Then the fun started. Front-runners were put on the hot seat as judging teams dug into the nitty-gritty of each product. After these face-to-face meetings, the judges convened to discuss the merits of each qualifier and selected a winner in each category. There were also two special awards: Best Start-Up, given to the outstanding product from a company less than two years old, and the coveted Best of Interop Grand Prize.
Now on to the winners...
Enterprise Network Infrastructure | Network Application Software | Network Servers and Peripherals | Convergence Technology | Wireless Technologies | Networked Storage | Network Test & Measurement | Network Management | Performance Enhancement | Security
Enterprise Network Infrastructure
Winner: 3Com Corp. NJ90 Network Jack (www.3com.com)
The NJ90 is a four-port, 10/100 switch packaged into a wall jack, giving new meaning to the term small footprint. It multiplies the capacity of cramped wiring closets by a factor of four while eliminating the disruption, cost and time involved in running and terminating new cable. The icing on the cake: a retail price of $99.
Finalists:
EmergeCore Networks IT-100 "IT in a Box" (www.emergecore.com)
Sprint SprintLink Frame Relay (www.sprint.com)
Network Applications Software
Winner: Computer Associates International CleverPath Portal (www.ca.com)
Subsea cable alternatives can provide a level of comfort for those concerned about disruptions. Realistically, they will continue to play a small, but critical role in the short term.
Maintaining existing network infrastructures often incurs huge technical debt before newer technologies are adopted over time.
Amid ongoing regional uncertainties, telecom infrastructure in the Middle East has expand to include terrestrial low-latency network infrastructure, which offers resilience and agility in navigating political complexities without relying solely on undersea networks.
