Web 2.0 expert says Cisco should buy Plaxo - but security issues remain

Cisco News Alert This newsletter is sponsored by New Edge Networks Optimally manage your virtual enterprise Get real-world advice on how to best support and manage your organizations virtual workforce. Watch this complimentary Webcast, Building IP Networks for the Distributed Workforce, to hear how selecting the right WAN service to support distant employees can make all the difference. Click here to view now. Network World's Cisco News Alert, 10/19/07 Editor's Note: Our apologies for the broken links in the Cisco Alert you received this morning, all have been corrected in this version. Thanks for reading. Welcome to the Friday edition of Network World's Cisco News Alert in which we focus on the top items from Cisco Subnet, your gateway to Cisco news, blogs, discussion forums, security alerts, giveaways and more. Enjoy! * TOP PICKS: NAC: A to Z From buying tips to peer discussions. From case studies to market trends. Network Worlds newly enhanced Network Access Control Buyers Guide has everything you need to stay current, research technology, compare products and implement solutions - all in one convenient location. Click here to go to the Buyers Guide now. Web 2.0 expert says Cisco should buy Plaxo - but security issues remain Cisco should buy Plaxo as another layer to its unified communications strategy, reckons Web and social media commentator LaSandra Brill. She blogs: "Plaxo  is now aggregating your social networking profiles with a pretty impressive list of supported sites." I remember that when Plaxo crept onto the market a few years ago, not many of our columnists at Network World were too impressed. Linda Musthaler warned about the privacy issues that surrounded social networking software, including Plaxo (see here and here). It appears some of these issues are still lingering. Are you sold on social networking sites are spooked by the security implications? Add your comments. ALSO: Cisco tax fraud arrests: Cisco appears not so wholesome after all Cisco issues four security alerts today Cisco is choosing the wrong WiMAX vendor to buy, investor says Microsoft vs. Cisco for unified communications: Who wins? (take our poll) * FROM OUR BLOGGERS: Brad Reese on Cisco: What do you get when spending $1 million for a single Cisco router? So what do you get for just over $980,000.00 (list price) when you are an MSO - Multiple Service Operator or cable company and want to service your customer’s data and voice via DOCSIS cable modems? Brian Wilson, well known author of Slimjim100's Blog, who works on a large number of these "Million Dollar Routers" and has deployed many of them in live networks, is offering us the following details ... Joe Panettieri's Eye on Cisco: The iPhone now means business to Cisco It's one small step for Apple, and one giant leap for Cisco Systems' unified communications strategy. As you may have heard, Apple in February 2008 will introduce a software development kit (SDK) for the iPhone. Somewhere, Cisco's R&D team is smiling. The SDK represents a huge opportunity for Cisco (and its partners) to show businesses the full power of unified communications across mobile devices. Jeff Doyle on IP Routing: Eat your own dogfood I attended a couple of informative panel sessions here at NANOG41 on IPv6 Technical Issues and IPv6 Deployment Case Studies. A theme repeated by several panelists was that vendors and service providers promoting IPv6 need to eat their own dogfood – that is, they need to back up what they’re selling to their customers by implementing it on their own internal networks. Wendell Odom's Cisco Cert Zone: Answer to Tuesday's CCENT-style NAT question Tuesday's question was worded so that it could test your understanding of several of the commonly-used NAT terms, in particular inside local and inside global. It also assesses whether you understand what happens in a typical NAT environment when a router translates the address used by a host inside the enterprise (source NAT), but does not translate the address used for the host that is presumably somewhere in the Internet (destination NAT). I'll take a crack today at explaining a few terms, and then give the literal answer to the question at the end of the blog, so it's easy to find the answer if that's what you're after.  Save the date: Oct. 24, 2-3 p.m. ET for a live text chat with Wendell Odom. Get your Cisco certification questions answered directly by Wendell. No registration needed - just login at the advertised time here. Dheeraj Tolani's Cisco Routing & Switching Essentials: Routing essentials that make our lives easier, Part 2 Those of us who work with Cisco routers know that while you are connected to the Cisco console and working on configuring something, any kind of system messages you get just pop up on your screen with no consideration for what you’re working on at that moment. Suddenly, you can’t see what you were working on because you have a ton of these other messages on the screen. Good news. A permanent fix is available, and you can configure it ahead of time and stop the pop-up clutter before it starts. Michael Morris' Notes from the Field: Single vendor strategy applies to WAN carriers too For my last two blogs, I've expanded upon Nick Lippis' commentary on single network vendor strategies. Nick's stance, which I agree with, is that having dual network hardware vendors actually decreases network availability and limits services the network can provide. In the second blog, I explained how this concept should apply inside technology tracks, but different vendors for each track is appropriate. So, how does the single network vendor concept extend to WAN service providers? ChannelSurfing with Ken Presti: The managed services drumbeat approaches Next month, the complexity will take another step forward as Cisco rolls out its new offer-based program for managed services. While the details are still being held close to the vest, it’s not yet too late for readers to give their two cents on what they’d like to see in such a program. What sort of help would you like to see managed service providers get? Is it marketing? Is it technological? Is it different areas of support? Jamey Heary: Cisco Security Expert: Cisco gives its Security Research Center a makeover Not many people realize that Cisco has been silently improving their security threat information site called The Cisco Security Center. I would also go out on a limb and guess that not many people ever knew Cisco provided free security research content. Bottom line is the site offers lots of excellent, and free, security content. HOT DISCUSSIONS AMONG CISCO SUBNET READERS: Cisconet: Cisco tax fraud arrests: Cisco appears not so wholesome after all Reese: Are CCIEs protecting their turf to the detriment of employers? Wendell: NAT terms and a sample ICND1/CCENT question Doyle: Getting intimate with IPv6 Morris: Took the CCDE written beta test today Tolani: Router basics: Connectivity essentials FREEBIES, GIVEAWAYS AND OTHER NOTABLES: * Enter to win a Global Knowledge Cisco training course of your choice worth up to $3,995. Details here. FINAL FEW DAYS TO ENTER! *Enter to Win a Cisco Press Book: Up for grabs are 15 copies of "Monitoring with Cisco Security MARS" by Gary Halleen and Greg Kellogg. The book (a $60 value) helps you plan a MARS deployment and learn the installation and administration tasks you can expect to face. Details here. Get a sneak peek of a chapter from one of the books here. * Read a free chapter from "Selecting MPLS VPN Service"s by Chris Lewis and Steve Pickavance. Free excerpt here. * Check out Cisco Subnet's library for more free chapters from Cisco Press books.

MOST-READ STORIES: 1. Swearing at work is a good thing 2. Cisco offices raided, execs arrested in Brazil 3. The million-dollar router 4. Noncertified IT pros earn more 5. Funniest Microsoft videos on YouTube 6. New cross-site scripting attack targets VoIP 7. Gates: Voice software means end of PBX 8. Top 10 strategic technologies for 2008 9. Trojan imitates Skype 10. BEA vs. PeopleSoft: 10 reasons it's different this time MOST-DOWNLOADED PODCAST: NW360: Cisco's offices raided; Trojan imitates Skype

Contact the author: Senior Editor Jim Duffy covers Cisco for Network World. Linda Leung edits Cisco Subnet. Cisco Subnet: The independent voice of Cisco customers   This newsletter is sponsored by New Edge Networks Optimally manage your virtual enterprise Get real-world advice on how to best support and manage your organizations virtual workforce. Watch this complimentary Webcast, Building IP Networks for the Distributed Workforce, to hear how selecting the right WAN service to support distant employees can make all the difference. Click here to view now. BONUS FEATURE IT PRODUCT RESEARCH AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Get detailed information on thousands of products, conduct side-by-side comparisons and read product test and review results with Network World’s IT Buyer’s Guides. Find the best solution faster than ever with over 100 distinct categories across the security, storage, management, wireless, infrastructure and convergence markets. Click here for details. PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE You've got the technology snapshot of your choice delivered to your inbox each day. Extend your knowledge with a print subscription to the Network World newsweekly, Apply here today. International subscribers, click here. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES To subscribe or unsubscribe to any Network World newsletter, change your e-mail address or contact us, click here. This message was sent to: networking.world@gmail.com. Please use this address when modifying your subscription. Advertising information: Write to Associate Publisher Online Susan Cardoza Network World, Inc., 118 Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772 Copyright Network World, Inc., 2007