If you spend sufficient time with any network infrastructure, you’ll understand that things can break at the most inconvenient moments. A link that was stable for months suddenly flaps. SPF counters increase exponentially for reasons unknown. A small configuration mistake in the access layer echoes somewhere it shouldn’t. Once you’ve been through a few of […]
About Harris Andrea
Boost Network Security with Automated CIS Compliance
Network admins often find themselves torn trying to juggle between optimizing configurations and meeting compliance requirements. With growing network complexity, achieving and sustaining CIS Benchmarks compliance can feel like an endless battle. However, it doesn’t have to be so daunting. While the CIS Benchmarks offer vital best practices for securing against evolving threats, manually enforcing […]
IBM and Cisco Quantum Computing Partnership: Analysis and Summary
IBM and Cisco have announced a strategic partnership to build a network of large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computers, with the ambitious goal of creating a “quantum computing internet” by late 2030s. Image Source: Cisco Quantum Labs The goal is to move beyond isolated quantum prototypes toward a distributed, usable quantum infrastructure that enterprises, researchers, and governments […]
Beyond SNMP: API-Powered Monitoring for Cisco ACI Fabrics
Today, most data centers rely on policy-based automation and centralized control to manage increasingly dynamic workloads. Cisco’s Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) delivers this flexibility by combining software-defined networking (SDN) with application intent, enabling rapid scaling without manual intervention. However, monitoring Cisco ACI through SNMP alone fails to capture the complete operational picture of the network. […]
15 Best Network IP Sniffing Software Tools (Free&Paid) – Wired and Wireless
A network sniffer, or packet sniffer, is a specialized software (or even a hardware device) that listens in over a network and records the IP packets of data that travel through it. Many network administrators use these tools to determine the efficiency of a network, to troubleshoot communication problems, to identify common network bottlenecks etc. […]
Automated Compliance for Network Devices using Network Configuration Management
Compliance management in network configuration management (NCM) helps maintain secure, resilient, and predictable networks. If you are managing Cisco devices, mainly Cisco ASA firewalls or Cisco IOS devices, you know how fast things can go wrong with a single misconfiguration. But how do you ensure every change follows your security policies and regulatory requirements without […]
Difference Between Routers and Switches in TCP/IP Networks
The key difference between routers and switches in TCP/IP networks is that Switches primarily function to provide Layer 2 connectivity and Routers provide Layer 3 connectivity (as described in the OSI layer model). What exactly does this mean? From a high level view it means that switches allow hosts to communicate as long as they […]
11 Different Types of IP Addresses Used in Computer Networks
An Internet Protocol (IP) Address is a term that you will hear a lot if you are into any field of Information Technology. Especially people in TCP/IP networking have to deal with IP addresses in their every-day professional life. Just like any house or building in the world has a unique postal mail address in […]
What is Cisco Switch Virtual Interface (SVI) – Configuration Example and Explanation
Achieving convergence in computer networks is something that is controlled by both routers and switches in the network. The basic purpose of creating a computer network is to share resources and offer communication between hosts. Local Area Network (LAN) communication deals with switches, while internetwork connectivity (i.e between different LANs or WANs) requires the use […]
Deleting the VLAN Database from a Cisco Switch (IOS or Nexus)
If you have your own Cisco switch equipment at your home lab or at your work environment you might have encountered the situation that you want to completely erase the whole switch configuration including any VLANs that are already configured on the switch (usually the vlan.dat file). On a Cisco switch, erasing the switch startup […]
Compare and Contrast Network Topologies (Star, Mesh, Bus, Hybrid etc)
Computer networking has been around for several decades, which is the backbone of what we all know as the Internet today. The Internet is simply a network of networks, which connects the world’s networks together for a holistic communication infrastructure. For a user or host computer to participate in data and resource sharing, it has […]
Beyond the Blips – The Importance of Network Traffic Analysis with the Right Tools
Having visibility in your network’s bandwidth is very important in modern enterprise networks and is a 24/7 activity. It demands vigilant monitoring of network traffic, sharp strategic thinking to optimize performance, and the ability to quickly diagnose and resolve issues as they arise. When it comes to network health and monitoring, being proactive is key; […]
11 Networking Companies Like Cisco (Competitors)
Every network engineer is familiar with Cisco, and with its multiple brand acquisitions, it’s even become a household name for consumers in addition to business professionals. Cisco isn’t the only major player in the hardware and TCP/IP networking game, however. This technology giant has at least a dozen formidable competitors, many of which have developed […]