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Technology Stocks : MRV Communications (MRVC) opinions? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Michael Dunn who wrote (9242)	6/29/1998 11:59:00 AM
From: WebDrone	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 42804

Mike- I don't know what MRVC's WDM product strategy is... All I know about is their 5 channel device for to-the-curb. Apparently, there is a company called Khamsin (privately held) that is announcing a similar 2 channel device, for "the last mile". You can read about them at biz.yahoo.com Consensus from the Yahoo! thread is something does not quite smell right about that news release, above. In terms of Metro WDM devices, Ciena, Lucent, Alcatel all are in on the metro WDM scene, and are formidable. They do not, however, switch on the optical layer-- this is the big deal for MRV... the combination of WDM, GE and switching. CF_Rebel has been hitting the jackpot lately- he also found this MRVC article-- techweb.com <<June 29, 1998, TechWeb News VPN Market Expands Further -- Xyplex, Internet Devices latest to enter crowded field By Salvatore Salamone The choices available to IT managers looking for virtual private networking (VPN) equipment continue to proliferate. Two recent announcements by Xyplex Networks-a subsidiary of MRV Communications Inc.-and Internet Devices Inc. expanded those options even further. Both announcements illustrate the wide latitude IT managers have in selecting equipment that matches their corporate requirements. Xyplex last week introduced the EdgeGuardian, a router that includes integrated hardware-based VPN technology. Internet Devices introduced a new version of its Fort Knox Policy Router, which offers VPN, policy and bandwidth management services that work in conjunction with an existing router. In other words, the EdgeGuardian is designed to provide VPN connectivity to a site that does not necessarily have a router, and the Fort Knox does the same for sites with routers. Specifically, the EdgeGuardian is designed to ensure that performance does not suffer when branch offices connect to corporate headquarters over a VPN. To that end, the unit includes hardware-based encryption and IP Security (IPsec) support. That's in contrast to many other router-based VPN solutions that perform these security tasks in software, but at a performance hit. The EdgeGuardian IP router supports up to four T1/E1 or ISDN Primary Rate Interface lines and 10M and 10/100 Mbps Ethernet interfaces. The unit also has an integrated Channel Service Unit/Data Service Unit. Some experts believe there is significant need for devices like the EdgeGuardian that support both VPN and routing functions in a single box. "We expect the proliferation of VPNs at remote sites," said Michael Howard, CEO of the consultancy Infonetics Research Inc. "Many of these sites do not have routers, so they can easily benefit from the integrated WAN routing and VPN features." The EdgeGuardian router, which is available now, is priced at $9,995. Internet Devices takes a different approach. It assumes that a router is in place and that its Fort Knox Policy Router supports a variety of VPN, firewall and management services to supplement the router's capabilities. "This is the approach we will likely take since we already have routers at most of our branch office sites," said Raymond Williams, a network administrator at RollTech Inc., a plastics component manufacturer. He said that his company is not moving to VPNs right away, but he has been looking at VPN products from router vendors, firewall vendors and other third-party solutions that assume there is already a router in an office. To that end, Internet Devices introduced Fort Knox 4.0, an upgrade to its flagship product that now includes centralized management and an integrated LDAP database. The company also introduced what it calls SoftStack options for the Fort Knox. IT managers can turn on any SoftStack service at any time after they have installed the original product. There are two introductions that were made this month. One is the SoftStack VPN SmartClient, which is an IPsec-compliant VPN client that encrypts, authenticates and applies encryption key management policies to data links. The other introduction is the SoftStack Bandwidth Manager, which lets a manager view and prioritize traffic by type of traffic, application, user or a combination of these variables based on corporate usage policies. Fort Knox 4.0, SoftStack VPN Protocol SmartClient and SoftStack Bandwidth Manager are all available today. Pricing for the Fort Knox starts at $1,995, a 25-user license for VPN SmartClient is $995 and the Bandwidth Manager is priced at $4,995. Copyright r 1998 CMP Media Inc.>> Well... the pieces are falling in to place. When was the last time anyone saw this much press for MRVC? WebDrone