Ann Bednarz

Associate News Editor

 

abednarz@nww.com (612) 926-0470

Network World, Inc. 118 Turnpike Road Southborough, MA 01772

Recent articles by Bednarz

Handing over the reins to a managed services provider
Jul. 03, 2008
Most people know what it's like to discover a project is more work than you bargained for. In my own experience, the day I tried to install a replacement window immediately comes to mind. The IT world is full of ...

Allot partners to bolster VoIP, video optimization
Jul. 01, 2008
It's no secret voice and video traffic can require some special handling to keep networks running smoothly. In an effort to improve voice and video QoS, Allot Communications is teaming with specialists Qosmos and ...

Sun shed lights on telework savings
Jun. 30, 2008
Sun Microsystems is an old hand when it comes to telework. The technology company has been growing its telecommuting ranks through its Open Work program for a decade, and today nearly 19,000 employees (56% of Sun's ...

Engineering firm shares WAN optimization experience
Jun. 26, 2008
Engineering firms know all about taxing the WAN, given the volume of huge design files that typically travel between offices. Strand Associates, a 330-person engineering firm based in Madison, Wisc., has 10 offices and ...

Application performance management: What makes it so hard?
Jun. 24, 2008
As part of our coverage of the state of network optimization, I asked Hon Wong, CEO of Symphoniq (and former co-founder of NetIQ), to weigh in on the challenges of Web application performance.

Concord Hospital heals Web application latency
Jun. 19, 2008
Consolidation projects are top-of-mind for many companies as they look to deliver improved IT services at lower costs. But consolidation projects aren't without their challenges. In the case of application consolidation ...

Blazin' apps: What does it take to get them?
Jun. 17, 2008
Who doesn't want speedier applications? This week Network World published a collection of stories focused on application acceleration and network optimization. There's a ton of great material to check out.

Pimp your apps
Jun. 16, 2008
Application performance will soar as traditional acceleration technologies merge and end-to-end optimization becomes a reality.

Four cool network optimization start-ups
Jun. 16, 2008
Talari Networks, Aspera, FastSoft and Strangeloop Networks are four cool start-ups offering network optimization and application acceleration.

Application-acceleration vendors partner to boost end-to-end performance
Jun. 16, 2008
WAN acceleration vendors Citrix, Akamai and Silver Peak team with EMC, Cisco and NetQoS to improve WAN application delivery.

For hire: Application delivery architect
Jun. 12, 2008
There's generally not one person responsible for speeding application delivery. It's clearly one of those things that multiple IT disciplines influence, from application development and network teams to server and ...

Blue Coat CEO talks about sealing the Packeteer deal
Jun. 10, 2008
Blue Coat Systems Monday announced the completion of its acquisition of Packeteer. The deal came together quickly: Blue Coat announced its intent to acquire Packeteer on April 21, and commenced its tender offer for the ...

Top perks for tech execs
Jun. 30, 2008

WAN players partner for performance
Jun. 05, 2008
WAN optimization vendors are trying to satisfy IT buyers who want more from their investments, and they're pairing up with other IT vendors that offer complementary products and services.

Sun sheds light on telework savings
Jun. 30, 2008
Sun is an old hand when it comes to telework. The technology company has been expanding its telecommuting ranks through its Open Work program for a decade, and today nearly 19,000 employees (56% of Sun's population) ...

Gas prices alter work environment
Jun. 02, 2008
Gas prices are forcing workers to consider carpooling, working from home and other tactics to avoid costly commutes, according to a new study developed by staffing firm Robert Half International.   Gas prices alter ...

What's to like about Riverbed, Cisco WAN optimization gear
May. 29, 2008
It's nice to see IT buyers fired up - in a good way - over their choice of WAN optimization technology. When Network World bloggers Peter Sevcik and Rebecca Wetzel (from consulting firm NetForecast) asked Riverbed ...

Speeding Web applications from the data center to the end user
May. 27, 2008
Trying to speed up applications that run over the Internet, rather than a private WAN, is a challenge for enterprises. Today there are two common approaches: deploying acceleration gear in the data center, or using a ...

Should your IT staff telework?
May. 23, 2008
Being available to troubleshoot tech problems remotely, at all hours of the night and on weekends, goes with the territory for IT pros. But working from home during business hours? Not so much. There are signs, however, ...

Silver Peak strikes 1Gbps
May. 22, 2008
Data-intensive processes such as SAN replication and remote office backups can take a big toll on WAN performance. To help weather the surge, Silver Peak Systems' new high-end WAN optimization appliance, unveiled this ...

Certeon goes virtual with application acceleration appliance
May. 20, 2008
Server virtualization technology is changing the way enterprises deploy applications - and it's changing the way they view single-function hardware appliances. For companies looking to cut back on branch-office (and ...

WAN vendors: Make the most of what you have
May. 15, 2008
Three very different network optimization vendors made three very different product announcements over the last few weeks. But there's one common thread: Making the most of what you have, whether it's redundant networks ...

Riverbed revamps management platform
May. 13, 2008
The importance of management is becoming impossible to ignore as companies begin to think more strategically about their WAN optimization deployments. With that in mind, Riverbed Technology last week took the wraps off ...

Tech company CEO compensation raises ire
May. 09, 2008
Executive compensation has been a hot-button issue for several years, and the final crop of fiscal year 2007 proxy statements filed throughout March and April did little to quell the cry for reform from industry ...

The future of network optimization
May. 08, 2008
It's a challenge deciding what to write about each week in this newsletter - but not because it's hard to find material. Quite the opposite. Every time I turn around there's a new product launch, or a partnership, or a ...