Stories by Phil Hochmuth

Cisco not releasing NAC client in open source

Cisco says it is not releasing its NAC client software code to the open source community, nor does the company have plans to exit the endpoint security client business, despite a Cisco executive telling the contrary to the media earlier this month.

IBM wants to shrink the Linux server installed base

IBM says the 1.6 million stand-alone Linux servers running in enterprise data centers is too many. It's not Linux IBM has a thing against; it's the physical server hardware running the operating system.

Cisco security gear flaws leave devices vulnerable

Bad things came in threes for Cisco security users this week, as the vendor announced vulnerabilities in three of its security hardware products that could lead to denial-of-service attacks on the devices. Meanwhile, a fourth vulnerability in Cisco's IOS-based intrusion-prevention software could allow attackers to evade detection when going after the aforementioned security gear.

Ethernet inventor makes the Inventors Hall of Fame

Ethernet is right up there with magnetic resonance imaging, the LP record, air bags, and soft contact lenses. So says the National Inventors Hall of Fame, which included Bob Metcalf, inventor of the ubiquitous LAN technology, in its latest round of inductees.

Cisco's R&D outlook

As Cisco's chief development officer, Charles Giancarlo oversees the company's R&D direction and strategy. With the expansion into new markets and technologies -- such as consumer electronics and video -- the types of engineers Giancarlo manages at Cisco have diversified beyond router, switch, ASIC and network software developers. He spoke with Phil Hochmuth about handling juggling Cisco's various R&D activities, as well as some enterprise security technologies to expect from Cisco this year.

Meet 3Com's new boss -- not the same old boss

When 3Com CEO Scott Murray stepped down abruptly in August 2006, after just seven months on the job, 3Com veteran Edgar Masri was called in to take over his old company. Masri led successful enterprise, carrier and network access business units at 3Com in the 1990s. When the company shed these businesses in an ill-fated transformation attempt in 2000, Masri left the firm and became a venture capitalist at Matrix Partners, and later COO at WiMax firm Redline Communications.

3Com touts open source

3Com this week plans to make a fresh run at Cisco and Juniper with an enterprise network strategy focused on embedding security, management and VOIP services from itself and others into its routers and switches.

Microsoft, Nortel CEOs expand on their VOIP alliance

Nortel and Microsoft this week expanded on their Innovative Communication Alliance -- a VOIP-focused partnership announced in July 2007 -- at an event at NBC Studios in New York, where the two companies' CEOs introduced several jointly-developed products and laid out a roadmap for the next several quarters and beyond.

[]