Pica8 Network Platform: Download Trial Available Now

Networking practitioners and engineers curious about the Pica8 Network Platform can now download and test our products, consisting of the AmpCon Network Controller and the PicOS-V Virtual Software Switch. The Pica8 Network Platform is a turnkey solution that can help automate and manage switch deployment onto any standard white-box networking hardware. The Pica8 Network Platform is free to download, with no license or hardware needed to test the applications.

Cisco’s Very Big Conservation of Complexity Problem

Of all the tools in its ginormous account-control arsenal, Cisco holds solution “complexity” near and dear to its heart. Since its earliest days, Cisco has weaponized product complexity and applied it to pretty much everything from product design, to sales, and even to service and support. Examples…

Days of Cisco Past (1989) – a New Hope

Having clearly reached that “Get Off My Lawn!” stage of a 30+ year career in networking, over the next couple of months I’ve decided to share some unfiltered “insider” observations about how Cisco turned from its late 80’s IBM-killer roots, with its well-earned reputation as the liberator of…

Dating “Dos” and “Don’ts” from the IT Automation Survey

In my last post, I introduced Pica8’s new IT Automation survey. I discussed how the survey shows that digital transformation is driving IT’s focus on automation, especially how they manage automating remote sites. They are clear about their desired goals, and IT automation efforts are well…

Enterprise Automation 2020 Survey – Part 1

It’s clear that IT automation is happening at enterprises around the world. But there are lots of areas within IT. Which are organizations automating first, which are last, and what’s next on IT’s automation playbook? To find out, Pica8 commissioned ReRez Research of Dallas, Texas to survey 200…

Why We’ll Colonize Mars Before Cisco Understands Software

Over thirty years ago – ouch — I joined Cisco as its very first marketing hire, tasked with giving them a more professional image than “Stanford grad students run amok” in preparation for their IPO. But during my six-year posting, I also got to witness Cisco’s first attempt to build an actual…