I have been a technical author for over 20 years, and I have written numerous books, white-papers, and blogs about IT networking, Wi-Fi, and cloud technology. Early in 2020, I was tasked to write an 80-page eBook about cloud technology and how it relates to network management.
The book needed to cover a high-level overview of cloud fundamentals and explain microservices, containers, and orchestration. Another goal of the cloud booklet was to describe the data pipeline of cloud architecture and the relationship to the data science technologies of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI). The eBook also needed to cover cloud operations (CloudOps) and cloud security. And finally, the book needed to explain why network management via all these cloud concepts provides value to anyone who manages an IT network.
Now I like to take pride in the content that I write, but I ran into two challenges. First, I was up against a deadline, and all technical authors hate deadlines. And more importantly, the adoption of cloud technology is a significant paradigm shift, and any eBook about cloud technology requires an author that is a clear subject matter expert. That is why I shifted gears and recruited Marcus Burton to be the author of the cloud eBook sponsored by Extreme Networks.
Marcus Burton – Architect/Cloud Technology
Marcus joined Extreme Networks this year as an architect of cloud technology. He has an extensive background in product management and is a technical evangelist for cloud, ML, and AI technologies. I have known Marcus for over 15 years, where our paths have crossed in joint ventures as well as competitors. While he worked for one Wi-Fi vendor and I worked for another, I recruited him as the technical editor for several editions of the vendor-neutral CWNA book that I co-author.
So, I called up Marcus and said… "Hey buddy, can you write an eBook about cloud technology and network management in 6 weeks?" And much my relief, he said yes! We quickly recruited Bill Lundgren, Director, Product Management for Cloud Operations and Architecture, to help us scratch out an outline. Marcus began writing, and it became clear immediately that we had the right guy to be our cloud eBook author.
So, what was the end result of this expedited writing journey? I am excited to announce the availability of “Cloud Managed Networking for Dummies” by Marcus Burton.
Cloud Managed Networking for Dummies – Marcus Burton
The eBook may have “Dummies” in the title, but rest assured this book will give you a complete overview of cloud technology across 80-pages. The first chapter delves into why the cloud is a no-brainer for networking. Marcus covers all the buzzwords of simplicity, resiliency, and scalability from a real-world perspective. After the introduction, the other chapters jump straight into all the cloud service models and underlying technologies.
While serving as the technical editor of this eBook, I can tell you that I personally learned a lot about cloud and how it relates to networking. Marcus has done a great job in explaining some complex and often misunderstood concepts about the cloud. I encourage everyone to go to this URL today to download your free PDF eBook of Cloud Managed Networking for Dummies.
In the meantime, ExtremeCloud™ IQ is a 4th generation networking management platform that is built on containerized microservices and orchestrated by a Kubernetes infrastructure. The term cloudification refers to the conversion and/or migration of data and application programs to make use of cloud computing. At Extreme Networks, we have been very busy with the cloudification of the entire networking product portfolio. Once again, take a moment to download the new eBook and join us in our cloud journey.