Hello,
Let me indicate that the company I am involved with is setting up a nationwide ATM WAN (Ascend CBX 500s/GX 550s) to do voice, video, data, and Internet over a single cable - at an obscenely inexpensive price! (e.g. Here is our T-1 Internet solution - we will offer the router with firewall, T-1 local loop, port charge, T-1 internet connection for $1000 installed and $1000 monthly charge - we have awesome deals that allow us to do this). We will offer end to end solutions including the monitoring of servers, customer premise routers, local loop provision, and WAN virtual circuits. Naturally, we wanted to look into the products offered by both VNWK and CCRD. Both have their merits, and both are good products, but VNWK's solution is wayyyyy too expensive IMO. They require that the customer purchase a CSU/DSU that is very sophisticated - and very expensive. CCRD offers a solution that is more software based and much cheaper. I am still analyzing the two systems and trying to make a decision - VNWK was better at proactive warnings of problems in the WAN, whereas CCRD's Network Health was better in the customer prem routers. Also, the salesman for CCRD indicated an OEM agreement will be forthcoming with LU (trust him or not?? up to you). Also, having the separate CSU/DSU makes another point of failure for the network which I don't like. I would prefer that everything be in the router. If we use VNWK's product, then we have to tell CSCO not to put CSU/DSUs into those routers that will need managed services. This makes provisioning more complicated - especially since we outsource it to Unisys who now has to get involved with VNWK - a mess that I don't like.
Also, there is a company called Xedia which is small and still privately held - will probably be bought out by some big player - I think LU would be smart to take them. Xedia offers a VPN box that takes care of EVERYTHING - authentication, tunneling, encryption, network monitoring, routing, CSU/DSU at various rates (some even have ATM interfaces!! Now that I like). This could be bad for VNWK as well.
However, keep this in mind: A year or so ago, T's frame relay went down - an absolute F--king disaster to say the least and a big embarrassment for them - as a result they implemented VNWK's solution to monitor the WAN - other big players use it too, but those players use CCRD as well. I like CCRD long, and VNWK, I would say is neutral - if they don't make their solution simpler sometime soon, then I would say short it, but you never know what tech companies have up their sleeve.
In either case, implementing this system is good for us (the service provider/carrier) because we can monitor the network and look for problems using graphs etc - AND - we can offer value added services that allow the customer to peer in as well.
-NH |
