Ask the Experts

Ask the Experts

• How do data processing units support enterprise storage?

  While only a handful of hardware vendors offer DPUs, the technology has significant implications for IT storage systems -- and the admins who manage them.  Continue Reading

• Continuous innovation keeps tape relevant

  With each generation, tape gains density, stronger security and practical improvements to support long-term backup and archive strategies.  Continue Reading

• NAS vs. SAN vs. DAS: Key differences and best use cases

  Compare NAS, SAN and DAS and find out what to consider when using each type of storage system. Object storage and the cloud are additional available storage options.  Continue Reading

• SNMP vs. CMIP: What's the difference?

  While SNMP and CMIP originally competed as network management protocols in the 1980s, SNMP has emerged as the more relevant protocol, largely due to its simplicity.  Continue Reading

• 3 essential network analytics use cases

  Network analytics enables teams to monitor performance, identify issues early and improve efficiency. These use cases illustrate how insights can address network challenges.  Continue Reading

• Network security management challenges and best practices

  Threat actors are using increasingly sophisticated tools to make their attacks more costly. It's time for organizations to craft a comprehensive security management strategy.  Continue Reading

• 9 common network issues and how to fix them

  Common home and office network issues include poor Wi-Fi, slow speeds and hardware problems. Fixes involve upgrading equipment, reducing congestion and updating systems.  Continue Reading

• What is a good replacement for VMware vVols?

  The deprecation of VMware Virtual Volumes leaves a hole for some storage users. Substitute options include manually provisioning storage and using vSAN.  Continue Reading

• U.S. 5G fixed wireless access market: What leaders need to know

  FWA continues to grow globally, especially in the U.S. and India, as more companies learn its advantages for extending broadband to rural areas.  Continue Reading

• AIOps vs. MLOps: How are they different?

  Another -Ops has entered the arena: MLOps. Is it just another buzzword, or does the term hold its own weight? Learn more about it and how it compares to AIOps.  Continue Reading

• Traceroute vs. tracepath: What's the difference?

  Traceroute and tracepath are essential network diagnostic command-line tools used to trace the path of data from source to destination, but they serve slightly different purposes.  Continue Reading

• What are the 6 components of structured cabling?

  The six components of structured cabling are Entrance Facilities, Equipment Room, Backbone Cabling, Telecommunications Room, Horizontal Cabling and Work Area.  Continue Reading

• What are the types of requirements in software engineering?

  Requirements fall into three categories: business, user and software. See examples of each one, as well as what constitutes functional and nonfunctional software requirements.  Continue Reading

• The differences between cloud, fog and edge computing

  Cloud, edge and fog computing all support modern applications. Cloud computing offers centralized resources, edge enables real-time processing and fog connects them hierarchically.  Continue Reading

• TB vs. GB: Is a terabyte bigger than a gigabyte?

  A terabyte comprises more than 1 trillion bytes. Discover how the storage measurement scale was created and where a terabyte stands among other units of measurement today.  Continue Reading

• Why does DHCP use ports 67 and 68?

  DHCP servers use port 67/udp to receive requests and send responses, while DHCP clients use port 68/udp to broadcast discovery messages and receive configuration data.  Continue Reading

• The benefits and challenges of AI in network monitoring

  Using AI to track network activity streamlines management and predictive maintenance. But questions about data output integrity, security risks and integration complexities remain.  Continue Reading

• How to choose coding standards: Development best practices

  Learn how coding standards enhance quality and efficiency in software projects. Follow coding conventions and standards to achieve the five pillars of code quality.  Continue Reading

• Application vs. network load balancing: What's the difference?

  Network load balancing and application load balancing both handle traffic requests. However, they process and direct requests with different levels of speed and efficiency.  Continue Reading

• Cloudflare vs. Amazon CloudFront: Which CDN is right for you?

  Compare the key features of Cloudflare vs. Amazon CloudFront to determine which of these two popular CDN services best meets your organization's content delivery needs.  Continue Reading

• Cloud networking vs. cloud computing: What's the difference?

  Businesses might see cloud computing and cloud networking as interchangeable due to similarities, but the two strategies dictate different processes and fulfill different goals.  Continue Reading

• Explore the top 12 private cloud providers of 2025

  There are many factors to consider when choosing a private cloud platform. Explore these popular providers to see which one suits your business best.  Continue Reading

• What is data segregation and why is it important in the cloud?

  Data segregation, also commonly referred to as data separation, involves the policies and practices for isolating data and workloads based on specific criteria.  Continue Reading

• What are the 5 types of network management?

  Despite the changes in how organizations optimize network performance, the five foundational elements of network management -- also known as FCAPS -- remain the same.  Continue Reading

• How to test packet loss on Windows, macOS and Linux

  Network admins should know how to identify and test for packet loss. Diagnosing this issue doesn't require specialized tools or expensive software, but these four tools can help.  Continue Reading

• Compare network management vs. network monitoring

  Network monitoring is a vital part of network management. Both are essential to help network operations teams streamline operations and address potential issues.  Continue Reading

• 8 ways enterprises can enhance object storage security

  Object storage is a popular method for storing data, so security is critical. Access is a big piece, extending across several of the eight security best practices here.  Continue Reading

• 10 common issues when creating a private cloud

  Organizations that want to create a private cloud must prepare for a multitude of issues, including security, compliance, staff expertise and cost.  Continue Reading

• How to deploy an Exchange Server cumulative update

  Cumulative updates give the Exchange Server platform stability and security. This guide explains how to perform this maintenance properly to avoid a major service disruption.  Continue Reading

• Telemetry vs. SNMP: Which is better for network management?

  Now that networks have become more complex, network management has become a challenge of its own. Enterprises can compare telemetry vs. SNMP to see which better suits their needs.  Continue Reading

• Managed vs. unmanaged switches: What are the differences?

  Managed and unmanaged network switches differ in various ways, including control and cost. Managed switches support more granular control, while unmanaged switches are easier to set up.  Continue Reading

• Amazon RDS vs. Aurora Serverless: What's the better option?

  Amazon RDS and Aurora Serverless both provide relational database services. But Aurora offers more flexible resource management and performance, and it can result in lower costs.  Continue Reading

• Network automation vs. orchestration: What's the difference?

  Automation and orchestration take different approaches to achieve network efficiency. However, network engineers can use them together to create an efficient, centralized network.  Continue Reading

• Recursive vs. iterative DNS queries: What's the difference?

  Name resolution translates human-readable hostnames to IP addresses for device configuration. DNS uses recursive or iterative methods to translate names into IP addresses.  Continue Reading

• What's the role of an application load balancer vs. API gateway?

  Application load balancers and API gateways both manage network traffic. Learn the differences between them and how to use them together in a modern IT deployment.  Continue Reading

• HTTP vs. HTTPS: What's the difference?

  HTTP and HTTPS are web communication protocols. HTTP lacks security, while HTTPS encrypts data to adhere to the security standards of confidentiality, integrity and authenticity.  Continue Reading

• Different types of cloud load balancing and algorithms

  Learn how load balancing in the cloud differs from a traditional network traffic distribution, and explore services from AWS, Google and Microsoft.  Continue Reading

• What's the best way to protect against HDD failure?

  Whatever the reason for failure, HDDs are hard to repair. Admins need to get out in front of potential issues, like the four described here, to prevent prolonged downtime.  Continue Reading

• An introduction to SFP ports on a Gigabit switch

  SFP ports enable Gigabit switches to connect to a variety of fiber and Ethernet cables and extend switching functionality throughout the network.  Continue Reading

• MAC address vs. IP address: What's the difference?

  A MAC address and an IP address each identify network devices, but they do the jobs at different levels. Explore the differences between the two and learn why both are necessary.  Continue Reading

• CASB vs. SASE: What's the difference?

  CASB and SASE enhance network and SaaS application security. CASB acts as a security layer for cloud services, while SASE integrates networking and security into one framework.  Continue Reading

• Wireshark vs. tcpdump: What's the difference?

  Wireshark and tcpdump both aid network administrators in packet analysis. Wireshark's simple GUI contrasts with tcpdump's speed and scripting abilities, which enhances management.  Continue Reading

• Compare Amazon Redshift, Athena and EMR for data analysis

  Trying to decide among Amazon EMR, Amazon Redshift and Amazon Athena? Check out this overview of capabilities and use cases to help narrow down your choice.  Continue Reading

• SD-WAN vs. load balancing: How are they different?

  Load balancing is beneficial for network traffic distribution. SD-WAN can use load balancing for WAN connections, but it doesn't require load balancing to reap other benefits.  Continue Reading

• Use AI tools to simplify operations inside your data center

  AI is a cornerstone technology that will be part of future-proofing the data center. It will control operations like cooling, network optimization and configuration management.  Continue Reading

• Cloud security vs. network security: What's the difference?

  While network security focuses on solely protecting networks, cloud security provides protection for networks, servers, containers, apps and more.  Continue Reading

• How can AI help cloud storage security?

  AI can improve cloud storage security through such uses as encryption, storage management and anomaly detection, but admins must consider risks as well.  Continue Reading

• Classical internet vs. quantum internet: How do they differ?

  The quantum internet is a hypothetical secure network made of qubits. It differs from the classical internet with its use of quantum principles for enhanced security and computing.  Continue Reading

• How can flape storage help my organization?

  While flape was a concept coined by Wikibon back in 2012, now might be the time to employ the combination of flash and tape for a multi-tier storage system.  Continue Reading

• How to set up a Windows Server 2022 domain controller

  While the process to migrate from a legacy domain controller is not difficult, it does require advanced preparation to avoid connectivity issues and other problems.  Continue Reading

• Amazon ECS vs. Kubernetes: Which should you use on AWS?

  Learn the basics about Amazon ECS and Kubernetes, as well as EKS and Fargate, before you choose an application architecture for your workloads on AWS.  Continue Reading

• Do-While vs. Do-Until in PowerShell: What's the difference?

  PowerShell scripts have several loop options to make automation easy. Learn the difference between Do-While and Do-Until loops and choose which one works best for you.  Continue Reading

• Microsoft Hyper-V vs. VMware vSphere: Feature comparison

  Hyper-V and VMware are in a perpetual battle for supremacy in the virtualization market. Although the hypervisors have similar features, they differ on some key capabilities.  Continue Reading

• Rack vs. blade server: What's the difference?

  Components in a physical data center are held in rack servers or blade servers. Learn the differences, what type of environment you need and which server uses work best.  Continue Reading

• Network simulation vs. emulation: What's the difference?

  Network engineers use simulation and emulation to test changes, which ensures reliable post-change performance. Network simulators create models, while emulators mimic networks.