Most Business Networks Over-Engineered, Overpriced and Underperforming, With Trend Set to Continue

Gartner: Most businesses continue to implement outdated network design and procurement practices, leading to over-engineered, overpriced but under-performing networking infrastructures. A lack of focus on user requirements will lead to businesses wasting more than $10 billion procuring Gigabit Ethernet for the local area network (LAN) by 2008. This figure doesn't include the added cost of Gigabit-equipped phones, larger power supplies, upgraded facilities and other miscellaneous requirements. The majority of network designers continue to be caught in traditional design practices, building and upgrading the network equates to something that's bigger and faster. They continue to spend money on bigger and faster core networking technologies at their headquarters and large locations that don't actually serve the user population. Most businesses have an increasing number of users in remote locations - either in branch offices or working on the road and at home - so high investments in LAN's are totally missing the point. By designing networks that map to actual user requirements, rather than falling into the trap of buying the next new thing, businesses could recoup substantial capital dollars that can be redeployed in areas where they actually make a difference . Network managers must start shifting their focus to technologies that bring new capabilities to the infrastructure, and that provide services to a distributed workforce. Astute network managers will focus their attention on the upper layers of the stack, and look to security, data control, application optimization and mobility services as key features that will benefit the organization far more than installing gigabit Ethernet for all desktops.

Gartner Symposium/ITxpo Publ 20060517