Dell’Oro Group Sees Most Significant Ethernet Switch Introductions in Recent Years

Focus on Datacenter Consolidation, Virtualization, Unified Fabric and 100 Gigabit Upgrade

Redwood City, Calif. – February 21, 2008 – A recent market research report from Dell'Oro Group, the trusted source for market information about the networking and telecommunications industries, explores the impact of recent and impending major Ethernet switch launches. To address higher bandwidth needs driven by the improved economics, control and management of datacenter consolidation and virtualization, vendors are introducing new platforms which will have a major impact on the market. Furthermore, some of these switches will address unified fabrics such as Fibre Channel over Ethernet in addition to high densities of 10 Gigabit Ethernet and even 100 Gigabit Ethernet.

Cisco introduced its next generation datacenter switch (Nexus 7000) and Juniper, a new entrant into this market, announced a family of Ethernet switches including larger chassis switches. This adds to new flagship chassis switch introductions from Foundry and HP ProCurve during 2007. Furthermore, significant announcements from other players are expected later in 2008.

“As detailed in the report, the ramp of these products should help propel 10 Gigabit Ethernet as the most significant market growth engine, adding close to three billion dollars in 2008 alone,” said Alan Weckel, Senior Analyst at Dell’Oro Group. “This, in turn, lays the groundwork for 40 Gigabit Ethernet and 100 Gigabit Ethernet,” Weckel added.

The report also addresses the Layer 4-7 application and traffic management market, again a datacenter focus, which also saw new product announcements from Cisco and F5, currently battling for the top spot in that segment.

About the Report

The Dell’Oro Group Ethernet Switch Quarterly Report offers complete, in-depth coverage of the market with tables covering manufacturers’ revenue, average selling prices, and port shipments (by speed Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, 10 Gigabit Ethernet) for Layers 2-3 (both managed and unmanaged) and Layers 4-7. To purchase this report, please contact Margaret Miles at +1.650.622.9400 x225 or email Margaret@DellOro.com.

About Dell’Oro Group

As the trusted source for market information about the networking and telecommunications industries, Dell’Oro Group provides in-depth, objective research and analysis that enable component manufacturers, equipment vendors, and investment firms to make fact-based, strategic decisions. For more information, contact Dell’Oro Group at +1.650.622.9400 or visit www.DellOro.com.