Bio / Lifestream / Archive

Kurt Marko

Contributing Editor
Search for all articles by Kurt Marko on a specific topic

Articles

= Member Content
  • Commentary

    Software Hot, Hardware Not, At EMC World, Interop

    May 13, 2013

    The EMC World and Interop conferences showed technology forces reshaping the storage and networking ecosystems and the data center's future -- forces largely driven by software.

    | Read Article »

  • News

    At EMC, Scale Out Storage Grows Up

    May 08, 2013

    EMC shows that scale-out storage systems aren't just for big pools of unstructured data.

    | Read Article »

  • Analytics

    Informed CIO: SDN and Server Virtualization on a Collision Course

    April 17, 2013

    With every data center resource -- compute, storage and networks -- now virtualized, with a software abstraction layer insulating the logical resource from physical manifestation, the push is on to consolidate operational control and programmatic automation. First came VMMs and cloud software stacks for servers and storage, then SDN for networks; soon, the two will link to form what VMware calls "software-defined data centers." It's a nexus that's disrupting strategies at major IT vendors and, ultimately if not imminently, every enterprise data center.

  • News

    5 Steps To A Better Wireless LAN

    March 21, 2013

    How to keep up with reliability, security and the overwhelming performance demands on your wireless network.

    | Read Article »

  • News

    Chromebook Pixel: My First Week Living In Cloud

    March 11, 2013

    After forsaking all other PCs for a week to work with just a Chromebook Pixel and an iPhone, I learned a few lessons about the post-PC era.

    | Read Article »

  • News

    Collision Course: SDN And Server Virtualization

    March 06, 2013

    With every data center resource -- compute, storage and networks -- now virtualized, the push is on to consolidate operational control.

    | Read Article »

  • News

    State Of Storage: Solid State Takes Hold

    February 25, 2013

    Software is driving storage innovation, but solid-state technology is infiltrating all levels.

    | Read Article »

  • Analytics

    Strategy: Smartphone Smackdown: Galaxy Note II vs. Lumia 920 vs. iPhone 5

    February 05, 2013

    Android and Windows Phone are not ceding ground to iOS -- far from it. While lawyers for Apple, Samsung and Google battled in the courtroom, engineers geared up for the next battle in the smartphone war. And now Microsoft and its hardware partners have joined the fray with a new OS and fresh devices. We analyze the best each camp has to offer.

  • Commentary

    Google Nexus 10: My First Month

    December 18, 2012

    After almost two years of iPad use, I've been living with a Google Nexus 10 tablet for the past month. Google's iPad rival does not disappoint.

    | Read Article »

  • Analytics

    IT Pro Impact: iPad vs. Nexus vs. Surface Tablet Shootout

    December 18, 2012

    The competition for tablet dominance is heating up as Google and Microsoft, refusing to go down without a fight, release competitive new products to take on the Apple juggernaut. But for IT pros charged with managing BYOD programs, all that adds up to is more confusion. We analyze Apple’s new Mini and refreshed iPad, Google’s Nexus duo and Microsoft Surface.

  • Analytics

    Strategy: Rebooting DLP

    December 18, 2012

    The confluence of smartphone-fueled employee mobility and ubiquitous cloud services means it's time to update your data loss prevention strategy. The key: Data protection isn't something you can buy. "DLP 2.0" needs to expand into a smart set of policies backed up by a mix of products.

  • Analytics

    SaaS Collaboration & Project Management Buyer's Guide

    December 14, 2012

    Got mobile users accustomed to nonstop social networking and sporting multiple devices: PCs, tablets, smartphones, Windows 8 hybrids -- you name it? Then a cloud-based service may be a perfect fit for enterprise collaboration. Plenty of vendors are eager to win your business. Find out what to look for and get profiles of 11 top contenders.

  • Analytics

    Research: State of Servers: Full, Fast and Diverse

    December 14, 2012

    Infrastructure may be cool again thanks to SDN, but network guys aren't having all the fun: 48% of the 543 respondents to our latest State of Servers poll mix and match server vendors, and 40% are intrigued by rack-based designs, like the one being developed by the Open Compute Project. But it's not all fun and games, as 63% say high virtualization/consolidation ratios are stressing their gear.

  • Analytics

    IT Pro's Guide to iPhone 5 and iOS 6

    December 13, 2012

    Apple’s latest smartphone ushers in a new hardware package paired with an updated OS. Here’s what enterprise IT teams charged with supporting employee mobility need to know about Maps, security, Passport vs. NFC, networking and more.

  • Commentary

    Nokia Lumia 920: Close, But No Cigar

    December 08, 2012

    I spent a few not particularly pleasant weeks with Microsoft's latest effort to achieve mobile relevance.

    | Read Article »

  • News

    How Samsung Galaxy Note II Won Me Over

    December 04, 2012

    Android has come a long way in just a couple years. The Galaxy Note II stretches the limits of smartphone proportions, but does so quite elegantly.

    | Read Article »

  • Analytics

    Research: 2012 Data Center Staffing Survey

    November 16, 2012

    While 69% of respondents citing server, storage and data center engineering and management as a top area of planned staffing increase say hiring levels will rise 10% or less, these numbers belie a vibrant environment fueling demand for engineers with virtualization and cloud expertise and a knack for innovation. And, 61% say they pay for training, a nice perk.

  • Analytics

    Research: Cisco Outlook Survey

    November 16, 2012

    Nearly 600 business technology pros took time to share their perceptions. Some highlights: 85% like the company’s security stance, and 61% see Cisco as a leader in data center switches. Yet just 25% will increase use of the company’s gear vs. 27% open to or actively replacing. Here's why.

  • Analytics

    Strategy: Security at Today's Network Speeds

    November 15, 2012

    With 10 Gbps Ethernet standard and 40 and 100 Gbps on the way, one big question is whether firewalls, intrusion-detection systems, packet analyzers and other monitoring systems can keep up. If not, your need for speed might prove deadly.

  • Analytics

    Strategy: E-Discovery, Mobility and the Cloud

    November 12, 2012

    Do you know everywhere business documents reside? Storage pros are often tasked with aiding discovery, yet as IT increasingly relies on cloud repositories while employees substitute mobile devices for PCs, that question is getting much harder to answer. Problem is, in the event of litigation, courts won't accept "the cloud ate my homework" as an excuse. Here's how to cope.

  • Analytics

    Windows 8 Survival Guide: End Users and Mobility

    November 12, 2012

    It's almost impossible to avoid the wall-to-wall media blitz around Surface. So we'll spare you the marketing spin and focus on what IT pros need to know about how Windows 8 changes the end user and mobile experience. Hint: There's more to it than just a radically new, tablet-optimized UI.

  • Commentary

    Tablets Cause Wi-Fi Stress: Truth And Fiction

    November 08, 2012

    Don't fall for vendor scare tactics about an impending iPad-fueled WLAN-a-geddon.

    | Read Article »

  • News

    How To Secure Data As Networks Get Faster

    November 01, 2012

    Faster networks are coming, putting security monitoring systems to the test.

    | Read Article »

  • Commentary

    Windows 8: A Bridge Too Far For Enterprises?

    October 26, 2012

    Windows 8 may end up marking the moment when people stopped caring about PC operating systems.

    | Read Article »

  • Analytics

    Research: App Dev in the Age of Mobility

    October 17, 2012

    The native vs. browser debate is still raging, with each strategy garnering 74% of respondents to our 2012 Mobile Application Development Survey who plan to deploy custom applications. What's not in dispute is RIM's decline: Just 22% will develop for the BlackBerry, compared with 71% focusing on iPhones.

Bio

Kurt Marko is an InformationWeek and Network Computing contributor and IT industry veteran, pursuing his passion for communications after a varied career that has spanned virtually the entire high-tech food chain from chips to systems. Upon graduating from Stanford University with a BS and MS in Electrical Engineering, Kurt spent several years as a semiconductor device physicist, doing process design, modeling and testing. He then joined AT&T Bell Laboratories as a memory chip designer and CAD and simulation developer. Moving to Hewlett-Packard, Kurt started in the laser printer R&D lab doing electrophotography development, for which he earned a patent, but his love of computers eventually led him to join HP’s nascent technical IT group. He spent 15 years as an IT engineer and was a lead architect for several enterprisewide infrastructure projects at HP, including the Windows domain infrastructure, remote access service, Exchange e-mail infrastructure and managed Web services.

Twitterfeed