Evaluate

Evaluate

Weigh the pros and cons of technologies, products and projects you are considering.

• How to blend on-premises IT with the cloud

  Most businesses have existing on-premises technologies up and running, and they aren't in a rush to move entirely to the cloud. This means data center teams are increasingly asked to manage IT resources that are located partly on premises and ... Continue Reading

• Hardware vs. software load balancer: Which is better for an enterprise?

  Can a software load balancer perform with the same capabilities as a hardware load balancer? Decide which aides enterprise the best in this hardware vs. software load balancer comparison. Continue Reading

• What works for daily event log monitoring?

  I have 80 Windows servers in the data center. What can I use for daily event log monitoring? Continue Reading

• Change boot settings from a VM BIOS

  Often overlooked, a VM's BIOS is more limited than a physical machine's BIOS, but will allow you to adjust boot settings. Continue Reading

• Lift and shift vs. re-platforming cloud apps

  When evaluating a new technology, some people like to go all in, with gusto, and adopt it hook line and sinker. Then there are folks whose MO is to take baby steps: Dip a toe in the water and do a lengthy proof of concept. What's right for any given... Continue Reading

• Five cons of container technology

  Containers promise rapid scalability, flexibility and ease, but they're not right for every workload.Continue Reading

• Can hyperconverged systems transform the enterprise?

  It's hard to predict which novelties will become mainstays, and which will be has-beens. One current hot technology is hyperconvergence, the subject of Alex Barrett's article in our May issue, "The Hyperconvergence Effect." Is hyperconvergence a ...Continue Reading

• What's the effect of network switch buffer in a data center?

  What's causing buffer? How much buffer should ideally be available in a network switch? Is there any standard available for buffer?Continue Reading

• Three apps in which Docker containers really shine

  Docker containers offer a variety of benefits. But apply the software to these three application types to get the biggest bang for your buck.Continue Reading

• Here and there: Blending on-premises and cloud environments

  Data center technologies and strategies are evolving toward a blend of infrastructures that reside partly on-premises and partly in the cloud. More and more, IT shops are being asked to coordinate technology resources rather than simply control them...Continue Reading

• How do I use SR-IOV for Hyper-V VMs?

  Single Root I/O Virtualization, or SR-IOV, can help reduce latency and increase I/O throughput when enabled for Hyper-V VMs.Continue Reading

• IBM Tivoli software for enterprise system management

  IBM Tivoli enterprise system management products are designed to manage all aspects of a data center, including storage, monitoring and automation.Continue Reading

• Dell OpenManage enterprise system management overview

  Dell's OpenManage product suite provides tools and modules to manage both Dell and third-party IT infrastructures.Continue Reading

• Docker 1.0 the beginning of the end for virtualization?

  Docker continues to steal the cloud spotlight with its latest lightweight release, but what does it mean for the future of heavyweight virtualization?Continue Reading

• Two critical components of DevOps success

  DevOps appears to be the right track for enterprise IT, but it’s a big change in the way things work and won't succeed without these two critical components.Continue Reading

• Where are Citrix and VMware headed with end-user products?

  In this podcast, we shed light on Citrix and VMware end-user product roadmaps with a recent news recap and an interview with VMware CTO Kit Colbert.Continue Reading

• Traditional IT silos face a hostile software-defined environment

  Think you got rid of data center silos when you adopted virtualization? Not so fast. Software-defined data center tools promise more silo-busting.Continue Reading

• Successful DevOps practices from the start

  Here's all you need to know to get started with DevOps, from identifying goals and roadblocks, to useful tools to scale DevOps to the next level.Continue Reading

• IT asset management best practices for any data center

  Choosing a data center asset management tool depends on how the infrastructure functions, the mix of hardware and software in action and more factors.Continue Reading

• Scale up vs. scale out: Debate evolves over how to upgrade data centers

  Pick sides on whether to scale up vs. scale out servers. It will establish what method to enhance server performance makes sense for your data center.Continue Reading

• Modern Infrastructure Impact Award winners

  The votes are in, and the winners determined. The first edition of the Modern Infrastructure Impact Awards gave prizes to winners in eight categories, which reflect the big topics affecting data center professionals today. Cloud computing, ...Continue Reading

• A look inside the DevOps movement

  DevOps is a culture, not a job or procedure for an IT team. That said, there are DevOps tools and organizational strategies to help you get there.Continue Reading

• Five tips for selecting system management tools

  Too much granularity? Not enough? Need alerts? Maybe not. There are five considerations for systems management tools -- and cost isn't one of them.Continue Reading

• Frequently asked questions about server automation tools

  Server automation tools save time and reduce errors. But what should tools offer, and are point systems or suites the way to go? Find out in this FAQ.Continue Reading

• Prioritizing alerts with server monitoring tools

  Setting and prioritizing alerts with server monitoring tools can help an administrator respond quickly to critical problems without being bothered by insignificant alarms.Continue Reading

• Application performance tips: Workload optimization and software pathing

  IT pros looking to maximize application performance should look beyond basic software, tuning to products from vendors pathing software and hardware.Continue Reading

• Hyper-V Dynamic Memory vs. VMware memory overcommit

  Memory allocation can be a guessing game in virtualized environments. Hyper-V Dynamic Memory and VMware memory overcommit tackle the problem in different ways.Continue Reading

• Selecting benchmarking tools for specific needs

  Narrowing down the best benchmarking tool requires testing and a careful evaluation of needs, including system compatibility, level of technical depth and scalability.Continue Reading

• Improve application performance with multithreaded applications

  Multi-core CPUs fuel a server's operating system performance and virtualization technologies. Can multithreaded applications and multi-core CPUs fuel application performance as well?Continue Reading

• Architecting application failover in your data center

  Attempting application failover by re-coding your apps may not be the right choice for every data center, as several factors, including virtualization and coding languages, affect which method you should use. This tip offers advice for finding the ...Continue Reading

• Modern Stack

  covers the latest cloud-native application design trends and the evolving platforms on which they run. We provide IT operations professionals and software development teams with the information they need to build and support new business ...Continue Reading