September 8, 2006

The Debate Is Over: Businesses Prefer Smart Networks

This is the second document in the "The Evolving Enterprise Network" series.

by Robert Whiteley

with Christine E. Atwood, Benjamin Gray, Galen Schreck, Rachel Batiancila

Executive Summary (This is a document excerpt)

Remember the "smart versus dumb network" debate from the late '90s? Well, it's back, thanks in large part to Cisco Systems. With its recent initiatives likes Service-Oriented Network Architecture (SONA) and Application-Oriented Networking (AON), Cisco is raising the bar for just how intelligent networks should be. And it has left firms asking, "Does all that stuff belong in my network?" To answer the question, we surveyed companies to see if they prefer a "smart" network (one with embedded intelligence like security, virtualization, and optimization technologies) or a "dumb" network (one with simple "plumbing" that just routes and switches). According to our survey respondents, this debate has been settled — smart networks have won. Companies, regardless of size, region, or industry, overwhelmingly prefer to use smart networks in their architecture. Hardware advancements, more sophisticated network software, and better management tools mean that firms can reliably embed intelligent security, mobility, virtualization, and acceleration directly into the network.

Buy Risk-Free

Download and print PDF immediately. Price: US $499

Our Money-Back Guarantee: If you are not completely satisfied, return it for a full refund within three weeks of your online purchase.

Already a Forrester Client?
Log in to read this document.