Changing the Networking Landscape

Today’s networks are about much more than “moving packets”. The network has evolved far beyond simply providing traditional connectivity services, and now is relied upon to enable an ever-expanding range of services to support changing business needs.

Today’s networking landscape offers two very different approaches to service delivery: 1) a single-vendor solution to ensure an integrated network infrastructure and 2) a network with multiple appliances to enable deployment of best-in-class applications.

While single-vendor solutions generally provide advantages of simplicity, lower cost and ease of use, they can also limit innovation and slow time-to-market. Relying on one vendor to meet every need can lock an organization into a fixed portfolio of options and an implementation schedule based on that vendor’s product roadmap.

Multivendor, best-in-class approaches, on the other hand, do facilitate the use of advanced, innovative technology solutions that are flexible and scalable. Organizations with this type of infrastructure can deploy network appliances that are purpose-built to meet specific application or service needs. However, they also pay a steep price in terms of expense and complexity as they purchase, implement, manage and support multiple devicesfrom multiple vendors throughout their network.

With its Open Services Networking (OSN) initiative , 3Com combines the best of both approaches. By using an open, all-in-one network infrastructure, organizations can implement new and emerging technologies to best address business issues, while reducing the complexity of the IT infrastructure on which they run. Enterprises can choose applications that address specific business issues, such as improving network and application visibility, application performance, security and compliance. Solution integrators or service providers can choose software that allows them to cost-effectively market and deploy customized,differentiated services to their customers. Any organization using an OSN infrastructure can benefit from both the simplicity, lower cost and ease-of-use promoted by an integrated network model and the flexibility, scalability and innovation associated with a best-in-class network.