Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Microcap & Penny Stocks : Zulu-tek, Inc. (ZULU) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: PartyTime who wrote (9521)	6/24/1998 1:57:00 PM
From: PartyTime	Respond to of 18444

Interesting reading: Berst Alert TUESDAY, JUNE 02, 1998 The Next Network Breakthrough Jesse Berst, Editorial Director ZDNet AnchorDesk Some technology markets today are like ramps; a smooth, steady rise upward. Others are like stair steps; hovering at the same level for a while, then jumping to the next. Networks fall in the latter category. And they're poised for that next leap. This is a heads-up on the step you'll be taking in the next year in this important category. A confluence of technologies signal the emergence of next-generation networks. Before I explain what this is going to mean to you and me, let's look at the forces prompting this move: Faster backbones. New technologies are on the horizon that will make your local network 10 times faster than it is today. With that new capacity will come the ability to do digital conferencing, multimedia training and other high-bandwidth functions that bog down on today's networks. Click for full story. Smarter directories. Led by Novell with its NDS and chased frantically by Microsoft, new-generation directories permit new kinds of applications we can't accomplish today. One example: Cisco is working on extensions to Microsoft's Active Directory (scheduled to release with NT Server 5.0) that allow network devices such as hubs, routers and switches to be managed via the directory. Click for full story. Smarter standard. The emerging Directory-Enabled Networks (DEN) standard backed by Cisco, Microsoft and others will lead to new products that extend directory functionality. Example: Network managers will be able to allocate bandwidth based on user profiles and applications stored in a directory. So, for instance, a payroll app gets bandwidth priority every other Friday. Click for full story. Smarter management. After years of promises, software vendors are finally figuring out how to do a better job of running an entire network from a centralized console. Fault-tolerant architectures and proprietary convergence schemes bring improved reliability and resiliency. With the aid of DEN, high-level user identification will be institutionalized along with policies. Real-time data will determine if users are adhering to policy; the network can take action if a discrepancy is detected. Smarter switching. A new breed of switches is key to next-generation networks. Arrival of Layer 3 switches and the resulting return to simpler network designs permits more centralization. (Worth noting: Layer 3 switch prices are dropping.) If you're taking the smooth ramp to the next level of a technology, your path is clearly defined. But if you're in stair-step mode, it's important to know when the next step is coming at you -- so you don't stumble. So what should you do right now to prepare for next-generation networking? My colleagues at PC Week offer specific answers in their comprehensive package, Getting Wired for the Future. I'm interested in what you hope to see in next-generation networks. Use the TalkBack button below to send me a message directly. Or join the debate in my Berst Alerts forum.