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Presenting Vendor Preview: TELoIP

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TELoIP will be presenting at Networking Field Day 15 in just a host days. This will be their first appearance at a Field Day event and I’m looking forward to hearing their presentation. This isn’t the first company to present at a Field Day that offers an SD-WAN solution. We’ve heard from several others such as Viptella, Riverbed, VeloCloud, Silver Peak, CloudGenix and others. The SD-WAN market is nothing new and the major players have been around for a while now. The field has matured. But what about TELoIP?

About TELoIP

TELoIP is based in Toronto, Canada and has been delivering solutions since 2002. The leadership team includes Rui Luis (CEO and CFO), Pat Saavedra (Founder, President and CTO), and Kevin Suitor (Chief Marketing Officer). The company delivers SD-WAN, SD-Internet, and Orchestration solutions under the VINO (Virtual Intelligent Network Overlay) solution name. Their solution is deployed at the network edge with a VINO Edge CPE device, a VINO controller, the TELoIP Cloud, and the TELoIP Portal. We will likely hear and overview of the complete solution at NFD15.

What I’m Looking For

I’m going to be looking for what makes TELoIP special. In a market that contains many vendors with similar solutions what is TELoIP doing to set themselves apart and why is that important to someone who’s considering the solution? I’ll be looking for some details on how their solution is managed, which differs from other SD-WAN vendor offerings, and how they ensure security within their solution.

What I’m Not Looking For

I will not be looking for an introduction to SD-WAN. However if you are, you can find a decent explanation here. Again, the solution has matured to the point where it’s not a new idea and we probably dont need that overview again.

How to Tune In

Want to tune into the live stream? During NFD15 you can follow along by visiting http://techfieldday.com. Feel free to tweet me any questions you’d like to have answered.

Flaviar Subscription Review – For the Networker That Likes Scotch, Bourbons and Whiskey!

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Well, really it’s for anyone who enjoys the fine taste of a bourbon, scotch, or other libation. It just so happens that I’m a networking guy and if you’re reading my blog you probably are as well. So let me begin with an introduction to Flaviar.

What is Flavier?

Flaviar Tasting Pack

Flaviar claims to be a 21st century speakeasy club in your living room. Essentially they provide a tasting packet every quarter as part of their membership. The membership runs $60.00 per quarter and is by invitation only. This allows them to maintain a high level of quality for their current members. I can appreciate that thinking.

What are the Member Benefits?

So what do you get as a member? The quarterly tasting pack comes with 3 x 1.5 oz. vials of premium spirits from around the world. Along with that you receive tasting instructions, an informational sheet on the spirits you received and stickers to place on the vials after you’ve completed a blind taste test. Overall it’s a pretty small taster kit but it will suffice for the tasting experience.

In addition to the quarterly tasting pack you have access to a members portal that includes a large selection of curated recommendations. Each recommendation is priced, rated from 1-10, and provides a details page with tasting notes and details on the drink. For someone who is just getting into scotch or bourbons this is a nice tool to get you going. This is also the place to review member reviews and share you own thoughts.

You can also follow their blog for detailed information.

The Taste Test

In the welcome box I was greeted by three bourbons from Illinois and Michigan.

The first, Koval, was hands down my favorite. Koval is the first small batch distillery in Chicago since the days of Prohibition. The tase of Koval is a bit complex but you can certainly pick out the tobacco notes. Flaviar has an app that displays a “Flavour Spiral” and this confirms what I tasted and also draws my attention to the port. This was a sweeter, bit heavier bourbon. It’s added to my favorites and I’d definitly pick up a bottle.


The second was Few. Few is a bit milder in tone and has a smooth charred flavor. I didnt like it as much as Koval, but without this tasting pack I may never have discovered it. For my tast it was a bit flat.

Finally, the third selection was from Journeyman from Three Oaks, Michigan. This was good as well but tasted a bit more of alcohol or what I can only describe as a cleaning product. It was much more crisp and pointed. The Flavour Siroal highlights carmel but I think much of the pointed flavor comes from the Rye. Not my favorite, but I didnt hate it.

 

This is not a Flaviar Advertisement

I would like to mention before closing this post that this is not meant to be an advertisement for Flaviar. You’re free to try this service if you’d like but my experience with it is limited at this point. What I can tell you is that I know several fellow networking engineers that enjoy a fine scotch or bourbon and there are times when it’s okay to talk about something other than data networking. Taking your attention elsewhere for a moment can be a great way to overcome problems that you’re trying to troubleshoot. However if you do decide to takeup fine spirits as a hobby I encourage you to drink responsibly.

Would I Do It Again?

Would I enjoy another tasting pack? I certainly would.

Will I continue the Flaviar service? For now, yes.

Would I but each of the three bourbons featured in the tasting pack? No. At this point in time I’ll buy Koval but the other two were not to my liking.

That’s ok. There are plenty of others that will enjoy the other two distilleries. Maybe that’s you. Maybe not.

Privileged to be invited to NFD15.

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I’m privileged to be heading to San Jose for another Networking Field Day. The event spans April 5–7, 2017. Presenting sponsors include Gigamon, IP Infusion, TELoIP, and VMware. Just prior to the event I’ll be posting a presenting sponsor preview and shortly after I’ll cover some of the more interesting and beneficial points that I discover in the process.

In addition, I get the added bonus of meeting some folks whom I’ve not had the company of before. These include Drew Lentz, John Welsh, Kevin Blackburn, and Nicolas Michel. These fine folks will be there in addition to some friends that I just haven’t seen in quite some time. You can view the full list at http://techfieldday.com/event/nfd15/

Join the Discussion

You can join the discussion on twitter and I highly recommend you follow the live stream. Tweet me your questions and I’ll make sure they get asked. The Field Day events are a great way to learn about new technologies and discuss cutting edge ideas. If you’d like to be delegate please visit http://techfieldday.com/delegates/become-field-day-delegate/

Apple Acquires the Workflow App

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Macrumors posted an article yesterday about Apple acquiring the popular automation app known as Workflow.  I see two sides to this coin and I feel a bit mixed about hearing this.

The Good

  1. They will offer it for free and its not coming out of the app store which typically happens when Apple acquires an app.
  2. They could add tighter integration into iOS making the iPad an actual laptop replacement.  With tighter integration and some knobs that only apple can get to the app can be pushed over the top and really make a huge impact for power users.

The Bad

  1. Apple is known to strip app features and dumb things for the masses.  If apple decides to do that with Workflow then we might as well pull the trigger on another MacBook.  Apple has to show some love for power users in the iOS category or I don’t see the iPad ever being a laptop replacement.

What Are Your Thoughts?

I’d like to hear your thoughts.  I use workflow every day for several different automated tasks.  At this point I wouldn’t want to use the iPad without it.  Im nervous about this acquisition while at the same time feeling a bit optimistic.  What about you?  What are your thoughts?  Comment below!