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TRAC-tank-vertical_logoThis post was also authored by Min-yi Shen and Martin Lee.

Security is all about probability. There is a certain probability that something bad will happen to your networks or your systems over the next 24 hours. Hoping that nothing bad will happen is unlikely to change that probability. Investing in security solutions will probably reduce the chance of something bad happening, but by how much? And where should resources be most profitably directed?

Cyber security is a complex environment with many unknowns and interdependencies. TRAC data scientists research this environment to try and understand how different variables affect security. Bayesian graph models are one of our most useful tools for understanding probabilities in security and to explore how the likelihood of outcomes can be changed. Continue reading “Understanding Security Through Probability”



Authors

Levi Gundert

Technical Lead

Cisco Threat Research, Analysis, and Communications (TRAC)

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As an SMB, you thought there are solutions/options completely out of your range – 10 Gigabit, Virtualization, Stacking, 16TB Storage, POE+, Layer 3, etc.

If I told you you can get all of the following (an entire future-proofed feature-rich SMB network with Storage) for under $10K, what would you say?

Network Infrastructure:

PLUS:

Storage (NAS):

  • Virtualization
  • 16 TB Storage
  • File Sharing and Backup
  • Video Editing
  • Storage costs – $3793 (pricing for part numbers below at CDW.com on 3/12/2014)

Amazing, isn’t it? Here’s the list of equipment that will get you there:

1x SG500X-24P – 24p Gigabit POE Stackable Switch


Authors

Ivor Diedricks

Sr. Product Manager - Enterprise Switching

Enterprise Networking Group (ENG)

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In this week’s episode of Engineers Unplugged, Tim Swanson (@tiswanso) and Nigel Kersten (@nigelkersten) discuss NXOS and Puppet, and the Cisco/Puppet plug-ins created for configuring network switches. What does this mean? Watch and see. Hint: it ends in unicorns.

Double Unicorns from Tim Swanson and Nigel Kersten!
Double Unicorns from Tim Swanson and Nigel Kersten!

**The next Engineers Unplugged shoot is at EMC World, Las Vegas, May 2014! Contact me now to become internet famous.**

This is Engineers Unplugged, where technologists talk to each other the way they know best, with a whiteboard. The rules are simple:

  1. Episodes will publish weekly (or as close to it as we can manage)
  2. Subscribe to the podcast here: engineersunplugged.com
  3. Follow the #engineersunplugged conversation on Twitter
  4. Submit ideas for episodes or volunteer to appear by Tweeting to @CommsNinja
  5. Practice drawing unicorns

Join the behind the scenes by liking Engineers Unplugged on Facebook.



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In my role as Cisco’s Chief Futurist, I get many questions about what the future holds and how new technology and emerging solutions will change our lives. Given the positive feedback and the volume of questions being submitted from the community around the first series, I’ve decided to do another series to answer questions from the education and tech community around the Internet of Everything (IoE). Whether the questions are global in scope, such as how the Internet of Everything will shape our world, or small in nature, like our most recent Ask the #IoE Futurist question about batteries or today’s question about the smartphone becoming superfluous, I enjoy the challenge of answering them all.

A few weeks ago, brand new smartphones and wearable smartgear products were unveiled at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. While many of the specs and capabilities of these emerging devices vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, they all represent a common theme: mobile devices are not only becoming more present in our daily lives, but also changing how we connect, interact and share experiences.

As the Internet of Everything (IoE) drives more connected things, data, people and processes, how will the future of smartphones evolve? Will the endless possibilities for connected cars, shoes and dishwashers mean that the smartphone becomes one extra device for us to carry?

In this Ask the #IoE Futurist post, I’ll answer a question from John Spade (@DaSpadeR), a Cisco Champion, about how smartphones might change in an IoE world. Here is John’s question:

Question: “The smartphone lets us bring the Internet with us, but in the Internet of Everything, will the smartphone itself become superfluous?”

Continue reading “Ask The #IoE Futurist: “In an Internet of Everything World, Will the Smartphone Become Superfluous?””



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There is a plethora of connected devices out there and even more that will bombard us in the coming months and years.  I thought I’d put together a sample of the ones I’m interested in and give my two cents on each.

Nest Protect

The Nest Protect was released late last year and is a perfect companion Nest_Diamond_Thermostatfor those who already have the NEST thermostat. Before I get into it though, I’m still not 100% keen on the whole Google acquisition, but it’s not something I can do anything about so I’ll just leave it at that. I like the direction NEST is taking which is replacing common household devices, ones that basically anyone can replace, and adding smarts to them. The ability to just have battery information displayed right on your smartphone or emailed to you is brilliant and prevents those midnight chirps when it’s time to replace the battery. Adding smarts to the device is genius. If you burn something in the kitchen (which happens in our household more than I’d like to admit) you can just wave it off. No more waving your hands around like a crazy person for 5 minutes while you go deaf trying to silence the darn smoke detector. As much as I’d like one though, I’ll probably not get one until NEST develops a Windows Phone App. There have been many third party solutions, however NEST keeps taking them down for some unknown reason.  My take on it is if you don’t have an official solution, you should allow third party apps. Continue reading “Connected “Things” I’d Like to Try”



Authors

Shaun Guthrie

Director

Information Technology at Focus Corporation

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It’s that time of year again—the Cisco IOS Software Security Advisory Bundled Publication will go live in seven days. As a reminder, the Cisco Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) releases bundles of Cisco IOS Software Security Advisories on the fourth Wednesday of March and September each calendar year. As is the case with the vast majority of our advisories, vulnerabilities scheduled for disclosure in these upcoming Security Advisories will normally have a Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Base Score from 7.0 to 10.0.

To ensure you’re prepared for the upcoming publication, consider:

  • Creating a text file of all the Cisco IOS Software releases in your network
  • Assembling a simple list of Cisco IOS Software technologies and features you use
  • Noting your Cisco.com username and password
  • Locating the username and password for your Cisco IOS routers and switches
  • Ensuring network operation partners are prepared for the security advisory release
  • Reviewing the benefits of OVAL and CVRF content

Continue reading “T-7: The Bundle Countdown Begins…”



Authors

Erin Float

Project Manager

Security Research and Operations Group

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ilv14_210x60-BOI-finalistEnabling a Platform for Branch Innovation

In an era of content explosion, where IT is challenged by exponential traffic growth due to mobility, video, cloud and Internet of Things – no place is this problem more acute than the branch office where businesses typically engage customers.

To address this critical need, Cisco is pleased to announce the availability of Cisco ISR 4451-X Converged Branch Infrastructure, a new platform for innovation that integrates world-class network, compute and storage to deliver unprecedented performance and power into an all-in-one box solution at an unbeatable total cost of ownership. This solution has also been recognized as one of the finalist for Best of Interop in the Networking category, which further underscores the unique innovation Cisco is bringing to the industry.

Infographic Best of Interop ISR 4451X Converged Branch Solution

The solution includes: Continue reading “Best of Interop Networking Finalist: Cisco ISR 4451-X”



Authors

Raakhee Mistry

Senior Director

EN & Cloud Marketing

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Security plays an important role in the success of mobility implementations worldwide. We assume security threats are always present, however it’s not always apparent where threats may arise from. Being aware of these potential risk areas is crucial.

Business decision-makers must gain insight into where these breaches are occurring. They should also understand why it is important for them to care, and how they can be aided by technical decision-makers to solve these issues moving forward.

Here’s a brief look into the where, the why and the how of embracing a secure approach to enterprise mobility and what it means for business leaders.

Cisco_NavigatingSecurityMobileWorld

Where are security threats? Today’s organizations are facing a greater attack surface as advanced mobile devices and public cloud services foster new attack models and increasing complexity within networks. To cover the entire attack continuum, organizations need to address a broad range of attack vectors with solutions that operate everywhere the threat can manifest itself: on the network, on traditional endpoints, on mobile devices, and in virtual environments.

How can threats be thwarted? The best approach is a proactive one, rather than a reactive one, especially when many organizations may not know when they are under attack. Business leaders must work with IT teams to institute a formal program for managing mobile devices and to ensure that any device is secure before it can access the network.

Why does a balanced approach to mobile security matter? In a recent blog post, I discussed the need for organizations to deploy a balanced approach to mobile security. This approach should focus more on protecting the network and proprietary data and less on implementing overly broad restrictions. IT needs to approach security with a user experience mentality. After all, if you overly manage devices, your adoption will be low and so will your return on investment (ROI). This approach can lead to greater opportunities to align threat intelligence and security best practices.

To learn more about this balanced approach to mobile security, read the full blog: Navigating Security Threats in a Mobile World.



Authors

Brett Belding

Senior Manager

Cisco IT Mobility Services

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#CiscoChampion Radio is a podcast series by Cisco Champions as technologists, hosted by Cisco’s Amy Lewis (@CommsNinja). This week we’re talking about UCS Invicta.

Listen to the Podcast

cisco_champions BADGE_200x200

Featured Guests:
Cisco Champions: Trevor Roberts (@vmtrooper), Matt Oswalt (@mierdin)
Cisco Subject Matter Experts: Maxwell Riggsbee, Todd Brannon

Highlights:
How Invicta will allow UCS infrastructure to deliver resourcing
Four elements that will allow Invicta to transition into UCS in short and long term
Details on integration to date
Storage/bandwidth plans for Invicta going forward
When further integration will be available
Applications ideal for Invicta Continue reading “#CiscoChampion Radio S1|Ep5: UCS Invicta”



Authors

Rachel Bakker

Social Media Advocacy Manager

Digital and Social