* Cisco will move the market toward all-in-one branch solutions
Cisco is making it a whole lot easier to run a consistent infrastructure at the branch offices with new products that integrate multiple functions into a single physical device.
I’ve written about the benefits of these “all-in-one devices” for a few years now. Although we only see about 17% of businesses using them, we have been projecting steady growth in this market. Already, 31% of IT decision-makers say they are evaluating these products, according to Nemertes’ Building the Successful Virtual Workplace benchmark.
Cisco is integrating the following functions into its branch-office products: switching, routing, messaging, intrusion-prevention, network optimization, wireless LAN, and IP telephony/unified communications. (Details of the announcement are here.)
The nice thing about this product line is its flexibility. IT staffs can decide which pieces they want, and add the blades as they need them. For example, the ISR 1861 provides capabilities for small branch offices, and includes the ability to handle up to eight phones over an IP telephony infrastructure, ranging in price from $4,000 to $5,200 (if you want embedded call-control functionality).It’s still all-too-common to see a patchwork of legacy products from different vendors in branch offices. There also is inconsistency in the capabilities at each branch. For example, some may have optimization, others may not. Some may have IDS; others may not. When companies install a consistent product line at their growing number of branch offices, it makes it much easier for the IT staffs to manage the equipment—and to roll out Web-based services.
The challenge is how and when to upgrade to this consistent architecture. For those with ISR routers in place, they can upgrade with a module or with a piece of software at the main IOS at the router. Of course, there is cost associated with that or with buying an entire new device. But the main payback comes from downtime and configuration/set-up time for point products vs. integrated products.
Cisco is not the first to provide unified branch-office devices. Other vendors, including Juniper, Nortel, Packeteer, have announced integrated products that provide some of these functions. And Cisco itself has been providing the ISR since 2004. But you can’t ignore that Cisco has the largest installed base of branch-office network equipment. By making it easier to combine functions into the same physical device, I expect to see the interest in all-in-one devices grow quickly.
