Arbor: DDoS Attacks Regularly Top 100 Gbps

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks are now regularly exceeding the 100 Gbps threshold and have been measured at up to 325 Gbps, according to Arbor Networks. There were 72 attacks measured at over 100 Gbps in Q1, however the number dropped to 39 attacks at this level for Q2.

“Following on from the storm of NTP reflection attacks in Q1 volumetric DDoS attacks continued to be a problem well into the second quarter, with an unprecedented 100 attacks over 100GB/sec reported so far this year. We’ve also already seen more than twice the number of attacks over 20GB/sec than we saw in the whole of last year,” said Arbor Networks Director of Solutions Architects Darren Anstee. “The frequency of very large attacks continues to be an issue, and organizations should take an integrated, multi-layered approach to protection. Even organizations with significant amounts of Internet connectivity can now see that capacity exhausted relatively easily by the attacks that are going on out there.”

Some highlights from the Arbor study:

• 1H 2014 saw the most volumetric DDoS attacks ever, with more than 100 events over 100GB/sec reported so far this year
• At the mid-point of 2014, 2x the number of events over 20GB/sec have been reported, as compared to all of 2013
• The largest reported attack in Q2 was 154.69GB/sec, down 101% from Q1 2014. This was an NTP reflection attack targeting a destination in Spain.
• NTP reflection attacks are still significant, but size and scope is down versus Q1 2014. Average NTP traffic volumes are falling back globally, but still not back to the levels of November 2013 (pre the start of NTP attack proliferation)
• Q2 2014 saw fewer very large attacks – with average attack size down by 47% compared to Q1 2014

http://www.arbornetworks.com

Read More

Fujitsu Develops Multi-layer, Full-mesh Cluster Topology

Fujitsu Laboratories has developed a technology that reduces the number of network switches used in a cluster supercomputer by 40%.

Instead of using a conventional, "fat tree" network topology, in which, for example, 6,000 servers would require about 800 switches, or possibly more than 2,000 switches, Fujitsu Labs is using a multi-layer full mesh topology in combination with a newly developed communications algorithm that controls transmission sequences to avoid data collisions.

Fujitsu said its approach can accommodate a large number of servers with relatively few switches by considering what would be an optimized data-exchange process, then connecting the cluster in a new way.  By using scheduling, servers connected to the various apex switches (A through F) will divert to a different apex, and also by avoid collisions within paths that traverse different layers (a1 through d3).

http://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/resources/news/press-releases/2014/0715-02.html

Read More

AWS Offers 10-40% Discounts for Annual Subscriptions

Amazon Web Services introduced annual subscription plans for the 26 categories of infrastructure, developer tools, and business applications currently offered in the AWS Marketplace.

The annual subscription, which offers a single upfront payment at at discount of 10-40% over the hourly rate, enables an Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud instance type to have unlimited use of the software for the next 12 months. Annual subscriptions are be available for more than 90 software products from ISVs such as Alert Logic, Barracuda, Citrix, Fortinet, MicroStrategy, Progress Software, Riverbed, Sophos, Tenable, and Vormetric.

http://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/

Read More

Box Adds Office 365 Integrations, Removes Storage Limits

Box announced two new integrations with Microsoft Office 365 and removed storage limits for all customers of its Business plan.

“The competition for business customers will no longer be about how much information a solution enables them to store, but rather, what it allows them to do with that information,” said Aaron Levie, co-founder and CEO, Box. “Our deep integrations into the Office 365 suite expand our commitment of building capabilities that make content stored on our platform more valuable, information more powerful, and companies of all sizes more connected.”

http://www.boxworks2014.com


In June, Microsoft extended its offer of 1 TB of OneDrive storage to all versions of Office 365, including the 5-person home version that costs $9.99 per month and the personal version costing $6.99 per month.

Microsoft said the landscape for online services is quickly changing and that merely providing cloud storage is table stakes.  By providing 1 TB with Office 365, Microsoft effectively supercedes the storage-only providers. 


Google responded by announcing Drive for Work, a new premium offering for businesses that includes unlimited storage, individual file sizes up to 5TB, advanced audit reporting and new security controls for $10/user/month. Google Drive for Work offers 24x7 phone support and a 99.9% uptime guarantee.

Read More

Fujitsu's E-Band Radio Boasts Rates of 3.0 Gbps

Fujitsu introduced its new BroadOne GX4000 E-Band radio for the North American market.

The BroadOne GX4000 Series, which operates in the 70/80 GHz or E-band, features a patented Impulse Radio Technology boasting 3 Gbps (uncompressed) transmission rates and ultra-low latency. Latency is rated at under 20 microseconds per 1 link in CPRI mode. A compact form factor makes the GX4000 ideally suited for applications requiring ultra-high capacity, short spans, where fiber is not available.

It can be used in the following modes:

• Gigabit Ethernet transport, typically applied for backhauling mobile/fixed networks: An E-band link is an ideal complement to wired backhaul technology, as it provides enough transmission capacity to support radically increased data traffic demands within a short timeframe.
  
• CPRI (Common Public Radio Interface) transport, for fronthaul in mobile networks: The expansion of LTE and LTE-Advanced introduces the distributed radio access network architecture, or Cloud-RAN. The new challenge for mobile network operators will be fronthaul, i.e., securing many connections between a centralized-baseband unit (BBU) and remote radio head (RRH) in the most reliable, cost efficient method. The GX4000 provides an industry-leading solution to address the fronthaul challenge, while at the same time reducing OPEX, with a flexible, easy to deploy solution.
  
• Portable networks for disaster recovery and low-latency transport: Wireless transport solutions are extremely important if a communications network is heavily damaged and infrastructure must be quickly restored. The GX4000 is an ideal solution for getting emergency data traffic back up and running in a short amount of time.

“As one of the world’s leading microwave providers, Fujitsu is pleased to introduce our patented Impulse Radio Technology to the North American market,” said Tetsuya Takase, Head of the Wireless Business Unit. “This breakthrough technology provides real advantages over traditional carrier-based transmission, making the BroadOne GX4000 platform a perfect fit for delivering ultra-high capacity communications in a variety of settings, including hospitals, campuses, and residential areas, ultimately helping to improve the customer experience.”

http://us.fujitsu.com/telecom

Read More

Coriant and Allied Fiber Test 1 Terabit Super-Channel

Coriant and Allied Fiber successfully transmitted a 1 Terabit-per-second (Tbps) super-channel over a 1,700 km fiber optic ring connecting West Palm Beach to Jacksonville, Florida.

The terabit field trial was conducted on Allied Fiber’s Southeast Florida segment using the commercially available Coriant hiT 7300 Multi-Haul Transport Platform and pre-commercial software, over Allied Fiber's new Corning fiber. The trial demonstrated 1 Tbps super-channel transmission in a 368.7 gigahertz (GHz) grid over 1,700 km. In addition, it showed a greater than 35 percent improvement in spectral efficiency which significantly increases the capacity of the system compared to conventional fixed grid technology.


The trial also demonstrated the flexible allocation of the 1 Tbps super-channel by placing it in three separate locations within the C-band, thus maximizing the usability of existing fiber resources.

Coriant said this capability comes with an improved spectral efficiency of 3.4 bits per second per Hertz (b/s/Hz) and provides a maximum fiber capacity of 13 Tbps over a distance of 1,700 km on field-installed fiber while using commercial-grade equipment.

"We are pleased to team with Allied Fiber to demonstrate the value that next-generation optical networking technologies can bring to broadband users," said Pat DiPietro, CEO, Coriant. "We are committed to helping our partners like Allied Fiber meet the capacity requirements of residential and business end-user services with systems capable of seamless and efficient scalability to 1 Terabit per channel and beyond."

"We are excited with the results of the trial with Coriant on our network-neutral infrastructure," said Hunter Newby, CEO of Allied Fiber. "It highlights how our new Corning SMF 28e+ fiber has performed carrying 1 Terabit transmission which should be encouraging news for all network operators looking to light their own transport route both for the capabilities of the technology and for the availability of the long-haul dark fiber to run it on."

Allied Fiber, which was founded in 2008, offers a combination of long-haul and multi-access point, short-haul fiber coupled with its own colocation facilities that provide control of the underlying physical assets to its network operator customers.

http://www.coriant.com
http://www.alliedfiber.com

Read More

AT&T Delivers Global MPLS VPN for K+S

K+S, an international commodities company, has awarded a five-year contract to AT&T move K+S's current network infrastructure to AT&T's single global private network. This will enable K+S to connect its operations, comprising 200 locations in Europe, North and South America and Asia. AT&T will provide a primary MPLS-based VPN, complemented by a secondary Internet connection.

"It's clear that K+S wanted better visibility of its communications around the world.  And that's just what our strategic network services are designed to give them, providing them with a platform for supporting their future success," said Vice President, Germany and Central Europe, AT&T, Joachim Kathmann.

http://www.att.com

Read More

Cisco and Microsoft Ink 3-Year Data Center Deal

Cisco and Microsoft announced a three-year marketing deal for transforming data centers through the delivery of integrated solutions for enterprise customers and service providers. The program focuses on the migration of Windows 2003 customers to Windows 2012 R2 on the Cisco UCS platform.

In year one, the companies will target six countries — the United States, Canada, UK, Germany, France, and Australia—with expansion to additional countries in the following years. The companies will align partner incentive programs to accelerate solutions selling via mutual channel partners.

http://www.cisco.com
http://www.microsoft.com

Read More

ADTRAN Reports Strong Q2, Rising International Sales

 ADTRAN reported Q2 revenue of $176,129,000 compared to $162,233,000 for the second quarter of 2013. Operating income was $19,339,000 compared to $14,053,000 for the second quarter of 2013. Net income was $14,395,000 compared to $9,859,000 for the second quarter of 2013. Earnings per share, assuming dilution, were $0.26 compared to $0.17 for the second quarter of 2013.

ADTRAN Chief Executive Officer Tom Stanton stated, “Our long stated goal of geographic diversification continued to pay dividends in the second quarter as international revenues reached a record $79 million. This strength drove our Broadband Access category to achieve record revenues, growing 33% over the same period last year. Operating income increased 38% over the same period last year.”

ADTRAN's Board of Directors declared a cash dividend for Q2 2014 of $0.09 per common share to be paid to holders of record at the close of business on July 31, 2014.

http://www.adtran.com

Read More

Narus and Politecnico di Torino Open Cyber Innovation Center

Narus and the Politecnico di Torino have opened a new Cyber Innovation Center on the campus of this prestigious engineering university.

The new center will focus on advanced cybersecurity research projects and prototyping of technologies that help identify and resolve cyber threats. Leveraging the expertise of local talent, the new center will also foster advanced science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education while generating new technologies that will be integrated into Narus products.

“Narus has a long history innovating in the area of cybersecurity through its fellows program, which has included leading global universities like the Politecnico di Torino for five years. These partnerships have resulted in a number of joint patents and technologies that are incorporated into Narus products,” said John Trobough, president, Narus. "Expanding the program by funding research effort in Europe opens up a large pool of talented people here as we enhance collaboration between nations on both sides of the Atlantic.”

http://www.narus.com

Read More