Cisco Systems Inc. Tuesday refreshed its large line of
Internet routers — devices that determine where data
packets should be sent on a network — with 14 new platforms and several
enhancements to its modular access umbrella.
The San Jose, Calif., networking giant is packing this broad product
announcement, targeted for branch offices and remote workers,
with pledges for improved security, availability, and Quality of Service
(QoS). The new routers cover low- to high-end performance,
and range in price from $350 to $12,000.
Also in the mix is a new application service router family, dubbed the Cisco 3700 series.
This new member of the family, comprised of the 3725 ($8,500) and 3745
($12,000) routers, is designed for full-service branch office
IP telephony. It yields integrated switching, IP phone power, and voice
gateway capability when combined with the inline-powered
EtherSwitch network module.
What made Cisco move to bolster its routers, which already enjoy significant
play in the market? The company looked at a study from
the University of California, which estimated that the adoption of
“network-enabled applications, such as collaboration tools, video
conferencing and distance learning, will be the most important factor
impacting future productivity growth for U.S. companies.” That
is where Cisco anticipates its routers succeeding along the business chain.
The aforementioned tools are vital to workers reporting
to headquarters from the road, or remote locations such as satellite
offices.
Joel Conover, senior analyst of Current Analysis, said: “Branch locations in
particular are deploying this next wave of
applications, requiring new needs for security, QoS, and availability at the
branch edge. Branches need a single-platform solution,
with the power to support a range of intelligent services, that can fulfill
their current access needs for advanced applications and
provide the flexibility to future-proof their networks for the next
generation of applications tomorrow.”
The new Cisco routers are all based on Cisco IOS software, which provides
security features, including firewall, IPSec virtual
private network (VPN), and an intrusion detection system (IDS) to keep the
network secure. IOS Software allows remote configuration
and troubleshooting.
Now, for the new hardware:
required for a range of concurrent remote office
applications, including converged voice/video/data, wire-speed VPN, and the
delivery of web-based applications. ($6,295)
Routers, which includes the Cisco 2610/11XM, 2620/21XM,
and 2650/51XM models, are an expansion and upgrade from the existing 2600
line. The models deliver up to 33 percent more performance
and significantly increased memory capacity at the same price points as
their comparable 2600 models (priced between $1,995 and
$4,195)
Medium Businesses (SMBs) that is a
a four-slot, 19-inch rack-mount router ($1,595)
Router: a two-slot modular access router optimized for
data access, offers increased performance, memory and support for IEEE
802.1Q VLAN at the same base price as the Cisco 1720. This
model business-class DSL, including ADSL and G.SHDSL ($1,195)
secure hardware for remote offices and small office/home
office (SOHO) environments, including the Cisco SOHO 77H ($549) and Cisco 827H ADSL routers, ($649) and
the Cisco SOHO 71 router ($350) for connecting to an
external cable or DSL modem
In a related announcement, Cisco today unveiled enhancements to the Cisco
7300, 7400, 7500 and 7600 Series multiservice routing
platform for enterprises. In addition to standby features such as Frame
Relay, Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), and PPP
(Point-to-Point Protocol)/HDLC (High-level Data Link Control) traffic, the
company threw in Any Transport over MPLS (AToM), a
software-based service that will allow public carriers to converge multiple
disparate data networks onto a single MPLS-based
backbone to cut costs.
Analysts generally see Cisco as well postioned in the networking
infrastructure market so long as the call from service providers
picks up. Morgan Stanley has said it expects the outfit to add share in many
of its major businesses this year, as
several of its new Ethernet switches are industry leaders. That, compounded
by financial troubles at competitors Nortel Networks
and Lucent Technologies
, should usher in
greater opportunities for Cisco.
