wiring closet wp

8/11/2019 Wiring Closet Wp

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Wiring Closet Switches Enable New Applications and IT Services Intelligence Enters Network Access

Lippis.com


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Abstract:

Wiring closet switches are undergoing a renaissance of sorts. Once thought of as commoditized simple network connectivdevices, they are now central to network security, mobility, Power over Ethernet (PoE distribution, !P phone and connection devices, et al. Wiring closet switches are pervasive as they connect all end$points into an enterprise netwodistributing network services throughout a corporation. Previously ac%uisition cost might have been the primary criteria wiring closet vendor selection. !& leaders are now rethinking their decision criteria as network intelligence and services ha

shifted toward network access, enabling unified communications, integrated security, wireless ') access, application deliveand high availability to support real time applications and much more. &otal #ost of Ownership (O of these switches bredown as *+-+ capital-operational spend resulting in switch design, network management plus reliability and serviceabifeatures possessing a demonstrable effect toward lowering O. !n addition to this network intelligence shift, previouspurchase decisions, which deployed multiple vendor products for network access, are being reviewed as operational cost hsoared thanks to inconsistent management and operations. &his white paper documents the dynamics forcing a change

wiring closet switching with recommendations and guidelines for business and !& leaders to assist them in fi/ed switch vendselection.

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1.0 Introduction: Existing wiring closet deployments

&he edge or access of a network connects all end$points into anenterprise network infrastructure. &he network edge is made up ofwiring closet switches, which are usually fi/ed Ethernet switchingdevices. &he market for wiring closet switches is evolving.

!n the previous decade !& organizations had traditionally pursued anedge network that utilized shared hubs and switches to provideconnectivity to end$points. &he primary buying criteria was price perport with low price being paramount. &hese switching devicespossessed few network services such as layer * forwarding, 0irtual 'ocalrea )etworking (0'), 1outing !nformation Protocol (1!P and a

configuration tool as their primary network management capabilities. !nshort, the old network access model provided best effort connectivityservices with little to no operational control.

s a result of these past decisions, edge-access security was limited,with layer * security measures often implemented haphazardly. 2ultiple

0')s were relied upon to maintain separation of user traffic andprovided limited access control. 2ost switches relied on 1!P as aninterior gateway routing protocol but limitations in its algorithm couldlead to sporadic outages that would render the network unusable.Wiring of switches is often disorganized after years of physicaltroubleshooting3 additionally, adds, moves and changes without good

network management systems contribute to a lack of availability,reliability and e/tended time to resolve faults (see before and afterphotos.

!& departments viewed wiring closet switches as commoditizednetworking e%uipment, with little differentiation between vendors. s a

result, purchasing decisions were typically made solely on the basis ofupfront ac%uisition cost with little regard for the increased lifecycle coststhese purchases incurred on operations. 'arge organizations thatfocused their decisions on ac%uisition costs had soon assembled anenterprise network made up of e%uipment from different vendorsthroughout their wiring closets, which may have been different than

distribution and core switch suppliers. E%uipment from multiple vendorsmade effective management difficult and the multiple managementsystems necessitated that these organizations keep a large staff withdiverse skills to maintain network functionality.

Wiring closet switch manufacturers have been driven to deliver increased

network services in their products due to changing enterprise network

demands, discussed below. s a result wiring closet switches and thenetwork edge in particular have transitioned from being a commodityconnectivity service to a strategic enabler of new !& applications andservices while being the first level of defense to mitigate against internalnetwork threats and attacks. &his is a fundamental change in enterprise

network design upon which business and !& leaders need to take action3see recommendations section.

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new category of wiring closet switches has recently begun to appear on the market. &hese switches offer a host of nfeatures that allow vendors to compete on multiple different fronts beyond traditional price per port metrics. !t is importfor e/ecutives responsible for purchasing decisions to understand this new basis of competition and to take into account n4ust their organization5s current needs but also heretofore unconsidered future needs before selecting wiring closet switchand designing the ne/t generation edge network. &he podcast link below is a discussion with 2r. &huan )guyen, 6irector of

at 7ent 8chool 6istrict, about his options, decisions and results of a new state$of$the$art network edge. &he 7ent 8ch6istrict is the fourth largest school in the state of W, comprising four high schools, si/ middle schools, * elementary schoand two academies. !n *++9, the school district employed :*++ and enrolled nearly *;,+++ students plus an additional :students were enrolled in offsite programs such as 1unning 8tart (college.

&he start of the fiscal year brought with it a district$wide network refresh, where the !& team sought to replace the curre

edge network that included products from Pro#urve )etworking by =P and :#om. &he e/isting e%uipment was aging and vebasic with only layer * support. &he school district5s !& team wanted to>

6eliver to students and staff new applications such as voice, video, wireless networking and virtualized applications.

!mprove network availability and reliability.

Enhance network fle/ibility to support new tools and applications as needed.

7ent5s !& staff were challenged to support a doubling of networked computers, new !& service re%uirements includvirtualized desktops, smart boards, video surveillance and unified communications all while keeping their operational bud

constant. 2r. )guyen e/plains how a new network edge allowed 7ent 8chool 6istrict to deliver on its goals.

Related Podcast:

Kent School District Deploys New Wiring Closet Switches And Gets Ne

IT Services While Keeping perational Cost Constant

Listen to the podcast

1.1 Enterprise Trends

new set of enterprise trends is forcing !& e/ecutives to review pro4ects, programs and priorities as they seek to drive do

&otal #ost of Ownership (O while e/tracting additional value from their enterprise network. ?usiness e/ecutives e/ptheir !& departments to meet continually growing demands for increased number of networked applications and associatperformance without significant year over year network e/penditures. &o manage this re%uirement, !& leaders seekpurchase network switches that possess more forward$looking designs and significant upgradeability than what was providby the previous generation of e%uipment.

IT Application Infrastructure Canges&here are fundamental changes taking place with !& applications and communications, which are forcing new network edre%uirements into the market. @rom an !& application perspective many !& leaders are e/perimenting with and deploying W*.+ technologies which enable social networking and local content creation such as blogs, podcasts, vidcast, etc., which a

consumed throughout an organization and between partners, suppliers and at times customers. 6ata center consolidation avirtualization pro4ects are growing in popularity across all market segments, changing traffic patterns and increasing bandwid

re%uirements. 0irtualized desktop deployments are on the rise, which downloads a user5s profile after log in and creates thuni%ue application environment. 0ideo is also becoming mainstream3 it is the foundation of real$time collaboration. !n addithigh$def end$point camera pricing has plummeted or is packaged within new computing systems while unified communicatproviders integrate click$to$conference capabilities into their unified communications soft end$points. ll of the above punforeseen developments point to a new dynamic in mi/ed traffic patterns with increased desktop bandwidth and servre%uirements.

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http://lippisreport.com/?p=739http://lippisreport.com/?p=739


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A !ew Era in Communications "as Emerged

!P telephony and now unified communications ("# offer strong economic advantages, prompting business and !& leadersadopt this technology. &o support "#, wiring closet switches need to distribute power over Ethernet and provide uni%configuration profiles for these end$points. !n addition to "#, mobility, in particular Wireless ')s (W')s adoption h

become mainstream as !& leaders start to implement the latest high speed W') option in +*.


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while capital e/penditure is amortized over some number of years. While new wiring closet switches may be more e/pensfrom a capital ac%uisition point of view, their operational cost will be lower and the total dollar spend over a three$year perwill also be lower while delivering increased value to the enterprise.

1emember that + of the cost of wiring closet switching is incurred over the course of its operational lifecycle

troubleshooting, maintenance, skilled technical staff, facilities and lost productivity. !n the ne/t section we review the nclass of wiring closet switches and discuss how new designs are addressing both the above changes in enterprise !& areducing O.

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+.0 A !ew Class of ,iring Closet -witces Emerges

Wiring closet switch suppliers have recognized the above enterprise trends and responded to the growing needs of thcustomers with a new type of wiring closet switch that adds significant functionality over and above previous swigenerations. &hese suppliers are succeeding at delivering increased value to !& organizations and in the process transformthe commoditized network edge into a strategic !& asset. &hese new switches build upon the capabilities of the previogeneration and enable a host of new applications such as "#, &elepresence, enterprise$wide mobility and enhanced secur

features that provide a new degree of protection against internal security threats.

!ntelligence and network services are being distributed to the network edge or access, allowing wiring closet switchessupport enterprise transitions in !& application infrastructure and communications adding business value in the process. &new class of wiring closet switches includes the following characteristics>

)ew wiring closet switches tag applications at access to guarantee priority throughout an internetwork and active monitoring.

*. Power over Ethernet (PoE> Power is efficiently distributed over Ethernet cables, enabling new classes of devicesemerge and operate in environments that lack electrical infrastructure.

:. !ntegrated 8ecurity> ?oth integrated security features and the support of security appliances implement strong acccontrol and application$policing, bolstering internal threat defenses.

B. Wireless 'ocal rea )etworking> W') integration, which includes access point PoE and controller support, increasW') coverage. @urther common network management interfaces streamline operational support for both wired awireless networks.

C. "nified #ommunication ("#> "# support via PoE to power !P phones and "# end$points plus uni%ue "# configuratprofiles to ensure reliable and stable "# operation.

9. pplication !ntelligence> pplication intelligence or the categorizing of applications as they enter the wiring closet a

either mark them with Do8 or discard the application, affording application policing at the network edge.;. 'ayer :> @ull layer : forwarding enabling all the value associating with routing including high availabil

segmentation and simpler troubleshooting are now included in some wiring closet switches.

!n addition to the above network services, wiring closet switches have become more powerful from a performance pointview, while engineers have increased switch reliability, availability and manageability designs. Power supplies are m

efficient and serviceable, reducing power consumption and service outage. ?andwidth and packet processing performanhave increased to support higher densities of < and


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+.1 Te !ew asis of Competition Emerges

&his new category of switches has redefined the basis of competition among switch vendors. &hese advanced features allfor a degree of differentiation that was not possible for the previous generation. Organizations must assess their needs abegin making decisions based on a host of new factors besides initial ac%uisition cost. &he following nine items are the nbasis of competition among wiring closet switch suppliers.

*uture #roofing

@uture proofing is found in backward and forward migration strategies to utilize past investment as part of upgrades. nothaspect of future proofing is ac%uiring wiring closet switches with more than enough packet processing performance to mee/isting re%uirements and those unforeseen demands. !n short future proofing means having enough headroom for growthterms of raw performance and network service intelligence. @or e/ample, #isco5s source specific multicastF feature wh

improves the reliability of video multicast is an e/ample of products which anticipate future customer re%uirements and incluthem within its wiring closet switches.

Transitioning *rom 1/b Eternet to 10/bps Eternet


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2ost if not all network managers seek to eliminate spanning tree from their networks as it is a source of troubleshootdifficulties, link downtime and inefficiency. &o meet this end some wiring closet switch suppliers such as #isco5s @le/'in)ortel5s 2ulti$'ink &runking, Huniper5s 1edundant &runk Aroup (1&A, and Pro#urve5s switch meshing have implementtechnology to decrease convergence time of link failure to the


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-upport of 4C5 2obility and -ecurity

&his basis of competition is one of the most important attributes to the new network edge. Wiring closet switches needboth support standard interfaces and services for "#, mobility and security so that mi/ed vendor solutions may occur. &heis value and large operational efficiency gained when a single supplier provides "#, mobility and security solutions along w

the network infrastructure. &he level of integration of these important services into the wiring closet switch is a choice ev!& department will make depending upon their constraints, vendor relationships and risk tolerance.

@or network security, wiring closet switches are re%uired to enforce post$)# decisions, that is after an end$point5s postuhas been assessed. Other key attributes are the support of +*.


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3.0 ,iring Closet *ixed -witc 6endor #rofiles

!n this section we profile and review the following fi/ed switch wiring closet switch suppliers>


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Cisco Catalyst 3809E -eries

&he #atalyst :C9+$E series offers enterprise level performance and a robust feature set, including &he :;C+$E-:C9+$E series switches are e%uipped with a host of management features3

particular for e/perts #'! is available for %uick and detailed configuration. &hese switches can also be managed #iscoWorks ') 2anagement 8olution ('28 providing a consistent management e/perience between edge, distribution acore switching.

&rue 'ayer : 8upport> &here are three software licenses available> !P ?ase, !P 8ervices, and dvanced !P 8ervices. !P ?aenables layer * forwarding, !Pv9 management, and basic layer : routing, including Enhanced !nterior Aateway 1out

Protocol (E!A1P stub and Protocol !ndependent 2ulticast (P!2 stub mode. !P 8ervices includes !P ?ase and enabadvanced layer : routing such as E!A1P, Open 8hortest Path @irst (O8P@, and multicast routing. dvanced !P 8erviincludes !P 8ervices and enables !Pv9 routing functionality.

8upport of "#, 2obility and 8ecurity> &he :;C+$E-:C9+$E series switches supports "# and wireless ') services via Dosecurity, PoE, intelligent power management, 8martports technology which stores !P phone configurations via ''6P$2

and-or #6P plus field replaceable power supply and fans. &he switches also support 8ource 8pecific 2ulticast (882 for oto$many video communications. &here is a wide range of standard and advanced security options including +*.


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identity$based networking, )# enforcement, hardware #', 6=#P snooping, dynamic 1P inspection (6!, !P 8ource Au(!P8A and port security to mitigate against man$in$the$middle plus 6o8 attacks. 8torm control is also uni%ue which preve') traffic from being disrupted by broadcast, multicast and unicast storms. )ote that the integrated wireless controller is osupported on the :;C+A.

Cisco Catalyst 37809E3809E -eries -witces ,ea)nesses

!t5s hard to find an engineering or product feature weakness in these switches. &he biggest #isco weakness is that it tendsbe more e/pensive than others, which opens the market for competitors. @rom a product completeness point of view t:;C+$E-:C9+$E series switches are best of class and most feature complete.

#roCur%e !etwor)ing y "#

Pro#urve )etworking by =P has been a ma4or Ethernet switch provider since its inception in the mid


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&rue 'ayer : 8upport> &he :C++yl supports !PvB-!Pv9 forwarding plus O8P@, 011P, P!2 (dense and sparse mode and Dwith the purchase of an additional premium license. )ote that the depth of layer : support between suppliers is different.

1educed-#ontained Operational #osts> &he :C++yl does provide some proactive automated management features such as rutime checking the health of switch hardware components and verifying that proper operation of systems data and control a

built into the switches. &he Pro0ision 8!# in the :C++yl automatically monitors health of switch hardware components in tbackground, and if there is an anomaly an error message and statistics are logged for the netops. !t provides mirroringselected ingress-egress across subnets and it also provides independent primary and secondary O8 files for backup, whupgrading as well as multiple configuration files may be stored in flash image.

8upport of "#, 2obility and 8ecurity> &here are a wide range of security and "# features embedded within the :C++yl.

offers all of the standard security features as well as integration into its identity management, enforcement for its )appliance and virus throttling technology. !n addition to PoE for "# it also offers 1adius 0') for voice, !P multicast routand snooping as well as ''6P$2E6 to ease !P phone configurations. W') support in the :C++yl is via PoE for Ps.

#onsistent )etwork 2anagement> Pro#urve offers its Pro#urve 2anager Plus with )etwork !mmunity plug$in that providetoolset to manage internal network threat detection and response which is in essence an )etwork ?ehavior nomaly 6etect

service for its switches based upon s@low and 0irus &hrottle technology. &he Pro#urve 2anager Plus provides configuratimonitoring and management of a Pro#urve infrastructure. &he combination of Pro#urve5s 2anager Plus with )etw!mmunity 2anager and !dentity 6riven 2anager provide a full tool set for netops to monitor the security of network a

troubleshoot faults.

#roCur%e 3800yl -eries ,ea)nesses

@uture Proofing> &he :C++yl offers a range of features within its premium license such as bandwidth shaping, traprioritization, !P multicast routing and router redundancy. !t also supports ''6P$2E6 (2edia End$point 6iscovery, which istandard e/tension of ''6P that stores values for parameters such as Do8 and 0') to automatically configure netwodevices such as !P phones. &he :C++yl is limited in its aggregate switching performance by inter$switch Ethernet uplspeeds. &his lack of stacking feature in the :C++yls may force an upgrade to its CB++zl modular switches as performan

re%uirements grow.

Power over Ethernet (PoE> Pro#urve does not offer an interim PoE option in its :C++yl series of switches making the switchunable to deliver power to most +*.


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&oday, :#om5s strength is outside the ".8. :#om worldwide is the number two vendor of Ethernet switch ports, thanks in pto its number one position in the #hina market through its =:# (=uawei-:#om operation. :#om has a full range of edproducts for 82? and enterprise needs. @or enterprises, :#om offers a good - better - bestF lineup in both @ast Ethernet aAigabit Ethernet, from the 8witch B*


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8800/ -eries

:#om offers five models in their CC++A 8eries product line ranging from a B$port switch where all ports support PoE to a *port switch with no PoE. :#om5s software sets it apart, offering layers *$B Do8 on all models and promising five JsF netwouptime. =igh$end models support :#om does a good 4ob of supporting security in the CC++A series but falls short on and mobility. !t is able to interact with its !P8 (!ntrusion Protection 8ystem, 828 (8ecurity 2anagement 8ystem, E(Enterprise 2anagement 8uite and )# products to enforce %uarantine commends. !ts "# support is limited to PoE with a

%ueues per port Do8 implementation and auto$voice 0') capabilities. 2obility or W')s support is limited to PoE as tswitches have no native wireless controller capabilities.

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&rue 'ayer : 8upport> &he CC++A supports O8P@, 0irtual 1outer 1edundancy Protocol (011P and multicast routing but donot support !Pv9 or !Pv9 routing protocols such as O8P@v:.

!ortel !etwor)s

)ortel )etworks has been a supplier of Ethernet switching since its ac%uisition of ?ay )etworks back in the late


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&rue 'ayer : 8upport> &here is no layer : support in the E18 BC++ series of switches3 however )ortel plans to incorporalayer : support in a future release.

#onsistent )etwork 2anagement> ll )ortel E18 BC++ switch products share the same operating system3 however they anot managed by )ortel5s Enterprise 8witch 2anager, creating a discontinuity in managing edge, distribution, core and W'

networks. &he )ortel BC++ series lacks true stack management features such as auto$upgrade and auto$configuration.

!ts ') switches borrow layer : forwarding software from its H")O8 routing software, which w

designed for service provider environments, but needs to be proven to support Enterprise re%uirements.

s the Huniper EI$series of switches do not offer a forward or backward migration strategy they fall short this topic. !nstallations would either be a displacement of an incumbent or a new deployment. !n the case of the formHuniper5s success hinges upon who they are displacing as many switch providers offer upgrade paths. !n addition the Huni

EI series lacks complete multicast support, which is critical for video and financial services applications, et al. &he EI seronly supports !A2P.

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&ransitioning from Huniper5s EI series offer PoE as its basis for "# and mobility support. !t does a mubetter 4ob at security by offering an e/tensive set of security features.

'ayer * 8upport> Aiven that H")O8 software was designed for service providers, its layer * feature set is basic and incomple

for enterprise deployments.

#onsistent )etwork 2anagement> Huniper provides the )etwork and 8ecurity 2anager application to manager switch

routers, and security devices from a single console. While the #'! commands in H")O8 are the same in switches and routethey differ greatly compared with others in the industry, thus re%uiring additional e/tensive !& staff training.

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3.1 Cross 6endor Comparison based on asis of Competition

&he following table compares the various vendors based upon the basis of competition. ll vendors offer high$speed solutiowith plenty of security features while nearly all offer layer : services. 6ifferentiation is found in all other ne/t generatwiring closet fi/ed switch attributes including future proofing, intelligent PoE implementations, transition from < and 9 9 9 9

Transition *rom 1/b to10/bps

> 9> 9> 9 9>

#oE > 9> 9> 9> >9

? 18.;,port #oE > 9 9 9 9

eliability A%ailability > 9> 9 9 9>

#erformance >9 9> >9 >9 >9

$perational CostControls

> 9> 9 9> 9

Consistent 2anagement > >9 >9 9 9

Layer 3 -upport > 9> 9> 9 9>

4C support >9 >9 9 >9 9

2obility support >9 9> 9> 9> 9

-ecurity support > 9> >9 >9 9>

G indicates an advantage3 $ indicates a disadvantage3

G-$ indicates attribute offered at no advantage or disadvantage3 $-G indicates attribute offered at disadvantage1s Huniper5s new ') switches are not proven in the market, its entries are anticipated and may very well be over or und

estimated.

@rom the above it5s clear that the largest number of advantages go to #isco5s #atalyst :;C+$E-:C9+$E 8eries 8witch

followed by =P Pro#urve5s :C++yl, then to :#om5s CC++A 8eries of 8witches with )ortel5s E18 BC++ 8eries and Huniper5s series trailing behind. !t is not too surprising to find that Huniper is far behind its competitors as it recently entered the marcompeting against firms with over twelve years of market e/perience. !n terms of the new basis of competition #isco aPro#urve are best positioned with #isco5s :;C+$E-:C9+$E 8eries 8witches demonstrating considerable advantages.

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;.0 Industry ecommendations

&he choice of wiring closet switches depends upon the current and pro4ected needs of the organization, incumbent supplieand budget availability. !t is important to consider O during vendor and switch selection. !tems which tend to increaoperational cost, the largest O cost component in the network edge, are> hardware diversity, configuration and suppcomple/ity, security and regulatory demands, conflicting performance criteria, higher costs for incremental services, highrecurring e/penses, minimal opportunities for automation, multiple maintenance contracts, minimal synergies betwe

applications, lack of business agility and high upgrade costs.

When selecting suppliers it5s important to verify the e/act meaning of feature attributes when comparing switching solutio@or e/ample, stackabilityF is a desirable feature in many switches at this level and each vendor may define this featudifferently. 8ome will use terms such as stackabiity when their switches are pileable which reduces performance, reliabiand availability. @urther care should be applied to PoE, in particular to terms such as all ports support PoEF. !& buy

should look at the total power available to be distributed to ensure that all ports can be powered with nother important factor when selecting a wiring closet switch is the status of e/isting network suppliers whthe organization already supports. !n short, many network operations personnel will need compelling reasons to switch awfrom incumbent vendors. )ot supporting the above outlined new basis of competition is a strong compelling reason. 2ost

organizations will seek to leverage skill sets and e/perience currently present within the organization. nother factor, ofnot discussed but very much prevalent in the vendor selection process is maintaining the largest career opportunities availawhich is usually e%uated to gaining e/perience with the vendor who possesses the largest market share, affording thee/ecutives a wide range of future employment options. !ncumbent inertia is gained by !& management5s resistance to increase in operational and training cost if additional personnel must be hired to support new wiring closet switch suppliers.

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Organizations must determine the proper value to place on each of these factors when making a purchasing decisregarding a wiring closet switch. Obviously, different organizations will have different needs both now and going forward anot every factor should bear e%ual weight for each organization. !n fact, we recommend that weights be placed on the basiscomparison attributes that reflect organization needs. &hen !& leaders may assign a number to the GF, $, G-$, $-GF suas B, :, *, < respectively for each supplier5s entry into the basis of comparison matri/. Once this is completed !& leaders c

cross multiply the rows and numbers which will identify the importance of the attribute to the organization and the abilitythe vendors to support this re%uirement. ?y adding the columns the !& leader will gain a numeric fit of the supplier to thorganization. &he larger the number the better the supplier fit. !n addition to the above, and to assist organizationsmaking their decisions, below we offer 'ippis #onsulting5s top five recommendations for these types of purchasing decisions>

1. Tin) of ,iring Closet -witces As -trategic IT Assets

Wiring closet switches are strategic !& assets, which enable a host of new applications and communication options. )o longdo these devices simply offer a connectivity service, but rather a wide range of network services that enable mobility, unifcommunications and provide internal threat defense.

+. Consolidate ,iring Closet (e%ices To A -ingle -upplier ,o 2eets Te asis $f Competition

Wiring closet switches are no longer commodity items purchased based upon lowest cost. !t is recommended that organizations consolidate their wiring closet switch purchases to a single supplier to increase operational e/pense efficiency

providing consistency in the network edge.

3. $nly #rocure #oE ,iring Closet -witces as 2ost !etwor)ing (e%ices ,ill e@uire !etwor)9ased #ower

!t is inevitable that W')s and "#, both of which re%uire PoE, will be pervasively deployed. lso there is a plethora of ndevices which derive their power from PoE, such as security surveillance, point of sale devices, health care instrumentation,the near future laptops and many other devices. !& organizations should consider replacing their wiring closet switches wPoE supported wiring closet switches pervasively throughout their organization.

;. Consider -upplier Consistencies etween ,iring Closet5 Aggregation And Core To -treamline $perationExpense

8ignificant synergies can be achieved by selecting a single vendor to provide switching capabilities across wiring clos

distribution and the network core. Operational e/pense can be contained and minimized, as fewer personnel are re%uiredsupport a single vendor solution versus multiple platforms. E/pertise in a single vendor5s products can then be develop

reducing troubleshoot time, increasing availability and network reliability all at a lower O. Every switch supplier has a broportfolio of products that span edge, distribution and core, be it #isco, )ortel, Huniper, :#om, Pro#urve, or E/treme a@oundry who are not covered in this report.

8. Consider te asis $f Competition As e@uired *eatures To -upport ot Existing 4nforeseen *utuApplications

&he basis of competition described above provides a useful guide to the new features available in wiring closet switches. @most organizations looking to purchase new switching hardware, it makes sense to consider these features as re%uired sinbuying hardware that lacks these attributes has the potential to severely limit the organization5s capabilities going forward. &needs of business are constantly changing with unforeseen new applications3 !& organizations need to have a network support the future. s a result, selecting a switch that does not support advanced features like PoE or


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About !ic) Lippis

)icholas H. 'ippis !!! is a world$renowned authority on advanced !P networks, communications and thbenefits to business ob4ectives. =e is the publisher of the 'ippis 1eport, a resource for network andbusiness decision leaders to which over B+,+++ business and !& e/ecutive leaders subscribe. !ts 'ip1eport podcasts have been downloaded over :C,+++ times3 i$&unes reports that listeners also downlothe Wall 8treet Hournal5s 2oney 2atters, ?usiness Week5s #limbing the 'adder, &he Economist and &

=arvard ?usiness 1eview5s !dea#ast. 2r. 'ippis is currently working with clients to transform th

converged networks into a business platform.

=e has advised numerous Alobal *+++ firms on network architecture, design, implementation, vendselection and budgeting, with clients including ?arclays ?ank, 2icrosoft, 7aiser Permanente, 8pr

Worldcom, #igitel, #isco 8ystems, )ortel )etworks, 'ucent &echnologies, :#om, vaya, Eastman 7odak #ompany, @ede

6eposit !nsurance #orporation (@6!#, =ughes erospace, 'iberty 2utual, 8chering$Plough, #amp 6resser 2c7ee and maothers. =e works e/clusively with #!Os and their direct reports. 2r. 'ippis possesses a uni%ue perspective of market forand trends occurring within the computer networking industry derived from his e/perience with both supply and demand sclients.

=e has advised numerous Alobal *+++ firms on network architecture, design, implementation, vendor selection and budgetiwith clients including ?arclays ?ank, 2icrosoft, 7aiser Permanente, 8print, Worldcom, #igitel, #isco 8ystems, )ortel )etwor'ucent &echnologies, :#om, vaya, Eastman 7odak #ompany, @ederal 6eposit !nsurance #orporation (@6!#, =ugherospace, 'iberty 2utual, 8chering$Plough, #amp 6resser 2c7ee and many others. =e works e/clusively with #!Os and thdirect reports. 2r. 'ippis possesses a uni%ue perspective of market forces and trends occurring within the compunetworking industry derived from his e/perience with both supply and demand side clients.

=e has advised numerous Alobal *+++ firms on network architecture, design, implementation, vendor selection and budgetiwith clients including ?arclays ?ank, 2icrosoft, 7aiser Permanente, 8print, Worldcom, #igitel, #isco 8ystems, )ortel )etwor'ucent &echnologies, :#om, vaya, Eastman 7odak #ompany, @ederal 6eposit !nsurance #orporation (@6!#, =ugherospace, 'iberty 2utual, 8chering$Plough, #amp 6resser 2c7ee and many others. =e works e/clusively with #!Os and thdirect reports. 2r. 'ippis possesses a uni%ue perspective of market forces and trends occurring within the compu

networking industry derived from his e/perience with both supply and demand side clients.

=e has advised numerous Alobal *+++ firms on network architecture, design, implementation, vendor selection and budgetiwith clients including ?arclays ?ank, 2icrosoft, 7aiser Permanente, 8print, Worldcom, #igitel, #isco 8ystems, )ortel )etwor'ucent &echnologies, :#om, vaya, Eastman 7odak #ompany, @ederal 6eposit !nsurance #orporation (@6!#, =ugh

erospace, 'iberty 2utual, 8chering$Plough, #amp 6resser 2c7ee and many others. =e works e/clusively with #!Os and thdirect reports. 2r. 'ippis possesses a uni%ue perspective of market forces and trends occurring within the compunetworking industry derived from his e/perience with both supply and demand side clients.

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