Tenth Annual "State of the Network" Global Survey from Viavi Reveals Network and Security Trends from over 1,000 Network Professionals  In April 2017, Viavi Solutions (NASDAQ: VIAV) released the results of its tenth annual State of the Network global study today. This year's study focused on security threats, perhaps explaining why it gar...

 It is really next to impossible to avoid hearing about how "The Cloud" is transforming business everywhere. Well-known technology companies from the old guard like IBM, Oracle, Microsoft, and Adobe, to established tech powerhouses Google and Amazon, to pretty much every new hot startup like Cloudera are all promoting how they are using the cl...

 Canadian cableco Eastlink has given an update on its ongoing investment in high speed fibre-optic networks including expansion of gigabit-capable internet services, in response to demand for 'real-time entertainment and connected home technologies'. Lee Bragg, Eastlink CEO, said: 'For years, we have been providing gigabit speeds and higher to...

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has introduced amendments to its Wireless Code, a mandatory code of conduct for providers of retail mobile wireless voice and data services. Starting on 1 December 2017 all mobile service end-users (post-paid and pre-paid) will have the right to have their phone unlocked (i.e. u...

Join us for the latest NetFlow Best Practices Webinar. In this Webinar, we will discuss Best Practices for using NetFlow for Network Forensics.  In this webinar, Netflow Auditor will discuss the following: ​ How to know where your network is compromised? How to achieve pervasive monitoring with sufficient forensics to comply How does...

 Canadian quadruple-play operator Shaw Communications has entered into a definitive agreement with Videotron's parent Quebecor Media to acquire 700MHz and 2500MHz wireless spectrum licences in seven regional markets in Canada for CAD430 million (USD324 million). The Quebec-based multi-service cable/mobile operator is selling 2×5MHz blocks of 7...

Three elements of PacketViper that are unique to our Virtual Minefield Zone™ (VMZ) and separate PacketViper from firewalls & NGFWs are the triggers, interceptors and the redirectors. With 'point & click' simplicity these features can be utilized to create the following deterrents that reduce traffic up to 70% and make firewalls, IDS/IPS and...

 Quebecor, the parent of Quebec-based quadruple-play network operator Videotron, has announced the sale of Videotron's Advanced Wireless Services (AWS-1) 1700MHz/2100MHz mobile spectrum licence in the Greater Toronto region to Rogers Communications for approximately CAD184 million (USD137 million), pursuant to a transfer option on the frequenc...

How can I find out if SMBv1 is being used on my network?  Even if you disable SMBv1 on all clients and servers, it is still good practice to check if any systems on your network are using this protocol. You many have unmanaged systems like personal laptops or embedded operating systems within other network connected devices. These are the most...

How to detect the presence of WannaCry Ransomware and SMBv1 servers  WannaCry Ransomware has become very active in May 2017. It looks to be targeting servers using the SMBv1 protocol. SMBv1 is an outdated protocol that should be disabled on all networks. One of the big lessons from this Ransomware outbreak is that it is vital that you have mon...

Network visibility is a crucial aspect to improving network security and optimizing network monitoring capabilities. At the same time, it is an evolving technology. In this blog, I'm using some interesting data that Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) captured in a survey they conducted for Ixia in late 2016. This data is great because it allows...

Vision Edge 100 & Vision Edge 40 ​E xpanding your hyperscale data center? Adding microscale data centers to provide a better experience for end users? Be sure to see everything, in every cluster—whether it is a part of your core infrastructure or a remote site—with the latest in Ixia's Vision Portfolio of network packet brokers (NPBs). Ixia has...

Over 100,000 Bell-MTS mobile customers in Manitoba will receive letters in the next two months informing them if they have been selected to transfer to rival Canadian operator Telus, as a knock-on condition of Bell's recent takeover of MTS in the province. Canadian website MobileSyrup reports that the process is beginning its first phase this week,...

 Bell Canada is launching a 'no-frills', budget app-based live TV service named 'Alt TV' enabling customers to watch regular TV programming on smartphones, computers and other streaming devices. Alt TV is being offered initially to Bell's internet subscribers in Ontario and Quebec, with the Atlantic provinces and Manitoba scheduled for launch ...

Most investors have seen the disclaimer, “Past performance is not indicative of future results.”  Network security professionals should have this in mind while considering threat intelligence as a foundational element for security strategies.  The rapidly and ever-changing threat landscape makes the value of historical threat intelligence alone in predicting cyber attacks uncertain and the attacker’s advantages seem overwhelmingly endless.  Eli Ben Meir in his recent article, Thre...

Ice Wireless, which operates in Canada’s far northern regions – Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut – has launched commercial LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network services, initially in Yellowknife. According to Ice Wireless CEO Samer Bishay, quoted by MobileSyrup, customers can expect real-world LTE-A mobile data speeds of around 40Mbps, whilst he added that the carrier plans to switch on additional LTE-A base stations throughout the summer. Simultaneously, Ice revamped its post-paid packages, wit...

Canadian rural broadband specialist Xplornet Communications has announced the launch of an upgraded internet service supported by the EchoStar XIX satellite, now available to new and existing customers. Xplornet says t hat, combined  with the scheduled launch of the ViaSat-2 satellite on June 1, its satellite internet capacity is being tripled, resulting in ‘more speed and data at affordable prices’ for its users. Xplornet’s newly launched satellite internet service offers speeds up to 25Mb...

Continuous network interactive performance monitoring, looking for any delays, misconnections, or slow functioning in the network, is vital.  Servers enable all the client computers in your network to work. They are the source of necessary operating system support and connectivity. If servers fail, even briefly, the fault will cause disruption over your entire system. The rest of the network (the client computers and peripherals) are like disk drives and extra I/O interfaces in the system.&...

  This webinar from InfoSim discusses the challenges we face when we need to monitor industrial IoT devices, SDN and IT infrastructure.   Industrial IoT devices is the use of Internet of things (IoT) technology in collecting sensor data in the many area’s that companies need to collect data.  The use of this technology can result in serious technical challenges, in monitoring 10 of 1000’s of devices.  When we asked end users some of the specific challenges they face we receiv...

Provincial Canadian full-service telco SaskTel, controlled by the Saskatchewan government, is now permitted to sell 49% of its shares under a new law which was passed last week. The legislation (via ‘Bill 40’) allows the provincial government to sell up to 49% of any ‘Crown corporation’ (including SaskTel) without triggering a public referendum. However, CTVNews quotes Dustin Duncan, the minister responsible for SaskTel, as saying: ‘SaskTel is not for sale, but Bill 40 would allow the potential ...