Paula Musich

In a wide-ranging switching launch, Cisco Systems Inc. is spotlighting the wiring closet with a range of options that lower costs, increase flexibility and security, and bring higher availability to the networks edge. The 20-plus Catalyst switching additions offered last week increase the level of integrated security and availability at the networks edge; bringing 10 […]

Opsware Inc. Thursday filled in a missing piece of the automated configuration management puzzle when it announced its pact to acquire multivendor network configuration management provider Rendition Networks Inc. The deal, valued at $33 million, will bring much needed automation of network device configuration to Opswares stable of server and application configuration and change management […]

Hewlett-Packard Co. is making strides in adaptive services and change management with new OpenView software that streamlines deployment, emphasizes data sharing, and strengthens the ties between business and IT. At its Software Universe conference in Madrid, Spain, next week, HP will unveil Version 5.0 of its OpenView Service Desk and OpenView Service Level Manager, sources […]

Microsoft Corp. last week revealed further details of its evolving Dynamic Systems Initiative and released additional products that provide its underpinnings. Company Chairman Bill Gates, at the European Microsoft IT Forum, in Copenhagen, Denmark, laid out the three core technical principles of DSI, which is intended to reduce the complexity and cost of managing Microsoft […]

This week 3Com Corp. will roll out the elements it needs to compete in the large-enterprise network market but still needs to gain recognition as a contender. The Marlboro, Mass., company will introduce its terabit-speed Switch 8800 core LAN switch, along with 10 Gigabit Ethernet modules for its Switch 7700 and SuperStack 3 3870 distribution […]

Management appliance startup Vieo Inc. earlier this week filled a gap in management for Citrix servers and applications with the next major version of its Web application management device. The Vieo 1000, which allows users to manage the service levels delivered by Web applications, also includes new monitoring of network routers and switches in a […]

Despite a continued tough spending environment for technology, Cisco Systems Inc. on Tuesday announced solid earnings and revenue growth for its recent fiscal quarter. Cisco met Wall Street expectations in earning $1.4 billion for its first fiscal quarter of 2005 on $6 billion in revenue. The companys net income represented a 28.5 percent jump over […]

Foundry Networks Inc. this week is pushing to move 10 Gigabit Ethernet beyond niche applications with the launch of a low-cost switch. Foundrys EdgeIron 10 Gigabit Ethernet aggregation switch beats market research forecasts for reaching the $2,500-per-port price by about two years, according to officials at Foundry, in San Jose, Calif. “For the mainstream, we […]

Users looking to dynamically manage end-to-end application performance will see improved tools from Mercury Interactive Corp. At its annual user conference in Orlando, Fla., this week, the developer will unveil the next major release of its BAC (Business Availability Center) suite, which integrates automatic discovery and application dependency mapping. Those capabilities, delivered in BAC 5.0s […]

Network performance optimization is inching closer to the mainstream, as users discover improved return on investment and better application response times from a variety of new offerings. This week, WAN optimization leader Packeteer Inc. will launch a high-end version of its PacketShaper appliance that supports 1G-bps speeds and hundreds of remote sites. Meanwhile, smaller Peribit […]

Three years after launching its autonomic computing effort, IBM says customers are reaping the benefits of IT automation, but the real promise of the initiative remains elusive for most. IBM officials at Gartners Symposium/ITxpo here last week rolled out new security advancements and relayed a handful of customer success stories as they summarized the companys […]

Against a backdrop of industry-luminary keynote speakers, vendors large and small at Gartner Inc.s Symposium/ITxpo last week used the stage to tout new and enhanced products in security, enterprise applications and wireless. Gartner itself used the conference to paint a rosy outlook for IT spending in the coming year, as well as break down the […]