Placing Vegas odds on the networking biz
Never mind Cisco, EMC, Microsoft, or Oracle. The folks in Vegas are the best marketers out there. There is no end (or limits) to how they get you to part with your money. Brilliant.
As for the N+I show, it is certainly a microcosm for the health of the industry. IÂ’ve seen more user badges this year than in previous ones and the vendors I've been speaking with are pleased with the number of leads they are generating.
Why are users attending this year? Obviously, itÂ’s the Vegas appeal (the ratio of networking guys to women is probably 10:1) but there is real curiosity and business needs as well. How will the network accommodate new business traffic? How will new services like voice impact existing traffic? How can you secure the network and enable the business at the same time? There are more questions than answers.
To me, the network has become this nebulous technology layer of managed chaos. All traffic passes through the network. It does a little bit of everything. In this environment, switching and routing play a supporting role to layered network services like acceleration, QoS, security, and application support.
Sorting through managed chaos is more art than science. Maybe thatÂ’s why service providers like AT&T are here. As networking services come into play, more folks will likely outsource the whole enchilada.
As for Cisco, it has an army of folks in town, a booth with a movie screen the size of a small town theatre, and John Chambers kicking off the keynotes with his signature `walk through the audience and make eye contact approach.' Everyone is positioning against Cisco – heck Nortel even has a guy in a gorilla suit in its booth (i.e. here’s our strategy versus the 800 pound gorilla).
All good fun and users are listening. Like Vegas itself, the messages seem quite attractive out here in the desert. Can anyone else execute? Maybe. Users are clamoring for someone to step up as a strong number two and it would be fun to see some real competition but IÂ’m realistic about the prospects.
You can find gambling and bawdiness elsewhere in the country but there is only one Vegas. Ditto for Cisco and the networking market – at least for now.