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Survivor's Guide to 2007: Network Infrastructure: Page 9 of 9

The MEF has successfully brought together service providers and network equipment makers to agree on the protocols and processes to deploy Carrier Ethernet, standardize service levels and measurements, perform conformance testing on network equipment and service provider networks, and define other features, such as network-to-network peering. Not only is the MEF's work relevant to its members and their customers, it also is an example of a standards body that does it all, from specification to interpretation to conformance testing.

TCG Trusted Network Connect

Bolstering its roster with the likes of Juniper, Nortel and a bunch of smaller hardware and software vendors, the TCG TNC is the only relevant group offering a set of standard protocols, formats and API definitions to compete with the Cisco and Microsoft NAC initiatives. The TNC will be conducting interoperability tests and increasing its presence at trade shows to raise awareness among IT managers. Our own surveys, and those of others, show that TNC is not well-known--a challenge it must overcome.

Mike Fratto is a senior technology editor based in Network Computing's Syracuse University Real-World Labs and former editor in chief of Secure Enterprise. Prior to joining this magazine, Mike worked as an independent consultant in central New York. Write to him at [email protected].