Extreme Heads for Middle Ground

Extreme Networks is courting the midsize market by offering on-site assessment services. The two-day assessments will define the scope of network security and convergence projects, and determine the steps required to get the company where it needs to be.

It's refreshing to see a vendor target companies outside the Fortune 500, and it's absolutely necessary for Extreme. The company is a one-trick pony is a sea of competitors that have diversified their product offerings. Extreme must do something to compete against Cisco, Hewlett-Packard and Nortel, all of which can offer broader solutions.

Extreme's initiative is aimed at companies ranging from 100 to 1,000 users. This is a sensible target, because it's a much bigger market than the Fortune 500, and businesses of this size can use the consulting on advanced network issues. The question for Extreme is why a midsize company would seek out a vendor rather than a local reseller, which can offer a broader set of services and longer-term consulting and technical assistance.

Extreme claims the assessment is vendor-neutral, but it's a safe bet that any assessment result will suggest Extreme hardware or its partners' products. --Mike Fratto, [email protected]