In this article, Brien Posey explains why virtual machines typically share a common NIC, and how you can create additional virtual networking components for your virtual machines. He explains how to create an external virtual network, an internal virtual switch, and a private virtual network.

Meru Networks has announced the introduction of techniques of virtualization to its enterprise wireless LAN products. The "virtual port" technology, available now on Meru products, provides client devices with its own dedicated virtual wireless network. Just as with dedicated ports on a wired switch, enterprises gain control over the wireless resources allocated to each client, lowering both initial expenditures and ongoing management costs. "Virtualization has brought dramatic cost savings, resource efficiencies and predictability to the server and storage worlds," said

In today's economic environment, enterprises are under increased pressure to make data centers more cost effective in terms of capital and operational expenses. The network is playing a key role in reducing data center complexity so that companies can achieve those savings.

Napera, the company that bases its NAC products on Microsoft software, is expanding the capabilities of its box. New software for the appliance enables a gateway firewall, support for a remote-access VPN and a DHCP server. The firewall is a basic, packet-filtering product along the lines of what is offered in a small office-home office appliance.

Joe Panettieri (The VAR Guy) submits: If you want to know where Cisco Systems (CSCO) is heading next, think really big and really small. The company has big plans for the massive managed services market, but is also investing $100 million in the small business sector.

IT departments can reap enormous benefits from virtualizing applications and implementing Virtual Desktop Infrastructures (VDI). However, the management and cost savings of virtualization can be lost if performance is so bad that it hampers productivity, as can happen when virtual applications and desktops are delivered across a Wide Area Network (WAN).

For an in-depth look at a WAN revamp, see CIO.com's related article, "How to Make Your WAN a Fast Lane: One Company's Story."

How can enterprises overcome poor performance to reap the rewards of virtualization?

Think your desktop virtualization and WAN worries are complex? Linklaters, one of the world's largest law firms, has to support lawyers in 23 countries, working on 9 million documents with about 30 million versions. To keep pace with the torrent of data being shared via core business apps, the company had to make over its WAN.

HP says it can cut the pricey-but-neglected costs of networking virtualized environments by 55%. Your average VMware ESX server busily hosting virtual machines requires six network connections, which means network expansion cards, switches and cables - all of which add up.read more

Gregory Ness submits:Static Networks, Billowing ExpectationsNetworks are joining more devices and more powerful systems everyday; this thirty year mega trend won’t be slowed by a troubled global economy or the howls of doom and gloom merchants. While many investors may indeed question the network infrastructure 1.0 leaders about what their next few quarters will look like, the real questions should be about where this dynamic of relentless connectivity and billowing expectations will take us.Complete Story »

Virtualization and cloud computing are the two major trends sweeping the IT industry today. So it’s surprising that few people are exploring how these two technologies will work together. To be sure, virtualization and the cloud address different needs. Virtualization centers around improved hardware utilization and more efficient utilization of resources, while the cloud focuses on [...]