NEW RESEARCH FROM IDC IDENTIFIES KEY TRENDS IN BRANCH OFFICE NETWORK DESIGN
Changing Role of the Branch Office Requires New Approach to Networking, Service Delivery,
and Manageability
SUNNYVALE, Calif., November 2, 2005—NetDevices, Inc., a developer of services gateway products for enterprise branch networks, today announced the results of a newly sponsored research paper by IDC entitled “Branch Networks—The Way Ahead.� IDC analysts interviewed corporate CIOs and network managers from global enterprises with at least 25 and as many as several hundred branch offices; the enterprises covered a range of market sectors, including manufacturing, financial services, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, and retail. The research paper summarizes the current hot-button issues cited for branch office operations and management and evaluates the equipment choices available to address them.
Editors Note: A copy of the white paper is downloadable from NetDevices at this location
“The networking requirements of multinational branch offices have changed significantly in the past three years,� said Nareshchandra Singh, IDC research analyst and co-author of the study along with Parijat Chakraborty. “Previously branch office equipment was often different from that at headquarters and handled management and operations issues in an ad hoc manner. Today, enterprises want to deploy complex services to the branch and transform the network silos of their branch offices into intelligent network nodes to increase the overall effectiveness of the enterprise network.�
Major Branch Office Challenges
The push to fully integrate branch offices into the larger corporate network paradigm, and to support sophisticated services, has created several new challenges for IT and network managers:
- Disruptive additions to the network as branch offices add new services and equipment
- The increasing complexity of the branch office network as applications and services grow
- Greater capital and operating expenses as branch offices witness the most intensive IT and network deployments in recent years
- Lack of control and security that can affect not only the branch but also the larger enterprise
Converged Devices Deliver Benefits But Raise Concerns
Router and switch vendors have addressed these challenges by attempting to simplify the branch through a converged services approach, adding services such as firewalls, IP PBXes, and VPNs to their platforms. Survey respondents agreed that converged devices reduced network complexities, enabled faster deployment of services, lowered the complexity of managing different equipment for services, and cut equipment and operational costs.
However, the research paper finds that enterprises are extremely wary of losing connectivity with their branches and are anxious about network reliability and uptime in converged branch network equipment. The paper recommends that enterprises should carefully check the degree to which converged platforms are modular so that changing and adding service modules has no impact on uptime. Of particular concern is the impact of live software upgrades and the insertion and removal of blades from an active chassis.
New Class of Equipment Required
Branch offices increasingly require enterprise-class capabilities to support network services, the research paper concludes, and retrofitting SOHO or enterprise solutions for the branch falls short of delivering on these requirements. The paper then outlines the key purchase criteria that enterprises should consider when evaluating next-generation equipment for the branch:
- Non-disruptive servicing
- A single interface and policy for provisioning and enabling services
- The ability to expand capacity as more services and users are added to the network
- Extremely reliable remote management features
- Highly modular network architecture
“New devices are now emerging in the marketplace that appear to provide the incremental requirements needed for the branch,� said Chakraborty. “Referred to by different names, including ‘services gateways,’ these new devices go far beyond both legacy branch equipment as well as standard multi-service equipment. Enterprise branch IT managers should closely consider such equipment to address their ever more complex branch networking needs.�
About IDC
IDC is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology and telecommunications industries. IDC helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community make fact-based decisions on technology purchases and business strategy. Over 775 IDC analysts in 50 countries provide global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends. For more than 40 years, IDC has provided strategic insights to help our clients achieve their key business objectives. IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, the world's leading technology media, research, and events company. You can learn more about IDC by visiting http://www.idc.com.
About IDC India
In India IDC is the country's most comprehensive, dependable and respected source for market intelligence and consulting in the field of IT and Telecom. With its head office at Gurgaon (near New Delhi), the company has branches at Bangalore, Chennai, and Mumbai. Additional information about IDC India's product/service offerings can be found at www.idcindia.com.
About NetDevices Inc.
Founded in July 2003, NetDevices, Inc., provides next generation products that simplify the multiple technologies found in remote enterprise networks. NetDevices unified services gateways unify multiple security and networking services into a single, highly available platform, while vastly improving manageability. Enterprises can significantly reduce their total cost of ownership while retaining flexibility and increase the serviceability and reliability of critical branch services. NetDevices is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. For more information on NetDevices, please visit www.netd.com.
Julie Huang
EngagePR
510-748-8200, ext. 209
jhuang@engagepr.com
Mark Weiner
NetDevices, Inc
408-734-5400, ext. 204
mweiner@netd.com
