Netflash

For network professionals pondering the future of AI, there are two important questions: Where is AI headed, and what will AI do to networks? Enterprises have to plan for the future, and the future of AI is important beyond AI itself, since it touches the technology they buy, the networks they build, and the profits they generate. Since we can’t be absolutely sure what the future holds, it’s smar…

The reliability of services delivered by ISPs, cloud providers and conferencing services is critical for enterprise organizations. ThousandEyes, a Cisco company, monitors how providers are handling any performance challenges and provides Network World with a weekly roundup of events that impact service delivery. Read on to see the latest analysis, and stop back next week for another update on the…

Fluent Bit, a widely deployed log-processing tool used in containers, Kubernetes DaemonSets, and major cloud platforms, has been found vulnerable to authentication bypass, file-write, and agent takeover attacks. According to an Oligo Security analysis, disclosed in co-operation with Amazon Web Services (AWS), the tool was found vulnerable to five critical flaws that could allow full compromise of…

The Indianapolis Colts and Atlanta Falcons played at the venerable Olympiastadion in Berlin earlier this month as part of the NFL ’s international series. Prior to the event, Amazon Web Services held a small analyst event to talk about the partnership between AWS and the NFL and what that has meant for the evolution of the game. Like many organizations, the NFL has turned to the cloud, and AI has…

There are a growing number of networking startups working to tackle the challenges of AI networking. Aria Networks is hoping that its differentiated approach based on rich network telemetry will actually solve real-world problems for network operators. Mansour Karam , founder and CEO of Aria Networks, is no stranger to the world of creating networking startups that disrupt the existing market. Ka…

The US federal government is rolling back mandates intended to protect critical infrastructure following the widespread Salt Typhoon attacks. The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) has reversed a January 2025 Declaratory Ruling requiring US telecom providers to adopt and certify stricter cybersecurity measures. The ruling took effect under the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act…

When Jeff Gray and his co-founders showed their first network automation prototype to a major network equipment manufacturer over a decade ago, the response was dismissive. The vendor questioned why anyone would want a system that constantly modified network configurations, calling it something that would get “really really busy.” The prevailing wisdom held that networks should be set-it-and-forg…

Ransomware operators are shifting their focus from traditional on-premises targets to cloud storage services, especially S3 buckets used by Amazon Web Services (AWS), cybersecurity researchers have warned. A recent Trend Micro report outlined a new wave of attacks, where attackers integrate with cloud-native encryption and key management services rather than merely stealing or deleting data. “Mal…

Nvidia CFO Colette Kress’s claim that “The clouds are sold out, and our GPU-installed base […] is fully utilized,” may have thrilled shareholders listening to the company’s earnings call on Wednesday, but it’s bad news for CIOs and data center managers who were counting on Nvidia for increased AI computing capacity, as they will have to change suppliers — or change their plans. CEO Jensen Huang, …

Tensor processing units (TPUs) are specially designed AI accelerators. They are a type of application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or chips designed for specific tasks. For TPUs, that task is running and optimizing AI and machine learning (ML) workflows, including training and inference. Unlike CPUs that serve as the backbone of traditional computing, or GPUs used for more advanced computi…

Cisco is announcing a security initiative that will push customers to update or replace aging infrastructure components, such as routers, switches and firewalls, as well as discourage them from using any insecure features. Called Resilient Infrastructure, the plan calls for Cisco to strengthen network security by increasing default protections, removing insecure legacy features, and introducing n…

Cisco and IBM plan to pool their R&D efforts to build a network of large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computers capable of working together to run computations up to hundreds of thousands of qubits. They aim to demonstrate the first proof-of-concept within five years, though much of this technology has not been developed yet. As part of the collaboration, the vendors will look to develop quantum…

Server memory prices could double by the end of 2026, driven by manufacturers’ pivot to AI-focused production and Nvidia’s shift to smartphone-style memory that is straining supply further. DRAM prices have already risen approximately 50% year to date and are expected to climb another 30% in Q4 2025, followed by an additional 20% in early 2026, Counterpoint Research said in its report . The firm …

Microsoft has unveiled the next generation of its Arm-based custom CPUs in the form of Cobalt 200 as part of its ongoing efforts to reduce dependency on x86-based instances and make its data centers more energy-efficient while offering better performance for cloud computing workloads. Microsoft has been using Cobalt chips to power its own services, such as Teams and Defender, and also offers them…

As more enterprise organizations adopt artificial intelligence, research reveals a growing gap between AI plans and network preparedness, according to Broadcom . While 99% of organizations have cloud strategies and are adopting AI, just 49% believe their network could support the bandwidth and low latency that AI requires, according to Broadcom’s 2026 State of Network Operations report. In additi…