Cloud security startup Porticor has updated its Virtual Private Data (VPD) system to help companies encrypt data stored in the cloud and protect encryption keys. Porticor’s VPD combines encryption and its own proprietary key management service to protect enterprise data stored in public, private and hybrid clouds that run on VMWare and Amazon Web Services. [Read more on Network Computing]

Mellanox Technologies is making its software-defined networking play with the latest version of its SwitchX, positioning it as a fast and affordable alternative to offerings from Arista Networks and Cisco. [Read more at Network Computing]

Gary Hilson is a Toronto-based writer, editor and digital content strategist.

Much of the discussion about software-defined networks focuses on the network side of the story. But vendors are revealing plans that will allow applications and services to take advantage of the programmability promised by SDN. Citrix Systems has announced a forthcoming version of its NetScaler SDX application delivery controller that aims to do just that. [Full Story]

EVault has launched the latest version of its cloud-connected backup and recovery platform, which the Seagate-owned company said is a significant update to its predecessor and takes a cue from social media with its streamlined management interface.  [Full Story]

Tufin Technologies has added another arrow to its quiver to help network administrators improve firewall management and security with SecureApp, which specifically addresses the connectivity of enterprise applications. [Full Story]

One year after acquiring Force10 Networks, Dell continues to solidify its Virtual Network Architecture (VNA) while rolling out new products for its PowerConnect line.  [Full Story]

A six-hour outage for GoDaddy, one of the largest website hosting companies and domain registrars, affected thousands and possibly millions of customers earlier this week and serves as a warning for enterprises not to put their DNS eggs all in one basket. [Full Story]

Ask network admins, and they’ll tell you a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) can offer enterprises several benefits over traditional PCs–among them, mobility, security and manageability. Then, they’ll tell you the barriers they’ve faced toward VDI adoption–according to InformationWeek Reports’ “Informed CIO: VDI Snake Oil Check,” they range from the inability to work when disconnected from the network to initial costs and a lack of ROI. And then there’s storage. [Full Story]

Riverbed Technology unleashed a volley of new product announcements at this week’s VMworld, including integration of its Stingray Traffic Manager with VMware’s vFabric Application Director.  [Full Story]

Quest Software joined a growing number of vendors offering a single tool to back up and recover data on both physical and virtual servers with the release this week of its vRanger 6.0. [Full Story]