactions and deploy vast databases.

HPE GreenLake for Block Storage is the industry’s first Storage as a Service that offers self-service for greater agility and speed, along with offering mission-critical environments at 100% availability guarantee. This added block storage does not replace other storage offerings from HPE; instead, it just delivers a different experience. For example, the new block storage offers a simple self-service buying procedure, a fixed monthly subscription payment, and less HPE management. Other GreenLake storage offerings provide hardware options, pay-per-use pricing, and more HPE management.

This expansion on block storage is aimed at allowing organizations to better run compute and workloads that use a massive amount of data like AI, machine learning, and analytics. HPE GreenLake storage offerings are built to help businesses transition quicker to a cloud-like operational experience.

HPE Backup And Recovery Service

Managing data is tougher than ever with the ever-growing amounts of enterprise data. Another challenge is backing up data. This becomes more difficult when you transform to a hybrid cloud operating model. This is where the HPE Backup and Recovery Service comes in handy as it’s secure, effortless, and cost-effective.

HPE Backup and Recovery Service is described as being intended for hybrid cloud use. This allows customers to protect their virtual machines with a few simple steps that take less than five minutes. Backups will run automatically, making it easier to recover your data when needed. There also won’t be a need to manage backup infrastructure or media servers, and public cloud storage will be managed automatically by the service. Cloud operational efficiency and rapid recovery on-premises will help protect your data.

As mentioned before, this service is also cost-efficient. First, there are no fees for restoring your data. Public clouds usually charge to move your data from the cloud to on-premises infrastructure. HPE’s backup service does not charge additional management costs for cloud storage. This is great news for all companies that want to have access to their data when it’s needed.

Those who want to protect their data in the hybrid cloud should consider the HPE Backup and Recovery Service. This service is made to provide higher levels of security than any other service offering. HPE has created backup stores that are not directly accessible by the operation system, therefore making cyberattacks less likely.

Conclusion

Traditional data storage and backup methods are not designed to meet the dynamic needs of the current business environment. IT leaders are finding them to be costly and time-consuming. Block storage and recovery services are essential tools needed for successful business IT modernization, and this is where HPE has made innovative moves with its notable expansion. says, “The expansion of the HPC capabilities in GreenLake is aimed at enabling organizations to better run compute- and data-intensive workloads like AI, machine learning and analytics.” HPE GreenLake storage offerings give you what you need to meet business goals with a reliable approach to data security.

If your business is ready to safely store its data with a secure and affordable backup strategy, HPE GreenLake can help you meet those needs. Contact WEI today to start modernizing your enterprise.

Next Steps: Learn 6 tips for mitigating financial risk and maximizing operational reward with Composable Infrastructure in our

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Your Solution To Hybrid Cloud IT Modernization

HPE GreenLake is a fully managed, scalable IT infrastructure service that offers enterprises a cloud-like consumption model for on-premises infrastructure. With the advent of this service, the one-size-fits-all approach to supported technology is replaced, allowing enterprises to choose the most appropriate HPE or third-party technology. IT leaders can provide their teams with a powerful foundation to drive IT modernization through an elastic as-a-Service platform that can run on-premises, at the edge, or in a colocation facility. This as-a-Service function allows for the flexibility, security, and efficiency that fits your enterprise needs.

The post 7 Reasons Why HPE Is The Solution To Your Hybrid Cloud IT Modernization Goals appeared first on IT 疯情AV Provider - IT Consulting - Technology 疯情AV.

Every enterprise has its own library of applications and many of these libraries include a core set of applications that, while older, still play an incredibly important part in the day-to-day operations of your enterprise. However, as enterprises prioritize digital transformation these legacy applications may start lagging behind and integration complexity grows. That’s where application modernization comes in.

Through application modernization enterprises can protect their investments and refresh their software portfolios to take advantage of new advances in technology, without creating large disruptions for the rest of the digital environment.

Once an enterprise understands the value of undertaking an application modernization project, the next question is which applications should we prioritize, and how do we get started? has been a leading answer for countless enterprise organizations, and it could be the right answer for your business as well. Keep reading to find out why.

What Is VMware Tanzu?

The suite of products offers enterprises the tools they need to tackle the modernization of application and infrastructure, and in doing so, these tools provide a number of benefits to the business, a key one being improved productivity. Through VMware Tanzu enterprises can take full advantage of cloud native infrastructure throughout their application portfolio.

How Does VMware Tanzu Support Enterprises Through Application Modernization?

Beyond the technical aspects of VMware Tanzu, it’s important to understand ‘s philosophy for application modernization. In their own words, the following are four tenants to a successful application modernization initiative:

1. Start small – Regardless of the size of your entire application portfolio, it’s important to start small and choose one business unit or group with just a handful of applications.
2. Automate everything – Reduce manual processes however you can with IT automation, whether that’s test-drive development, continuous integration or continuous deployment.
3. Learn by doing – Take your mistakes and learn from them. Keep your successes and losses in mind and use them to inform your strategy and build new skills and playbooks as you go.
4. Break things down – Take a larger problem and break it down to its component pieces. In other words, “Iterate quickly and continually on thin slices of complex systems.”

Additionally, before beginning an application modernization project, there are few prerequisites that VMware recommends every enterprise have:

1. A list of viable application candidates
   Start your application modernization journey by selecting a set of custom apps that have relevance to your current business model and are actively being used.
2. Organizational commitment
   Ensure that the business unit or group selected at the start of the project is committed to cloud computing and can invest the time and resources required for transformation.
3. The right people
   Select your team carefully. Pick people that understand the application domains. It’s also important to ensure the application modernization team are allowed to focus entirely on this project.

Which VMWare Tanzu Edition Is Right For You?

Once enterprises decide to move forward with VMware Tanzu for their application modernization needs, they must decide is the right fit for their business goals.

All editions share several common principles, including multicloud enabled, open source-aligned, and tools that allow enterprises to facilitate a environment.

That’s where the similarities end. In choosing the right VMware Tanzu edition for your enterprise, you must consider which specific challenges you’re looking to address and the resources you have at your disposal.

VMware Tanzu is available in the following formats:

• Tanzu Basic. This edition offers the tools enterprises need to handle simple, containerized off-the-shelf workloads and is also the most affordable and accessible of the four editions.
• Tanzu Standard. This version caters to enterprises that need to manage at scale on public cloud or across multiple clouds.
• Tanzu Advanced. Tanzu Advanced builds off the previous versions and offers additional functionality to enable enterprises to full embrace a DevOps practice, even stretching towards DevSecOps.
• Tanzu Enterprise. The last and most powerful in the lineup is Tanzu Enterprise. This edition is perfect if you need to address important objects for operators and developers, such as more efficiency and control, and more speed and freedom.

Regardless of the edition you choose, VMware Tanzu can help your enterprise throughout your application modernization journey.

Partner with WEI for Application Modernization

VMware offers enterprises solutions that will help them manage and run consistent infrastructure, across on-premises data centers and public clouds, improving user experience and overall business operations. Their innovative approach to cloud offers architecture that is easy to deploy and manage, increasing enterprise agility and flexibility.

Now, couple industry leading VMware technology solutions with the virtualization, infrastructure, cloud and modern apps experience WEI provides. Our team’s collective expertise is light years ahead of other VARs. In fact, WEI holds four VMware master services competencies and employs an early VCDX recipient. If you’re wondering how to get started with application modernization, or you’re hitting roadblocks on your journey, . We’re here to help!

Next steps: Get insights from our experts about getting started with containers in our eBook, IT Leader’s Guide to Preparing for Containers, by clicking below.

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