: > Plainly stated, routers no longer have a home in the core of the network. : > "You might have found a router there five years ago, but most certainly : > you have a switch today," said Yankee Group vice president Zeus Kerravala. : : What brand of switch is this guy selling? And what is he smoking? Sure : would be interesting to find out :)

Vendor F

*choke* *splutter* When will they learn that routers and switches are no longer differentiated by internal implementation details, i.e. software vs. hardware implementation? Nowadays both categories are implemented identically as a combination of hardware (where speed counts) and software (where flexibility and interoperability come first). Besides, there is no "THE core of THE network". Different networks have different core characteristics to deal with (size, customer base) and therefore choose different products. The old Internet, where everyone used more or less the same devices, is gone. Todays Internet is much bigger, more diverse, and engineered by people who have a lot higher skill level based on hard-won experience. Why do businesses keep supporting these "cheerleader" analyst groups who want to treat everything as some sort of fashion fad? --Michael Dillon