Emerging Technologies: Which Are Right For You

1
Emerging Technologies Which Are Right For You

• David Strom
• Technology Editor, VAR Business Breakaway San
  Deigo
• August 2002

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Some perspective looking back to 1990

• Illegal to have your own dot com domain
• Novell was the biggest thing going in networks
• Windows was still pretty dismal, v3
• Unix was exclusively for geeks
• P2Cs cost 2000 for 25 MHz/200 MB hard disks
• Email wasnt used by anyone in your family

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Todays important technology questions

• IP protocols or not?
• Windows or Unix/Linux?
• Where is networking going?
• Can we ever secure our networks?
• Are Java and XML going to be important?
• What about web services?
• Whither wireless?

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IP or not IP

• Just about every corporate network is built
  around IP protocols
• But still have Netware and non-IP applications
  around (including mainframes)
• Trick is for VARs to keep up with advances in IP
  technologies and yet maintain expertise in niche
  services

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Voice over IP issues

• Deployment
• Do you need to upgrade your infrastructure?
• Managing your combined VoIP/data network
• Whether to run parallel networks for voice to
  obtain high enough QoS

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Windows vs. Unix

• Desktop is still Windows
• Linux gaining ground in app servers
• Unix now looked at as the new mainframe/data
  center OS
• Microsoft vulnerable when it comes to stability,
  cross-platform apps delivery

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Advances in networking

• Gigabit Ethernet to desktop soon
• Cheaper routers and firewalls
• Everything becomes a 1U appliance (good news for
  VARs to integrate)
• No one cares what your file server is running,
  just as long as it is running

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Securing networks

• Viruses will never go away
• Viruses hoaxes now being spread
• The hard part is securing the LAN from within
  (wireless, other intruders)
• VARs that know this stuff will never lack for work

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Web/database issues

• Understand security weaknesses and access
  controls of local database users
• Understand web/database interaction from security
  perspective
• Understand proxy server attacks (ala Adrian Lamo)
• Block them CGI scripts!
• Who is root and what can they really do?

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New security options

• Applications-layer scanning tools like Web
  Inspect from SPIdynamics.com
• Multi-layered IDS from OneSecure.com
• Better email filtering and scanning tools
• Combined anti-virus/proxy/cache tools from
  Cacheflow.com

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Java and XML

• The beginning of the whole open systems story
  Apache, Sendmail .
• Applications will never be the same
• Open systems have come and wont leave corporate
  developers
• Important standards for developing web-based
  applications
• Java and XML have their place on servers, not on
  individual desktops

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Web services

• New breed of applications that reside partly on
  the Internet, partly on an enterprises servers,
  and partly on an external web browser
• Safe, solid, and full of high profits for the
  right VARs
• Look at Intuits web Turbotax and Quickbase as
  examples

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Application server vendors

• Oracle 9i Applications Server
• Sun One Net
• IBM Websphere
• BEA Weblogic
• Microsoft .Net
• Various open source products

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Issues with web services

• Choosing the right applications server platform
• Whether to go with J2EE or MS .Net
• Who will own your directory of apps?
• What kind of development environment do you need?
  
• How deep do you go to integrate business
  processes and logic into your apps?

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Wireless issues

• Boon for home and SMB marketplace
• Boon for VARs that can understand security and
  environmental setup issues
• Bust for enterprises looking to keep control over
  their computing resources

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Wireless LAN loopholes

• Do you even know if they are running?
• NetStumbler.com good resource
• New products like AirMagnet
• Read this article too.

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Wireless VPN/firewall appliances

• BlueSocket
• ReefEdge
• Vernier Networks
• Mobility from Netmotion Wireless

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Conclusions and questions

• David Strom
• Technology Editor
• VAR Business magazine
• dstrom_at_cmp.com
• [phone]