Founding engineer of Cisco TelePresence jumps to rival

Another notable Cisco official is leaving the company. Phil Graham, engineering founder of Cisco's TelePresence initiative has joined Avaya to lead its R&D for "next-generation endpoints that improve the user experience and promote effective business collaboration," according to an e-mail from Avaya PR.

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Graham came to Cisco via the 1998 acquisition of Judy Estrin's streaming video pioneer Precept Software. While at Cisco, Graham drove development of all the TelePresence endpoint, multipoint, recording, and scheduling products and oversaw adjacent TelePresence business units. Estrin became Cisco's second CTO.

Graham also led a team in the company's Technology Center, a group developing video and home networking technologies. Graham served as director of engineering for Cisco's Video Internet Services Unit, which was responsible for enterprise video streaming products like Cisco IP/TV, a direct result of the Precept acquisition.

Graham joins a list of other high-profile Cisco executives to leave the company as it winnows its focus and transitions itself back into a router and switch company. Video, ironically, is a market Cisco intends to drive and lead in, and one of the five key areas of focus for the company as it realigns operations.

Oracle drops support for Intel's much-maligned Itanium chip

Oracle further muddied the future of Intel's Itanium platform, saying late Tuesday that it had decided to discontinue all development for the server chip. It is only the latest to do so, behind Microsoft last year, and Red Hat in 2009.

"Intel management made it clear that their strategic focus is on their x86 microprocessor and that Itanium was nearing the end of its life," the company said in a statement. Intel disagreed with Oracle's claim however, saying it remained "committed" to the platform.

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"Intel's work on Intel Itanium processors and platforms continues unabated with multiple generations of chips currently in development and on schedule," the chipmaker's president and CEO Paul Otellini said in a statement.

Intel's relationship with Itanium has been a rocky one since its 2001 debut. Its architecture was made incompatible with the x86 line of processors from the start, meaning applications had to be written specifically for it. It also typically performed at much slower speeds to its competitors.

The chip never seemed to have good sales, and was upstaged by AMD's own 64-bit processors which were x86-compatible. This forced Intel to produce 64-bit server chips that were x86-compatible as well, effectively marooning Itanium and further damaging the platform.

Oracle's comments also seemed to upset HP, which is the largest producer of servers based on Itanium. The chip was the result of a collaboration between HP and Intel during the 1990s, although Intel now is responsible for its development.

With its acquisition of Sun, Oracle also became a competitor to Itanium with its plans to continue development of the SPARC chip. HP seemingly believes this is somewhat anti-competitive -- akin to Sun attempting to push customers to its own product by ending support of a competitor's.

"We are shocked that Oracle would put enterprises and governments at risk while costing them hundreds of millions of dollars in lost productivity in a shameless gambit to limit fair competition," HP executive vice president Dave Donatelli told Businesweek.

10 Strategies Microsoft Should Follow in 2010

Table of Contents:

1. 10 Strategies Microsoft Should Follow in 2010
2. Microsoft Needs to Keep True to the Enterprise

News Analysis: Microsoft had a relatively successful year. But 2009 is nearly history and Microsoft must look ahead to 2010. Google and Apple will remain its biggest competitive challenges. However, Microsoft would be wise to avoid unhealthy obsessions about the competition. Here is a look at 10 strategies Microsoft should follow in the new year.

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10 Strategies Microsoft Should Follow in 2010

Now that 2009 is coming to a close, it's time for Microsoft to look ahead to 2010. The software giant will be met with several challenges during the year. It will need to face off against Google, an increasingly disconcerting competitor that seems to have its sights set on Redmond.

It also needs to take on Apple, which has enjoyed unfettered growth in the mobile space. It gets even worse when one considers that Microsoft also needs to worry about regulators that have major problems with the strategies Microsoft follows. Needless to say, it will be a tough year for Microsoft.

That's why Microsoft needs to be smart about the moves it makes. It can't simply expect to maintain status quo by offering services and solutions that don't appeal to user desire. It also can't expect to run roughshod over the market without the European Union having a few things to say about it. So as Microsoft prepares for the challenges that it will face in 2010, it's important that it has the right strategies in place to ensure it will be successful.

We have 10 strategies Microsoft should follow in 2010.

Let's take a look.

1. Drastically improve Windows Mobile

It's not enough for Microsoft to simply address the problems users have with Windows Mobile. The company needs to drastically improve its mobile OS if it even wants to stay relevant in the space. Right now, Windows Mobile is little more than an "also-ran." It lacks multitouch support, it has none of the features users are looking for in next-gen offerings today, and the number of apps available to the platform pale in comparison to anything Apple offers. Windows Mobile is in desperate need of improvement.

2. Leverage Bing

If Microsoft wants to be successful online, it needs to do a better job of leveraging Bing. In 2010, the company must integrate Bing into just about everything it does. Bing Search should be in Windows Mobile. It should become a key component in Windows 7. It should especially find its way into Microsoft's many online services. Bing is the centerpiece of Microsoft's online strategy. It must be leveraged.

3. Adhere to the EU's demands

The European Union has a major problem with Microsoft. It believes that the company is engaging in practices that the governing body finds unacceptable. When Microsoft made the deal to offer users the opportunity to download up to 12 different browsers, it was the smart play for the software giant. It can't spend 2010 trying to find ways around that agreement. Microsoft needs to do what the EU wants and move on with other strategies.

4. Get to work on Azure

It's unbelievable that Microsoft would allow Google to be the first company to move into the online-operating-system space. As a software firm, most expected Microsoft to lead the way to the Web. It hasn't. That needs to change in 2010. The company needs to work hard on Azure and get it to market as quickly as possible. It can't allow Google to steal the online-OS spotlight. Microsoft could easily find itself trying to catch up to Google, rather than leading it.

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The Mac App Store makes multi-Mac ownership cheaper than multi-PC ownership | COMPTIA VIDEOS! Comptia A+ Videos Training, Comptia video training at comptiavideo.com

Apple has struck a blow again Microsoft by making multi-Mac ownership cheaper than multi-PC ownership.

Note: Putting aside that whole piracy problem plaguing the Mac App Store …

How has Apple pulled off this trick? Through this simple entry in the Mac App Store FAQ:

Q: Can I use apps from the Mac App Store on more than one computer?

A: Apps from the Mac App Store may be used on any Macs that you own or control for your personal use.

People seem to have forgotten that Microsoft had an app store of sorts built into Windows Vista called Windows Marketplace. It died.

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Check out the use of the word “any” in that sentence. Apple is placing no restriction (other than the personal use clause, which I’m seeking clarification on from Apple ) on the number of Macs that you can install purchased apps on.

No more having to buy software twice. Once you’ve bought it, you can install it on all your systems. Sure, the freedoms are nowhere near as broad as those offered by open source software, but as far as commercial software goes, these restrictions are about as loose as you’ll find. And these aren’t just junk ‘fart’ apps and so on. For Mac users there’s some quality stuff to be found in the Mac App Store at a decent price. Sure, not everything, everyone will ever need is there, but if that was a criteria for success, nothing would ever succeed.

Not only that, but the end to serial numbers, activation codes and the like:

Q: Do apps from the Mac App Store require activation keys, serial numbers, or registration numbers?

A: No, but you may be asked for your Apple ID and password the first time you use an app.

I don’t know about you, but to me that sounds like a serious simplification for Mac-owning consumers. Not only for those owning multiple Mac systems, but also for those upgrading to newer systems.

About the only potential gotchya I can see is this:

Q: If I have already downloaded an app from the Mac App Store, can I redownload it for free?

A: Yes. You can redownload apps from the Mac App Store as long as the app remains available. You may be asked to enter the Apple ID and password you initially used to download the app.

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So if an app or developer vanishes from the App Store, you’re out of luck unless you’ve got a backup (in which case, you’ve still got access to the app in question).

It’s clear that when it came to the Mac App Store that Apple really did choose to ‘think different’ when it came to licensing. People seem to have forgotten that Microsoft had an app store of sorts built into Windows Vista called Windows Marketplace. It died. Why? Partly because Microsoft couldn’t see it as any more than a new way to distribute old thinking.

Whether you’re a fan of Apple or not, the company deserves some praise for making software ownership for consumers less of a hassle.

CES wrap: Nvidia, Motorola Mobility get top marks | COMPTIA VIDEOS! Comptia A+ Videos Training, Comptia video training at comptiavideo.com

The Consumer Electronics Show is about to wind down—mercifully—and it’s time to hand out grades for the major tech players. Motorola Mobility and Nvidia move to the front of the class.

This wrap focuses on the strategic positioning of the players at CES this week. Why? Let’s face it: Many of the products highlighted this week are either six months away or vaporware. At best, CES is a demoware festival. That’s part of the reason why I never go to CES. However, you do get a good feel for strategy from some key tech vendors.

With that in mind, here are my top 5 performances at CES from a strategic perspective.

Motorola Mobility: CEO Sanjay Jha did what he had to at CES. First, he diversified with AT&T and showed off the Atrix, which looks like a interesting contender to win the superphone crown. James Kendrick already has it pegged as best in show. Motorola was also out front with its Verizon Wireless 4G LTE launch with the Bionic. Toss in Motorola Mobility’s Xoom tablet (right), which appears to be a showpiece for Google’s Android Honeycomb effort, and the company had a solid CES. Motorola Mobility sees itself as a bridge between computing and mobility.

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Stifel Nicolaus analyst Doug Reid said:

Motorola Mobility confirmed steps to diversify carrier relationships beyond Verizon (specifically, with Atrix 4G on AT&T) give us increased confidence that management is effectively addressing the threat of iPhone arriving on Verizon in 1Q11.

Grade: A. See all on Motorola Mobility.

Nvidia: The graphics chip maker is really stepping on the gas. Its Tegra2 is at the heart of several new handsets from Motorola and LG. In addition, Nvidia is positioned at the heart of 4G devices. With Motorola’s Atrix, which docks to create a PC, Nvidia is subliminally positioning itself beyond phones. Speaking of that move, Nvidia also unveiled a CPU effort. Simply put, Nvidia was everywhere at CES—even at Audi press conferences.

Grade: A+

Samsung: At CES, Samsung is everywhere. The company is talking phones, PCs, TVs and everything in between. The biggest standout for Samsung was its slider PC, which is a workable mix between a tablet and a laptop. Is Samsung’s device an iPad killer? No way. However, Samsung may just have found a way to create a netbook done right. On the 4G device front, Samsung was also all over the place boasting powerful Android smartphones. One knock on Samsung was all the talk about Smart TV, which could be a rathole since the market is so fragmented. Also see:

* CES: First look at the Samsung’s first sliding laptop PC
* Image Gallery: Close-up look at Samsung’s first sliding laptop computer

Grade: B

Apple: Apple wasn’t at CES, but the company looks better than everyone there strategically. The biggest takeaway: Despite dozens of tablets at CES there was nothing that looked ready to duel with the iPad. Motorola’s Xoom looks promising, but the tablet needs to get to market first.

Grade: A

Google: The biggest event of CES—in my view—was the long demonstration of Android Honeycomb. Overall, the video—relayed by Jason Hiner—was impressive. If the tablet market is riding on Honeycomb, the demonstration gave me confidence that Android may just step up to the iPad plate. Google gets dinged because its TV efforts were barely worth talking about at CES.

CES video: Google’s surprise demo of Android 3.0 Honeycomb

Grade: B

Other thoughts:

* Microsoft Surface 2.0 is interesting and could be one helluva coffee table one day. Windows 8 nuggets were also notable.

* Dell’s 10-inch Streak is likely to be pushed as an enterprise device for key verticals.
* HTC had a solid CES, but is going to have trouble standing out in the Android brawl with Motorola and Samsung. I’m not sure the next-gen Sense—touted by AT&T—is much of a selling point.
* 4G marketing is a complete mess for consumers. Every carrier is now talking 4G—even if technically their networks are built for “4G speeds.” The 4G marketing is only going to confuse the consumer and everyone and their mother will be 4Gwashing. The term 4G will be meaningless by March. See: CES: The Real Cost of 4G

CCNA Training, CCNA Certification key Understanding the critical role of Cisco’s Access Control Server in Cisco NAC « CCNA KEY

Typically, you only hear about the importance of the Cisco ACS server for VPN and dial-up authentication, authorization, and accounting. However, today the Cisco ACS server is being used as the central posture server when implementing Cisco's Network Access Control (CNAC). Let's discuss the role ACS plays in NAC.

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What is the Cisco ACS Server?

It's the job of Cisco Secure Access Control Server (ACS) to offer authentication, accounting, and authorization services to network devices. It includes routers, switches, Cisco PIX firewalls, and network access servers. Cisco Secure Access Control Server supports two major AAA protocols; namely, TACACS+ and RADIUS. Figure A shows an example of how Cisco ACS plays a role in the typical network for wireless network authentication.
Figure A

Cisco ACS can work with wireless network authentication.

Cisco ACS not only centralizes authentication (who you are) but also authorization (what you can access) and accounting (the logging of what when you logged in and out, as well as what you were granted access to). Traditionally, this was just needed for dial-up users over modem phone lines; later, for Internet VPN users. However, beginning with ACS version 4.0, Cisco ACS is performing the same authentication, authorization, and accounting functions for networks that are NAC-enabled.

You can obtain Cisco ACS in either a Windows version or an appliance version. The appliance version is called the Cisco ACS Solution Engine. The UNIX version of Cisco ACS has been discontinued.
What is a posture validation server?

When learning about and implementing Cisco NAC, there are some new terms that you must learn. One of many such terms is the posture validation server. Exactly what is this? The short answer is that Cisco ACS is the posture validation server.

Cisco Secure Access Control Server plays a prominent role in Cisco NAC as a policy decision point. Generally speaking, Cisco Secure Access Control Server connects with the Cisco Trust Agent to build much of the NAC framework. The Cisco Secure Access Control Server judges the state or health of the host. Additionally, you have a choice of downloading access lists and VLAN assignment to the NAD, to control the PC host.

The best part about Cisco Secure Access Control Server is that it also implements security policy verification of host credentials. This, in turn, enforces policy items like antivirus signature file version and OS patch level. You can extend the Cisco Secure Access Control Server policies by forwarding credentials to third-party servers.

There are some who believe the performance of the Cisco ACS server needs to be increased in order to support Cisco NAC; generally, this is not true. While Cisco ACS plays an important role in the Cisco NAC equation, it can do this for many thousands of users without a lot of horsepower.

To see what the Cisco ACS Web console looks like, check out Figure B.
Figure B

The Cisco ACS Web console.

Figure C shows Cisco NAC and how ACS plays a role.
Figure C

In this diagram, ACS is the Cisco Policy Server.
What are profiles and postures?

Cisco's NAC relies on the RADIUS authorization protocol to communicate the authorization information to ACS. The RADIUS request will contain VSAs, or vendor specific attributes. Back on the ACS server, there will be a NAP (network access profile) that determines what to do with the RADIUS request. That is because the ACS server is probably not only authenticating NAC hosts and NADs, but also VPN clients and other RADIUS clients.

Next, the ACS Server checks the authentication credentials against its own internal database, or Microsoft Active Directory (AD), for example. After that, the Type Length Value (TLV) and posture of the host requesting accesses is checked against the posture validation rules. These posture validation rules are a series of polices with multiple rules inside each policy. The decision that the ACS server makes about the posture of the PC host is made on a first-match basis. This means the NAC administrator must write the rules in a way that the most common rule is matched first. Usually, the first rule is that the client be healthy and is allowed access to the network.

Optionally, the ACS server can send the credentials off to a third-party posture validation server. This is primarily because the third-party validation server can have other types of validations and features that ACS does not support. For example, the Trend Micro OfficeScan solution works with Cisco ACS and the NAC framework to check a user's posture when it comes to the state of that user's antivirus client. Is that AV client up-to-date? Another similar solution is the McAfee Policy Enforcer.
What are audit servers?

While Cisco ACS can do auditing and logging of certain user activities, there are also third-party audit servers that are compatible with the NAC framework, such as the Qualsys Appliance, McAfee Policy Enforcer, and Altiris.
What's the downside to using Cisco ACS?

If you implement Cisco NAC, you are basically choosing to implement Cisco ACS as well. With that, there are some downsides that you should consider:

* You'll most likely want to implement 802.1X. This can be complex and will require some user training.
* You'll need Cisco routers and switches.
* You'll have to use Cisco RADIUS for authentication and the Cisco ACS server as your authentication server.
* The Cisco ACS server cannot protect itself from being attacked or from having malicious code loaded on it. Therefore, you must be very careful to apply Windows security patches and use a host-based firewall on the ACS Server.

In conclusion

The Cisco ACS server is a critical part of Cisco's NAC solution. With the help of Cisco Secure Access Control Server, you can decide who can login to the network based on their credentials. From there, you can decide if that device is healthy enough to be on the network: Do they have all the right patches, antivirus updates, and firewall settings? In addition, you can assign a different set of privileges to each user in the network. Finally, you can audit that user's activity of logging in and out of the network. Besides being a Cisco NAC AAA server, Cisco ACS also performs AAA for wireless LAN devices, dial-up users, VPN users, and more.