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Close races ruled, but products from Cisco, Compaq and Novell got top ratings by Network World readers in our second annual Best Products survey.
By Julie Bort
Network World, 11/13/00
F
rom Ethernet switches to Web site analysis tools, Network World surveyed readers on which enterprise network products they like best. We gave respondents to our second annual Best Products Survey specific product choices, based on market share, in the 10 categories listed in the chart. We chose these categories because they represent a mix of products: emerging tools such as Internet integration platforms and good ole' standbys such as multiprocessor servers.
Of course, we wanted to see if recent judicial rulings and a new product release affected your choice of best network operating system (NOS) (you answered, "somewhat"). We looked for chinks in Cisco's switching armor and found none at all. We also polled you on such staples as firewalls, frame relay services, Web site analysis tools and disk arrays.
Among the results, you'll note Cisco, Compaq and Novell products posted expected strong showings. They snagged more than half of the wins.
But some of the races were thumbnail close. In the Internet integration tools category, for example, usage was nearly evenly split among the 11 companies we named in the survey, and the winner escaped a near three-way tie only because it was more favored among respondents at large companies. Interestingly, too, in the NOS race, NetWare and Windows NT tied in percentage of "best" votes, with Windows 2000 coming in a miniscule two percentage points behind. (See story below on how we broke that tie.)
Overall, our survey confirms that you prefer larger, more established brands. "Bigger is better," said one respondent. Reliability was named time and again as to why a particular product won the "best" title.
To download the entire user picks chart, click here.
| Product category |
Winner |
Dominance Index* |
| Best 10/100 Ethernet switch |
Cisco Catalyst 3500 Series XL |
1.5 |
| Best firewall |
Cisco Secure PIX |
1.2 |
| Best Internet integration/middleware tool |
WebMethods B2Bi |
1.7 |
| Best LDAP server |
LDAP support in Novell's NDS eDirectory |
1.4 |
| Best multiprocessor PC server |
Compaq ProLiant |
1.1 |
| Best disk array |
Compaq Storageworks Disk Arrays |
1.3 |
| Best network operating system |
NetWare 5.1 |
2.0 |
| Web hosting service |
MCI Worldcom/
UUNET |
0.9 |
| Best Web site analysis software |
WebTrends Enterprise Suite 5.0 |
1.3 |
| Regional and national frame relay service |
AT&T |
1.2 |
| Determining
dominance |
How
we conducted the Best Products survey and analyzed results.
We
invited a group of Network World readers to respond to
a private Web survey, results of which were tabulated by market
research firm Stat Resources in Chestnut Hill, Mass. We received
239 entries, divided almost evenly between large and small companies
(the latter having less than 1,000 employees). Respondents came
from 15 industries, with manufacturing, education, government
and finance topping the list.
We asked participants to tell us which products they use, and
which product in each category they liked best. Stat Resources
calculated share information, and we crowned the product that
accrued the highest percentage of "best" votes as Best Product
in its category.
We broke ties with a calculation Stat Resources dubs the Dominance
Index. The Dominance Index gives us a different view of which
products were thought best because it adjusts out the statistical
advantage of high market share. Although a product may have fewer
users - and less chance of gaining "best" votes - it can still
score a high Dominance Index. To do that, it draws a high percentage
of best votes when compared to its usage figures.
A 1.0 is the baseline for all products. If a product scored above
1.0, that indicates voters thought it better than its competitors.
Those that scored below 1.0 indicated the reverse. When two or
more products tied in a category for percentage of "best" votes,
we crowned the product with the highest Dominance Index.
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