In case you’ve been stuck in video conference meetings all day, here are today’s top stories from SDxCentral. Also, make sure to subscribe to our daily newsletter to get these stories in your inbox.

Microsoft Diversity Pledge Draws Labor Department Contact

“We have decades of experience and know full well how to appropriately create opportunities for people without taking away opportunities from others,” wrote Microsoft General Counsel Dev Stahlkopf. Read more.

Verizon Claims Cisco Tech Achieves Live Sports Fan Safety

Most people have no interest in attending crowded events while a highly contagious and potentially fatal disease is spreading. Read more.

Juniper Connected Security Adds VPN App, Risk-Based Access Controls

“This is really focused on knowing who and what is on the network,” Juniper Networks’ Kate Adam said. Read more.

Cisco’s Internet for the Future Powers Internet2 Network

Under the network-upgrade agreement, Internet2 will deploy Cisco’s 8200 series routers that use Cisco Silicon One ASICs in 48 locations across the U.S. Read more.

Equinix Supplants Legacy IP Networks With Nokia Routers

The companies claim the new network infrastructure will lay a foundation for Equinix to deploy 5G services requiring low latency, high capacity, and automation. Read more.

Druva Debuts Cloud-Based Backup for NAS Data

Druva's new offering eliminates backup performance and cost problems, and provides visibility and insight into unstructured NAS data. Read more.

Palo Alto Networks Exposes Multi-Million-Dollar Cloud Misconfigurations

“This is a widespread problem in the cloud,” Palo Alto Network’s Matt Chiodi said. Read more.

Pluribus Networks Stretches Cloud Fabric to 1,024 Nodes

Pluribus Networks is preparing for deployments on a scale that is largely nonexistent today. Read more.

Oracle Observability, Management Spreads Everywhere

"It gives organizations a level of ‘arms wrapped around everything’ control, based upon its single source of truth and comprehensive visibility,” explained ESG's Mark Peters. Read more.