Is Bigger Better???

November 2006

Gartner meeting sees big network role.

IT professionals and Gartner Inc. analysts are looking beyond networks to the whole enterprise this week at the research company's Enterprise Networking Summit in Las Vegas. Everything system and application administrators want to do affects networks, especially now that voice and other forms of communication are moving onto IP data networks, participants said Tuesday, November 14. That trend toward unified communications, along with richer Web−based applications and a proliferation of consumer−oriented devices, is among the key issues emerging for enterprise networks in the next few years, Gartner analyst David Willis said in a keynote address. Another looming trend is virtualization of IT resources, which Cisco Systems Inc., Microsoft Corp. and IBM all want to dominate, he said. Together, it spells more chaos on networks, which have always been chaotic, he said. Don't rush into IP telephony, Gartner analyst Jeff Snyder warned attendees in a breakout session. They should have a good reason, such as replacing aging phone systems or building a distributed contact center, before moving in that direction, he said. But network experts will take on a bigger role in overall corporate strategy as the new technology comes in, he added.
Source:http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?
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