Networking terms and definitions

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AI data center

Backup-as-a-service (BaaS) is a managed service where a third-party provider stores an organization’s data in the cloud. BaaS is considered well-suited for enterprises looking for A cost-effective way to protect critical assets.  As opposed TO  backups on-premises  — which can require significant infrastructure investments — a BaaS provider maintains backup infrastructure and stores data in a public, private or hybrid cloud environment. Data is continuously backed up, secure and recoverable in the event of an outage, failure or cybersecurity event. 

5G

5G is fast cellular wireless technology for enterprise IoT, IIoT, and phones that can boost wireless throughput by a factor of 10.

Private 5G

Private 5G: a dedicated mobile network built and operated within a private environment, such as a business campus, factory or stadium. Unlike public 5G networks, which are shared by multiple users, private 5G networks are exclusively used by a single organization or entity. While private 5G offers significant advantages, it requires specialized expertise and investment to build and manage.

Network slicing

Network slicing can make efficient use of carriers’ wireless capacity to enable 5G virtual networks that exactly fit customer needs.

Open RAN (O-RAN)

O-RAN is a wireless-industry initiative for designing and building 5G radio access networks using software-defined technology and general-purpose, vendor-neutral hardware.

Beamforming

Beamforming is a technique that focuses a wireless signal towards a specific receiving device rather than have the signal spread in all directions as with a broadcast antenna. The resulting connection is faster and more reliable than it would be without beamforming.

Backup-as-a-service

Cloud computing

Virtual private cloud

A virtual private cloud (VPC)  lets you create your own private network within the larger public cloud, combining the security of a private cloud with the flexibility of a public cloud.

A VPC is essentially a logically isolated portion of a public cloud environment. It allows you to provision a private cloud-like space within a shared public cloud infrastructure. It provides a level of isolation, so your resources are separated from other users of the public cloud.It gives you control over your virtual networking environment, including things like IP addresses, subnets, and security settings. It retains the benefits of the public cloud, such as scalability and on-demand resources.

Multicloud

Multicloud refers to using cloud services from multiple public cloud providers. Rather than relying on a single vendor, organizations distribute their workloads and applications across platforms like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and others.

This approach aims to avoid vendor lock-in, enhance resilience, and leverage the specific strengths of each provider. For example, a company might use AWS for its infrastructure, Azure for its enterprise software integration, and GCP data analytics capabilities. Multicloud strategies also allow for geographic distribution of resources, optimizing performance and ensuring compliance with regional regulations.

While offering significant advantages, multicloud environments introduce complexity in management, security, and interoperability, requiring careful planning and orchestration.

Multicloud networking services (MCNS)

Multicloud networking services (MCNS) are designed to provide a unified approach to managing connectivity, security, and visibility across two or more public cloud environments (e.g., Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, and Google Cloud). Instead of treating each cloud as a siloed network, these services offer a centralized control plane and often a set of network and security functionalities.

This allows organizations to establish consistent policies, streamline operations, and improve application performance regardless of where workloads reside. Key capabilities often include inter-cloud connectivity, unified security policies, centralized monitoring and analytics, and simplified routing and traffic management, ultimately aiming to reduce complexity and enhance agility in multicloud deployments.

Leading vendors include Aviatrix, Alkira, Prosimo, F5/Volterra, Cisco, VMware by Broadcom,  Juniper, Equinix,  Arrcus,  DriveNets, and Cohesive Networks.

Neo cloud

Neo cloud is a relatively new cloud computing term. It describes a breed of specialized cloud providers built specifically for artificial intelligence and high-performance computing workloads.

Unlike traditional hyperscale cloud providers like AWS, Azure, Google Cloud that offer general-purpose services, neo clouds are built to deliver raw, scalable computing power, especially using GPUs. These GPUs are essential for computationally intensive tasks like training large language models (LLMs), machine learning, real-time rendering, and complex scientific simulations.

Neo clouds often aim to provide access to high-end GPUs at more competitive prices than hyperscalers for large-scale AI tasks. This is partly because they don’t have the overhead of maintaining a massive infrastructure.

Neo clouds don’t replace hyperscalers, but rather provide complementary services.  For example, an enterprise may continue to use hyperscalers for their core IT infrastructure while deploying neo clouds for their AI-intensive training and development needs.

Private cloud

A private cloud offers the benefits of cloud computing — like scalability and flexibility — but in a more controlled and secure environment. In essence, a private cloud is a cloud computing environment dedicated to a single organization. Characteristics of private cloud include the following:

Single-tenant environment: Unlike a public cloud where resources are shared, a private cloud is used exclusively by one organization.
Dedicated resources: Hardware and software are dedicated to that organization, whether it’s on-premises or hosted by a third-party.
Increased security:  A private cloud offers greater control over infrastructure and enhanced security due to the dedicated nature of the resources.

A private cloud can be phyically located in your data center (on-premises) or at hosted private cloud where the provider hosts the private cloud. However, it’s still dedicated to single organization.

Data center

network orchestration and maintenance. Benefits of data center automation to benefits such as increased efficiency, reduced costs, improved reliability, enhanced scalability and improved security. Data center automation can be implemented using scripting languages (e.g., Python, PowerShell), automation platforms (e.g., Ansible, Puppet, Chef), and cloud-based management tools.

Data center infrastructure management

Data center infrastructure management (DCIM) is a comprehensive approach to managing all aspects of a data center, encompassing both IT equipment and supporting infrastructure. It’s a holistic system that helps data center operators keep their facilities running efficiently and effectively. 

DCIM provides a centralized platform for managing all aspects of a data center, enabling operators to make informed decisions, optimize performance, and ensure the reliable operation of their critical infrastructure. 

Here’s what DCIM does:

• Monitoring: DCIM tools provide real-time visibility into the data center environment, tracking metrics like power consumption, temperature, humidity, and equipment status.  
• Management: DCIM enables administrators to control and manage various aspects of the data center, including power distribution, cooling systems, and IT assets. 
• Planning: DCIM facilitates capacity planning, helping data center operators understand current resource utilization and forecast future needs. 
• Optimization: DCIM helps identify areas for improvement in energy efficiency, resource allocation, and overall operational efficiency. 

Data center sustainability

application delivery controller (ADC) is a network component that manages and optimizes how client machines connect to web and enterprise application servers. In general, a ADC is a hardware device or a software program that can manage and direct the flow of data to applications.

Virtual machine (VM)

A virtual machine (VM) is software that runs programs or applications without being tied to a physical machine. In a VM instance, one or more guest machines can run on a physical host computer.

VLAN
 A virtual LAN (VLAN) allows network administrators to logically segment a single physical LAN into multiple distinct broadcast domains. In simpler terms, a VLAN lets you group devices together as if they were on a separate network, even if those devices are connected to the same physical network switch or to different switches across a building or campus.

Traditionally, a LAN segments traffic using physical network segments, where each segment is a separate broadcast domain. Any device on that segment can hear broadcast traffic from other devices on the same segment. VLANs break this physical constraint. When a VLAN is configured on a switch, ports on that switch are assigned to specific VLAN IDs. Traffic from devices connected to ports in one VLAN cannot directly communicate with devices in another VLAN, unless a Layer 3 device (like a router or a Layer 3 switch) is used to route traffic between them.

This logical segmentation is achieved by adding a tag to the Ethernet frames as they traverse the network. This tag identifies which VLAN the frame belongs to, allowing switches to keep traffic within its assigned VLAN.

VPN (virtual private network)

A virtual private network can create secure remote-access and site-to-site connections inexpensively, are a stepping stone to software-defined WANs, and are proving useful in IoT.

Split tunneling

Split tunneling is a device configuration that ensures that only traffic destined for corporate resources go through the organization’s internet VPN, with the rest of the traffic going outside the VPN, directly to other sites on the internet.

WAN

A WAN  or wide-area network, is a network that uses various links—private lines, Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS), virtual private networks (VPNs), wireless (cellular), the Internet — to connect organizations’ geographically distributed sites. In an enterprise, a WAN could connect branch offices and individual remote workers with headquarters or the data center.

Data deduplication