Articles

October 30, 2013

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#EngineersUnplugged S4|Ep2: Storage Is the New Black

1 min read

Welcome back to the latest episode of Engineers Unplugged, featuring the inimitable dynamic duo of storage, Vaughn Stewart (@vStewed) and Chad Sakac (@sakacc). They discuss three...

October 23, 2013

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#EngineersUnplugged S4|Ep1: Team Building and Onboarding in IT

1 min read

Welcome back to Season 4 of Engineers Unplugged! The whiteboards are shiny and new, and the markers are fresh. We have some incredible episodes lined up for this season, featuring multiple languages, countries, and guests new and returning. To kick off the season, we’re changing the pace a little bit, stepping away from the whiteboards, […]

October 10, 2013

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All-New! Cisco Champions for Data Center: Nominations Now Open

1 min read

Are you passionate about Data Center and Cloud Technology? Do you love sharing your knowledge? Do you want access to Cisco experts? Today is your lucky day. I’m happy to announce the call for nominations for the all-new Cisco Champions for Data Center. From now until October 31, 2013, nominate yourself, a friend, a mentor, […]

October 2, 2013

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#EngineersUnplugged S3|Ep14: Application Affinity

1 min read

It's the Season 3 Grand Finale of Engineers Unplugged! Today's guests, Joe Onisick and Nils Swart, take on Application Affinity: how to bridge the network world and the application world....

September 18, 2013

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#EngineersUnplugged S3|Ep13: Software Defined Storage Continued!

1 min read

Welcome back to the final episode of Engineers Unplugged, Season 3! It’s been quite a ride. This week, we take another viewpoint on the hot topic of software defined storage with Mike Slisinger (@slisinger) and Vaughn Stewart (@vstewed). Starting from the application owner’s perspective, this is a great 101 on the choices made on the […]

September 11, 2013

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#EngineersUnplugged S3|Ep12: Software Defined Storage

1 min read

In this week’s Engineers Unplugged,  we are back to eavesdropping. This episode features Christopher Leigh-Currill (@ospero_chrisl) and Jonas Rosland (@virtualswede) talking Software Defined Storage at EMC World, including ViPR. Let’s listen in: Welcome to Engineers Unplugged, where technologists talk to each other the way they know best, with a whiteboard. The rules are simple: Episodes […]

September 4, 2013

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#EngineersUnplugged S3|Ep11: A Look Behind DevOps

1 min read

What happens when the camera stops rolling? Often the conversation doesn’t stop, and sometimes we don’t either. Welcome to a special After Hours edition of Engineers Unplugged, where we do a deeper dive into the earlier conversation with Colin McNamara (@colinmcnamara) and Jay Cuthrell (@qthrul) around DevOps, the evolving way of working, and the pros/cons […]

August 28, 2013

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#EngineersUnplugged S3|Ep10: Community Architecture (3 Ways You Can Join)

1 min read

In this week’s Engineers Unplugged, we talk technology from a different angle–community. How can you join your community of peers to learn, grow your career, and stay on top of the latest in this ever-changing tech landscape? Listen in as Josh Atwell (@josh_atwell) and Gurusimran Khalsa (@gurusimran) talk about their experiences as co-hosts on #vBrownBag. […]

August 21, 2013

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#EngineersUnplugged S3|Ep9: The Underlay Network (SDN w/PacketPushers)

1 min read

Welcome back loyal viewers–this is an episode not to be missed. Engineers Unplugged is thrilled to welcome the Packet Pushers (@packetpushers), aka Greg Ferro (@etherealmind) and Ethan Banks (@ecbanks), as they discuss the underlay network. Yes, they’re showing us the underside and future of software defined networking. Watch and see: Welcome to Engineers Unplugged, where […]

August 15, 2013

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Get Social with Cisco at VMworld 2013 (Your Ticket to Community Activity)

2 min read

Pack your bags, double up on shoes and leave room for swag, it’s time for VMworld 2013, and Team Cisco Data Center has a lot going on. For a full round up of our show presence, this: http://www.cisco.com/go/vmworld Now for the the behind the scenes look. First, follow @CiscoDC and #ciscovmw for all Cisco-flavored information […]

August 14, 2013

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#EngineersUnplugged S3|Ep8: Continuous Delivery and Software Defined Everything

1 min read

Welcome to another exciting episode of Engineers Unplugged! This week, Colin McNamara (NEXUS IS @colinmcnamara) and Jay Cuthrell (VCE @qthrul) talk methodology and the evolution from linear to continuous delivery. How do software cycles impact the software defined world? Trend or next gen? You decide. This is a great look inside the process, complete with […]

August 7, 2013

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#EngineersUnplugged S3|Ep7: NetScaler and the Application Driven Data Center

1 min read

In this week’s episode of Engineers Unplugged, we send the marketer in to chat with the technologist. Steve Shah (@steveshah) quizzes Nisarg Shah (@nisargcisco) around the use cases for NetScaler including load balancing in the Application Driven Data Center. Less talk, more TLAs! All will be explained, just watch and see: Welcome to Engineers Unplugged, […]

July 31, 2013

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#EngineersUnplugged S3|Ep6: Radio Interoperability

1 min read

Welcome back! We take things to the street in this episode of Engineers Unplugged. Ronald Beck (@tallnetninja) and Mark Gonsalves (Cisco) discuss real world two-way communications when there are radio interoperability challenges. Enter IPICS server and the policy engine. Because you really want comms in the field to work. This is a great episode full […]

July 17, 2013

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#EngineersUnplugged S3|Ep4: Unified Roles vs Tools in an FCOE or Unified Fabric World (Part 2)

1 min read

In this week’s episode of Engineer’s Unplugged, we take a practical look at some of the business challenges presented when storage, network, and compute teams are asked to work together. Cisco’s Andrew Levin (@AndLevin) and NexusIS’s Paul Sferratore (@MadItalianATL) approach some of the questions in the unified fabric strategy in terms of roles. Should roles […]

July 10, 2013

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#EngineersUnplugged S3|Ep3: FCOE, Fact or Fiction (Part 1)

1 min read

Welcome to another episode of Engineers Unplugged! This week features Cisco’s Andrew Levin (@AndLevin) discussing the use cases for FCOE with Nexus IS’s Paul Sferratore (@MadItalianATL). This is a detailed and nuanced debate of the pros and cons based on a variety of scenarios from large-scale to smaller deployments. Listen in and let us know […]

June 27, 2013

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#EngineersUnplugged S3|Ep2: Next-Gen Storage, Converged Infrastructure on the Horizon?

1 min read

Welcome to another episode of Engineers Unplugged. This week’s topic is Next-Gen Storage, handled admirably by Cisco’s J Metz (@drjmetz) and Stephen Foskett (@sfoskett). What will the topology of the future look like? What is the tech evolution that will drive adoption? From token ring to SDN, they’ve got it covered. Watch and see: Welcome […]

June 20, 2013

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Data Center Cloud Guide to Cisco Live 2013: Technology with a Side of Waffles

2 min read

Has it been a whole year already? It’s that time again to gather with fellow technologists from around the globe to talk shop at Cisco Live, this time in Orlando. It’s going to be hot in every way. Here is a quick guide to what’s happening from tech to social, plus waffles.

June 19, 2013

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#EngineersUnplugged S3|Ep1: Cloud Workloads

1 min read

Welcome back! Season 3 of Engineers Unplugged starts now. The premiere episode  features Aaron Delp (@aarondelp) and Giles Sirett (@shapeblue) discussing the evolution from traditional to cloud workloads. What are the costs, the barriers to entry, and the reasons to change? Great discussion about the pros, cons, and the future. Watch and see: Welcome to […]

May 15, 2013

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#EngineersUnplugged S2|Ep15: Data Center Transformation

1 min read

Welcome to the Season Finale of Season 2 of Engineers Unplugged! It’s the perfect conversation to end with, as Joel McKelvey (NetApp, @joelmckelvey) and Gina Minks (Dell, @gminks) talk about the data center of the future, and the transformations that are necessary within the business. This is well past speeds and feeds, let’s take a […]

May 8, 2013

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#EngineersUnplugged S2|Ep14 Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)

1 min read

Sure, there are many events and conferences going on this week, but stick a reminder on your calendar to watch this week’s episode of Engineers Unplugged. Ed Saipetch (@edsai) of Speaking in Tech and other fames and Andre Leibovici (@andreleibovici) of VMware talk about the evolution of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), VDI, EUC, and […]

May 2, 2013

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Three Paths to the Cloud, They All Start in Vegas (EMC World, Interop, and More)

2 min read

If you’re looking for Cisco in the cloud next week, you’ll have your choice of events. The source of all of this cloud knowledge, Las Vegas. Who knew that was where the cloud started? #EMCworld #CiscoEMCW First up, Cisco Data Center Cloud team can be found at EMC World, Booth 401, at The Venetian/Palazzo, May […]

May 1, 2013

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#EngineersUnplugged S2|Ep13: Software Defined Data Center + Cloud

1 min read

In this week’s episode of Engineers Unplugged, Bas Raayman from EMC and Caroline Orloff from ServiceMesh take on “what is the software defined data center and how is it like/different from the cloud”? Let’s watch and see what they conclude: Welcome to Engineers Unplugged, where technologists talk to each other the way they know best, […]

April 24, 2013

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#EngineersUnplugged S2|Ep12: The Evolution of Virtualization

1 min read

In this week’s episode of Engineers Unplugged, join Gabriel Chapman (@Bacon_Is_King) and Dave Henry (@davemhenry) as they chart the evolution of virtualization, from mainframes up to software defined data centers. This is a technical deep-dive you don’t want to miss: One thing that hasn’t evolved as much, the unicorn, shown here, fully virtualized: Welcome to […]

April 17, 2013

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#EngineersUnplugged S2|Ep10: #BigData — The Human Face of and Why It Matters

1 min read

Welcome back to Engineers Unplugged. Today, we talk Big Data with Matthew Brender (@mjbrender EMC) and Hans De Leenheer (@hansdeleenheer Veeam). It’s not just a lot of data, it’s what you can do with it. For real world examples, and thoughts on where this is all going, listen in: But wait, there’s more! We’ve got […]

April 10, 2013

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#EngineersUnplugged S2|Ep9: IPv6 or 1970s Math

1 min read

The Internet of Everything fuels our daily lives, but leads to some new challenges in the networking space. Join us for this week’s episode of Engineers Unplugged as Damian Karlson (@sixfootdad) and Tom Hollingsworth (@networkingnerd) discuss the pros and cons of IPv6, firewalls, and the failure of 1970’s math. Watch and see: Welcome to Engineers […]

April 3, 2013

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#EngineersUnplugged S2|Ep8: Secure Hybrid Cloud + Whiteboarding Game

1 min read

This week features another exciting double edition for Engineers Unplugged, complete with a whiteboarding game to help you hone your craft. But first, business. Listen in as Brian Gracely (VirtuStream, @bgracely) and Jase McCarty (EMC, @jasemccarty) discuss the benefits of secure hybrid cloud:

March 27, 2013

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#EngineersUnplugged (S2|Ep7): __aaS (Everything as a Service)

1 min read

Another week of all the technology that’s fit to whiteboard, Engineers Unplugged features Chris Wahl (@chriswahl) and Steve Kaplan (@ROIDude) talking through cloud stack options, including Cisco Cloupia and Cisco Intelligent Automation for Cloud (IAC) as well as VMware’s vCloud Director (vCD) and vCloud Automation Center (vCAC). It’s ___aaS in the new cloud world. Great […]

March 25, 2013

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Outtakes from #VM13 (Varrow Madness): Cloud Views, Chicken and Waffles, and More

1 min read

Just back from Varrow Madness 2013 (#VM13) in Durham, NC, a local event for me, and a great opportunity to connect with customers, partners, and cloud knowledge. Here are some highlights.   Rusty Buzhardt (Cisco), Jason Nash (Varrow), Elijah Stukenborg (Chiquita) Really enjoyed an inspirational keynote by VCE President Frank Hauck and the opportunity to […]

March 20, 2013

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#EngineersUnplugged S2|Eps5-6: #Automation and #KISS, a Double Header!

1 min read

On Engineers Unplugged this week, we are trying something new, a double edition! First up in Episode 5, VCE’s Jay Cuthrell (@qthrul) and Nick Weaver (@lynxbat) talk shop in terms of Automation and the evolution of Open Source, including GitHub, and the role of Community in Tech solving problems. Amazing discussion with practical guidance on […]

March 13, 2013

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#EngineersUnplugged S2.Ep4: #EUC Buzz!

1 min read

In this week’s episode of Engineers Unplugged, WWT’s Dave Kinsman (@virtualizethis) and Chris Gebhardt (@chrisgeb) take on the current buzz in the end-user computing space. Listen in on all things VDI, from storage to flash: Welcome to Engineers Unplugged, where technologists talk to each other the way they know best, with a whiteboard. The rules […]

March 11, 2013

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#EngineersUnplugged S3|Special Edition: #UnleashSimplicity

1 min read

In this week’s episode of Engineers Unplugged, Cisco’s Dominick Delfino (@domdelfino) and VCE’s Trey Layton (@treylayton) take on a number of announcements from VCE, and trending in the data center space. Roll the tape:

March 6, 2013

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#EngineersUnplugged S2|Ep3: #OpenStack Edition

1 min read

In this week’s episode of Engineers Unplugged, Colin McNamara (Nexus IS, @colinmcnamara) and Joe Onisick (Insieme, @jonisick) take opposing viewpoints for the OpenStack, cage match. Let’s watch: Welcome to Engineers Unplugged, where technologists talk to each other the way they know best, with a whiteboard. The rules are simple: Episodes will publish weekly (or as […]

February 27, 2013

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#EngineersUnplugged: S2|Ep2| #SDN Doughnut Style

In this week’s episode of Engineers Unplugged, Brian Gracely (@bgracely) of Virtustream takes on the challenge of explaining the industry’s top buzzword, Software Defined Networking, using doughnuts. Seeing is believing: Welcome to Engineers Unplugged, where technologists talk to each other the way they know best, with a whiteboard. The rules are simple: Episodes will publish […]

February 22, 2013

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Quick Guide to #CiscoDC Activity at #VMwarePEX

For everyone in the VMware Partner Community, next week marks the gathering of technologists to learn, train, and generally get together. Cisco has some great opportunities to do all of the above. The easiest way to stay up to date? Follow us @CiscoDC. If you’re not on Twitter, find me, give me 5 minutes, and […]

February 20, 2013

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Engineers Unplugged, Season 2, Episode 1: Converged Management #Simplicity

We are back from the break with everyone’s favorite topic, simplicity in the data center. Specifically addressed in this episode, VCE’s Jeramiah Dooley (@jeramiah_clt) and Gartner’s Jeffrey Brooks (@JeffintheFM) take on converged management. Welcome to Engineers Unplugged, where technologists talk to each other the way they know best, with a whiteboard. The rules are simple: […]

December 12, 2012

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Engineers Unplugged (Episode 12): Active-Active Home Lab, What’s on your wish list?

1 min read

In this episode of Engineers Unplugged, Cisco’s Josh Atwell (@Josh_Atwell) talks to WWT’s Jon Duren (@jduren) about his home lab, including Jon’s plan for expansion and wish list. Let’s watch: Welcome to Engineers Unplugged, where technologists talk to each other the way they know best, with a whiteboard. The rules are simple: Episodes will publish […]

December 5, 2012

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Engineers Unplugged (Episode 11): Hitachi UCP on UCS

1 min read

On this week’s Engineers Unplugged, HDS’s Andrew Nielsen (@virtualkjell) and Cisco’s J Metz (@drjmetz) discuss a recent announcement and validated design, Hitachi UCP on Cisco UCS. Here are the basics:   Welcome to Engineers Unplugged, where technologists talk to each other the way they know best, with a whiteboard. The rules are simple: Episodes will […]

November 28, 2012

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Engineers Unplugged (Episode 10): Get Help for Your Home Network

1 min read

In this week’s episode of Engineers Unplugged, VMware’s Mike Laverick (@Mike_Laverick) confesses on air that his home lab is a mess and he needs help. Good news, Cisco’s Josh Atwell (@Josh_Atwell) to the rescue! No VLANs? No problem. Let’s watch and see what Josh suggests. Sound familiar? Suffering a similar problem? Contact us (@CommsNinja) and […]

November 14, 2012

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Engineers Unplugged (Episode 9): Be Kind to Your Protocol

1 min read

In this week’s episode of Engineers Unplugged, we hear from VMware’s Andre Leibovici (@andreleibovici) and Chuck Hirstius (@rexremus) as they discuss how to Be Kind to Your Protocol, including solutions to common problems and the art of tuning.   Welcome to Engineers Unplugged, where technologists talk to each other the way they know best, with […]