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Technology Stocks : Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Freeflight who wrote (25067)	5/7/1999 2:25:00 PM
From: Maverick	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 77400

Customers should press Cisco to support NW World & Tolly Group's Switch Metric test How is Cisco different from 3Com, Allied Telesyn, Alteon, Anritsu, Cabletron, Compaq, D-Link, Extreme, Foundry, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, Lucent, Madge, Nbase, Neo Networks, Nortel/Bay, Olicom, Performance Technologies, VIPswitch and Xylan? Cisco is the only major vendor that won't take part in the Network World/Tolly Group Switch Metric test program. Hardly a leadership position. The Switch Metric is de-signed to make it easier for you to buy switches. It determines a relative cost for each gigabit of throughput you're buying, analogous to the cost-per-MIPS metric used to benchmark computers. With vendors these days talking about wire-speed this and wire-speed that, the Switch Metric is a tool to help you sort out competing claims. Tests are conducted on an ongoing basis, and the results will be available through the Network World and Tolly Group Web sites. Our first article on the tests will appear next week, based on examinations of 15 switches from nine vendors. (For details, go to www.nwfusion.com and enter DocFinder: 1235.) NetWorld+Interop has committed to a special session in which Tolly Group experts will showcase our findings. All the vendors listed above think the Switch Metric is a good idea - except Cisco. Cisco says customers aren't interested in performance tests, but rather want "systems tests" that focus on "robust features and essential functionality to run mission-critical enterprise networks." "This is analogous to only studying the Colorado River while trying to understand the magnificent ecosystem of the Grand Canyon," one executive told us. Whew! It's hard to argue against Mother Nature. In fact, we agree that testing those higher-level functions makes sense. We continue to do that. But the Switch Metric is a baseline that will help you determine how solid a foundation all those higher-level functions are built on. Cisco says you don't need this information. I couldn't disagree more. If you're a Cisco customer, ask your rep why Cisco won't make your life easier by taking part in the Switch Metric. If you're one of Cisco's competitors, you should be getting every customer to ask that question. - John Gallant, Editor in chief jgallant@nww.com