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Who Owns The LAN? We Rank Six Switch Vendors: Page 3 of 3

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Respondents show a surprising lack of interest in VoIP and multimedia features, rating them eighth among 15 LAN features, in contrast to predictions from Cisco CEO John Chambers and some analysts that we're poised for a significant increase on enterprise networks, primarily from video.

More surprising to us is the relative parity of scores when discussing Layer 2 encryption--scores ranged from 3.8 for Cisco to 3.1 for Netgear, odd because Cisco is actually the only vendor that supports Layer 2 encryption right now, via 802.1AE and 802.1XREV on certain models of Catalyst switches. HP says it will start supporting Layer 2 encryption soon, and the company excels at per-port security, with denial-of-service detection, IP address lockdown, robust port authentication, and a proprietary feature to support both multiple 802.1X supplicants as well as non-802.1X hosts on the same port.

However, based on our survey results, IT pros appear unaware of these capabilities. Despite--or, perhaps, because of--that lack of awareness, respondents overall seem content with their LAN vendors, with 60% saying they're not considering changing or adding vendors. They're almost equally split between single-vendor and multivendor LANs: 52% integrate gear, while 48% are homogenous. Most of those with more than one LAN supplier say they've acquired a mix of gear over time. When contemplating new LAN gear, most respondents say having other equipment by a particular vendor influences their purchase decisions. Data shows that a big driver here is the expectation that gear from one provider will interoperate--though that may be more wishful thinking than reality. Respondents also give incumbents an edge because they believe having products from one vendor means they'll share a common management interface. That may be true within a product line, where the software management layer--the GUI--is often integrated for switching and routing; however, once other services, like load balancing and firewalls, are added, that dream of a single pane of glass is often shattered.

Though most respondents don't plan to change LAN vendors, some could be induced to jump ship. Of the 178 respondents considering replacing or adding a vendor, the top driver is substantial capital cost savings. But money isn't the only reason IT might consider a change: The opportunity to get advanced features and a clear technology advantage compared with other vendors--and presumably, their own competitors--is also important, each cited by about one-third of respondents.

Do you have a single- or multivendor LAN?