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Shoot for the Moon

that we didn't skew the results by putting readers who occasionally stray to fill a specific need in the best-of-breed camp.

Among the advantages we see to the single-vendor approach are:

• It's easier, logistically, to deal with one provider, and this can impact TCO.

• It eliminates finger-pointing. When there are problems in a multivendor environment, one vendor tends to blame another. Sure, a skilled network-engineering staff can cut through the bull, but there are more productive goals toward which they should be devoting their energies.

• It alleviates support and training woes. Supporting multiple platforms means added training costs, and dealing with multiple vendors' support organizations can make life more difficult.

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