Cisco routers traditionally appeal to users who want tried
and tested products and a mature support infrastructure but do not
necessarily want or need leading-edge technology. However,
enterprises interested in adopting newer technologies should look
to some of the smaller specialist suppliers.
Iain Stevenson, an analyst with Ovum, said, "Smaller players are
leading the way with technologies such as Secure Sockets Layer
virtual private networks, caching and often voice over IP.
"Network managers who want to build the best solutions need to keep
abreast of what is available in the marketplace."
Mark Fabbi, an analyst at Gartner, said, "In some cases, Cisco has
integrated these technologies, for example in VPNs, but in other
cases, Cisco routers provide some, but not all, of the
functionality of best-of-breed solutions.
"This has led enterprises to rethink how they might build a Wan,"
said Fabbi. "They might add overlay technology to the network for
compression or VPNs. Or they might be looking at their Wan
requirements and evaluating the field."
Technology leaders include Peribit, whose Wan compression devices
can effectively increase bandwidth by 10 times, and Neoteris, which
produces appliances in the increasingly popular client-free SSL VPN
space.
Companies such as Expand and Packeteer have also begun to win
significant sales by offering products that overlay Cisco
networks.
New entrants to traditional markets, the profusion of leading-edge
players, the changes in technology and new architectures all
reinforce the importance of networking skills to the business.
Clive Longbottom, service director at analyst group Quocirca, said,
"The skills required to implement and maintain a network today are
not the skills of the 1990s. It is no longer enough to throw
gigabits and big boxes at a problem.
"You need people who understand the whole infrastructure. The
network people with the best CVs are those that understand the
business and the technological needs to best service it."