News in Networking: ISPs, NFVs, and a SpaceX-based Internet

This week’s top story picks from the Kentik team.

Following reports of a Russian BGP hijacking, making the headlines this week is new research that suggests a similar hijacking incident could take down bitcoin’s ecosystem. Meanwhile, Light Reading is talking network functions virtualization (NFV) and how network operators can overcome relevant challenges. SpaceX also makes our highlights, with news of more than 4,000 internet satellites it plans to launch. 

Here are those stories and more:

• ISPs Could Damage Bitcoin Ecosystem If They Wanted To (Bleeping Computer) Today most ISPs know about Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) hijacking. To add to those risks, newly published research suggests a hijacking incident could take down the Bitcoin ecosystem.
• NFV’s Major Movements (Light Reading) When it comes to network functions virtualization (NFV), network operators need more support. According to the editor, “There are [only] a few key areas where operators can engage with collaborative bodies and independent organizations to further their strategies, particularly when it comes to multi-vendor testing and deciding on an all-important management and orchestration strategy.”
• The Shift to Turn-Key Big Data Intelligence (InsideBigData) It’s still early innings for big data, according to this article penned by Kentik’s Alex Henthorn-Iwane. Two major aspects of maturation are defining big data’s future: the journey from open source to SaaS, and the journey from bespoke business intelligence to real-time operational use cases.
• AppDynamics explains logic behind that $3.7 billion Cisco acquisition (CIO) At a recent user conference, AppDynamics CEO David Wadhwani said one of the reasons the company was acquired was because “Cisco realized through the partnership conversations that we were having that the data model could make their networks even smarter.”
• SpaceX details internet satellite plans (CNBC) Beginning in 2019, SpaceX will launch over 4,000 internet satellites. According to CNBC, SpaceX thinks the U.S. “lags behind other developed nations in broadband speed and price competitiveness, while many rural areas are not serviced by traditional internet providers. The company’s satellites will provide a “mesh network” in space that will be able to deliver high broadband speeds without the need for cables.”
• HSBC adopts cloud-first strategy to solving big data business problems (ComputerWeekly) Managing data is a core competency for international banking organization HSBC. In this article, the bank’s Chief Architect David Knott talks about how machine learning, big data analytics and cloud are changing the way HSBC does business.
• A ‘Bug Fix’ That Could Unlock the Web for Millions Around the World (MIT Tech Review) A new study from International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which the maintains the list of valid Internet domain names, suggests “companies that do business online are missing out on billions in annual sales thanks to a bug that is keeping their systems incompatible with Internet domain names made of non-Latin characters.”