Fifteen more useful cisco sites to know cisco well

FifteenMore Useful Cisco Sites to Know Cisco Well
Everything you want to know about Cisco routers, security, consumer electronics
and more

To help Cisco masses know Cisco well, we collected 15 more sites covering a range of
Cisco topics---from studying and preparing for certification, to operating a Cisco
network in an enterprise or service provider environment, to keeping up with
security tips and techniques, to just being entertained by the oddities and
idiosyncrasies of the Cisco world. Let’s have a look.

The List of Useful Cisco Sites
Etherealmind

http://blog.router-switch.com/

Etherealmind is the brainchild of Greg Ferro, Cisco CCIE #6920, who describes himself
as the "Human Infrastructure for Cisco and Data Networking." Ferro works as a
freelance network architect and senior engineer and designer mostly in the UK. His
site features an array of opinions, outbursts, insight and experience. He has over 20
years in IT, more than 12 in networking and has spent time at large and small
financial institutions, service providers, resellers and dot-coms. His current areas of
focus are data center, security and application networking technologies.

Risky Business


Cisco customers, engineers, marketers and enthusiasts can never get enough security
information. Risky.biz first "aired" in February 2007. Since then, the site has
published over 170 episodes and developed a following among high-level security
professionals. In addition to the weekly podcast, the site has recorded security
presentations, podcast interviews and job listings. There are also forums for
discussion with security peers on the most recent security-related topics, issues and
challenges.

Tekcert


Tekcert, authored by Jeremy Cioara, CCIE, Trainer and "really cool guy," according to
the blog's Facebook page, used to be Cioara's "Cisco Blog: the world of all things
Cisco". Tekcert has broadened beyond that to become a site that blogs about
technology, business and certifications. The site, thanks to Cioara, still has
considerable amounts of content on networking and Cisco. But more broadly,
Tekcert focuses on "helping people further their knowledge and education about
technology."

Slashdot


News for Nerds.Stuff that Matters. That's the Slashdot tagline and for most readers,
it's accurate. Slashdot has a mix of news, technology, oddities, irreverence and just
plain off-the-wall stuff that appeals to the tech savvy. A quick search on Cisco yields
submissions and comments on Cisco's recent introduction of its SocialMiner
"stalking" software; to the introduction of the 322Tbps CRS-3 router. The
submissions might have a specific take on a Cisco, or any other, announcement; and
then the comments increase the entertainment quotient of the submission, if not the
insight into it. So Slashdot has the potential to inform, educate and entertain those
with an interest in technology in general, as well as Cisco.

Cisco Blogs


Cisco's own blogs on Cisco.com provide the company with the opportunity to expand
on an announcement, strategy, product line or deployment scenario for customers
looking to harness the latest, or legacy, Cisco technology. Strategic imperatives for
the company, like video, collaboration and data center/virtualization, are highlighted
in topic-specific blogs; and then there are more general Cisco interest sites, like The
Platform, Social Media, Web Experience, etc. Perhaps the most infotaining is Cisco
Interaction Network, which includes TechWise TV, a site we highlighted in the "20
useful" list two years ago that features folk hero Jimmy Ray Purser and his unique
insights into Cisco products, deployments and strategies.

Cisco-nsp


Cisco-nsp is an e-mail reflector for users of Cisco gear mostly in enterprises, but with
some service provider contributions as well. Topics are very technical and
participants usually offer up a deployment challenge or issue for review, followed by
tips, tricks, sympathies and snarky comments on how to rectify it or deal with it. This
is a site for true practitioners of Cisco networking, and can be very valuable to those
with new or decades-old Cisco implementations.

NANOG


Like Cisco-nsp, the NANOG e-mail reflector serves the same purpose, but for service
providers. Have a site that's unreachable? You might find the symptoms and cause
here first. Have a problem with route flapping or BGP update suppression? Find
workarounds here. Want a review of a new router or switch, or the best to
implement for 10G? Find it here. It's a not a Cisco-specific site by any means but a
useful running commentary of issues service providers and network operators
grapple with every day, whether they're using Cisco routers and switches or not.

CertGuard


CertGuard performs a search and verification of certification "braindump" sites –
those that offer quick and easy, and cheap, certification exams and aids, such as
those for Cisco CCIE and CCNA that may lack authenticity. These sites can put the
user's certification at risk. CertGuard assesses these sites and offers suggestion on
how to get the best bang for your buck without risking your certification. CertGuard
says it has over 1,900 brain dump websites and roughly 500 File Sharing websites
listed in its database which are freely distributing copyrighted materials without the
written permission of the owners of the material. The site also tracks connections or
similarities between certification related websites which have previously been
undiscovered, and has flagged them for future reference. With this data, CertGuard
is focused on assisting candidates in making the correct choice in certification sites,
and to stop proxy test takers and unethical brain dump websites.

Engadget


Like social media and Web 2.0, consumer electronics is also a key new growth
endeavor for Cisco. Nowhere is that more evident than the company's $550 million
purchase of Pure Digital and its pocket-sized Flip videocam – which followed earlier
acquisitions of wireless SoHo router maker Linksys and cable set-top box pusher
Scientific-Atlanta. Engadget usually has the scoop on some new models of Flip
coming down the pike, as well as some of the first coverage of other Cisco and top
name consumer gear hitting the market. Engadget also comments on cool and
missing features from consumer gear, and forecasts user trends and buying behaviors
based on what's currently hot and not.

Jaluri


As the title implies, Jaluri aggregates blogs on Cisco and network issues in general to
provide a one-stop shop for Cisco- and network-related topics, opinions and
technical guidance. In Jaluri's own opinion, it's aggregating "some of the best"
network and Cisco blogs, some of which already appear in this list and in the one we
did three years ago. Several appear to be targeted at CCIE candidates and
undoubtedly many more are authored by CCIEs. There's even one on Juniper…

Burning With The Bush


Speaking of which, who at Cisco would not want to keep up on its archrival in
routing? Burning With The Bush blogs on All Things Juniper, from core and edge
routing to its moves into new markets, such as data center/cloud computing, mobile
Internet and wireless LANs. BWTB also provides tip and tricks on configuring and
operating Juniper routers and other JUNOS-based platforms. Burning With The Bush
collects info from various sources and many authors, crawling through the Web
looking for and linking to relevant Juniper and JUNOS-related posts. The site also has
authors that write original content. Its founder, Chris Grundemann, is a certified
JUNOS engineer -- JNCIE #449 – author of a book on IPv6, founding chair of the
Colorado chapter of the Internet Society, and participates in Internet governing
institutions. And BWTB is independent – the blog is not affiliated with nor endorsed
by Juniper.

Qsolved


Qsolved provides quick answers to Cisco technical support questions. The site
describes itself as a "community powered, pay to play marketplace" where experts
field and respond to questions from Cisco users. Yes, some of Qsolved's services may
require payment of fees, according to the site's terms and conditions. But in return
you get to download or copy the content from these experts, and other items
displayed on the site, provided they are for personal use only and do not infringe on
the site's copyright protection. But a perusal of the Qsolved blog shows there's some
serious stuff going on in there so it might be worth a look.

Tom's Hardware


Looking for unbiased reviews on Cisco Linksys routers, Aironet access points or
Unified Computing System blade servers? Tom's Hardware has been published by
Bestofmedia Group since 1996. Bestofmedia claims it was one of the first sites to
review computer components. The site is intended to provide independent, unbiased
technology news, articles, reviews and reports to IT professionals, purchasers, tech
enthusiasts and influencers. It includes comparison charts and benchmark testing on
topics such as high-performance PCs, building your own PC, security, business
computing and storage.

Mashable
This is the site for social media news, reviews, opinion and views. Mashable covers
the whole Web 2.0 wave, a phenomenon close to Cisco's, and its customer's,
heart. For Cisco enthusiasts, Mashable covers significant Cisco announcements –
like the recent unveiling of the Cius tablet, and the Videoscape Internet TV platform –
and offers opinions and commentary on those relevant to social media and Web 2.0.
Mashable, which was founded in 2005, is also a model for profitable and influential
blogging – the site has more than 30 million monthly page views from an audience
that includes early social media adopters, enthusiasts and entrepreneurs,
corporations, journalists, bloggers, and advertising and marketing firms. Mashable
claims to have also harnessed Twitter and Facebook as conduits into its site, helping
to drive traffic and page view metrics.

Friday Traffic Report
Another site for tips and tricks on profiting from social media and Web 2.0
technologies – blogs, wikis and the like – is Friday Traffic Report. Cisco is a huge

proponent of businesses adopting social media and Web 2.0 technologies to help
market and make money on their product or service. The Friday Traffic Report is a
blog dedicated to assist in blog marketing and money making. The site is authored by
Jack Humphrey, who's been at this online thing since 1991. Humphrey claims to have
generated billions of site visitors for himself and his online marketing clients over the
past decade. He's also into big hair bands, drums, wilderness survival (including
cyberwilderness, no doubt), disarming wit and Vegas. Be prepared to be entertained
while you learn online marketing tips and tricks. There are also job listings for
bloggers, social media practitioners and other techies, including 1,064 at Cisco when
we last checked…
…
There are still more sites covering Cisco news, Cisco network solutions, Cisco
product release, reviews, Cisco certifications, Cisco books, etc.. If you know some
useful sites, you can share them with Cisco masses here.

Cisco Subnet
Our own Cisco Subnet brings a wealth of knowledge, opinion and event coverage
under one blog umbrella. Here's a sampling of what you'll find there:

Security Watch: We report on Cisco security advisories and security responses as
soon as they're issued.

Bloggers: We have a stable of bloggers who are experts in their fields:
Wendell Odom's Cisco Cert Zone: Wendell Odom, CCIE No, 1624, splits time
between writing books for Cisco Press and teaching classes for Skyline ATS. His books
include titles on QoS, CCIE R/S, as well as several titles related to CCNA certification,
including his newest book Official Exam Certification Library (CCNA Exam 640-802).

Michael Morris: From the field: Morris is a Technical Team Lead and Network
Architect at a $3 billion high-tech company. His background is in enterprise WANs
working with telcos, and developing large-scale routing designs.

Jeff Doyle on IP Routing: Jeff is president of Jeff Doyle and Associates, an IP
networking consultancy, and author of Routing TCP/IP, Volumes I and II. Read the
transcript of our live online text chat with Jeff entitled "IPv6: Will matter to the
enterprise in five years."

Jamey Heary: Cisco security expert: Jamey Heary, CCIE No. 7680, is a security
consulting systems engineer at Cisco. Jamey is the author of Cisco NAC Appliance:
Enforcing Host Security with Clean Access.

Larry Chaffin: Putting realism into your network: Larry Chaffin, Ph.D, is the
CEO/chairman and founder of Pluto Networks a consulting company specializing in
VoIP, WLAN and security. He is also author of a number of books including Managing

Cisco Secure Networks, Skype Me, Practical VOIP Security, and Configuring Check
Point NGX VPN-1/Firewall-1.

John Oltsik: Network Nuggets and Security Snippets: Jon Oltsik is a principal analyst
at Enterprise Strategy Group responsible for the networking and security services at
ESG. Jon previously served as VP of Marketing & Strategy at GiantLoop Network
where he managed all marketing activities and defined the company's strategic vision,
and a Senior Analyst at Forrester Research where he covered a wide range of
infrastructure and IT topics.

Chris Jackson: Net Defense: Chris Jackson, CCIE (Security, Routing, Switching), CISA,
CISSP, ITIL, SANS, Technical Solutions Architect in the Cisco Architectures and
Verticals Partner Organization, has focused for the past six years on developing
security practices with the Cisco partner community. During a 15-year career in
internetworking, he has built secure networks that map to strong security policies for
organizations, including UPS, GE, and Sprint.

View slideshow
Mike Sheldon: Network Resolutions: Mike is CEO of Network Hardware Resale, one of
the largest secondary market resellers of Cisco equipment. Mike joined NHR in sales
in 2001 and was named CEO in 2005, and in that time NHR has grown from $25
million to over $200 million in revenue.

Erik Parker:No Strings Attached: Erik is a wireless network engineer for a Fortune 500
e-commerce company based in the United States, and was previously a wireless
engineer at Toyota and consulting network engineer for International Network
Services (Now BT-INS). His primary focus is on wireless infrastructure, 802.11 protocol
analysis, RF, and mobility, and he has maintained his CISSP designation since 2002.

Jimmy Ray Purser:Networking Geek to Geek: Jimmy Ray is the technical co-host for
Cisco's TechWise and BizWise TV, and also conducts advanced training for engineers
across North America and Europe. He is an active member in the IEEE and the
Ethernet Alliance and has designed, installed and tested numerous networks for
Fortune 500 companies, the United States military and other institutions worldwide.
He holds three U.S. patents for Ethernet security algorithms with two others pending.

Scott Hogg: Core Networking and Security: Scott is the Director of Advanced
Technology Services for Global Technology Resources, Inc. (GTRI), a network
engineering, consulting and training firm. He has a B.S. in Computer Science from
Colorado State University, a M.S. in Telecommunications from the University of
Colorado, along with his CCIE (#5133) and CISSP (#4610). Scott is the author of the
Cisco Press book IPv6 Security and is currently the chair of the Rocky Mountain IPv6
Task Force.

Douglas Gourlay:Default Gateway: Doug is vice president of marketing at data center
switch vendor Arista Networks. Prior to joining Arista in 2009, Doug was the vice
president of Cisco's Data Center Solutions Group, where he was responsible for Cisco's
global marketing strategy for data center, virtualization, and cloud computing. Doug
has filed or holds more than 20 patents in networking technologies and directed
product management for Cisco's Nexus and Catalyst 6500 switching lines.

AvnerIzhar:Cisco Knowledge Share with AvnerIzhar: Avner is a Consulting System
Engineer for World Wide Technology and has 14 years in the networking industry. He
holds a CCIE in Voice (#15999), CCSI (#31623), CCVP and others. He is also the author
of two CCIE voice training related books: CCIE Voice Technology Workbook and CCIE
Voice written study guide.

Jim Duffy: The Cisco Connection: Yours truly has been covering Cisco for 17 years and
has 25 years of experience in covering the computer networking industry as a
journalist – 20 of which have been at Network World. I started blogging about two
years ago on matters pertaining to Cisco -- its products, markets, competitors,
strategies, etc. My content comes from several sources: Cisco, its partners, its
competitors, my own coverage, analyst reports, other blogs and the like. I hope you
find it informative and useful!
---Original reading: networkworld.com

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