I need you! (For advice and guidance)

There’s an old proverb that you should never give advice unless asked. I’ll leave you to ponder the wisdom of that adage while I ask for your advice – and your involvement. I’m working on two upcoming events where your input will be invaluable.

First, at the NetWorld+Interop show in May, Network World and the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) will co-host a customer roundtable on metropolitan Ethernet services. The industry trade group is seeking greater participation from network IT professionals in the development of Ethernet WAN services, and this discussion will be a great way for carriers and equipment makers in the MEF to learn which applications customers think are suited to such services and how they want those services priced and deployed.

If you’re attending N+I, are involved in setting your company’s WAN strategy and budget, and would like to participate in the roundtable, please drop me a note at jgallant@nww.com. I’ll try to make sure there’s room at the table for you.

Even if you’re not heading to the show, drop me a note with your thoughts about Ethernet in the WAN and what you’re looking for from service providers.

Speaking of sharing your thoughts, here’s another opportunity. At the CeBit America conference in New York on May 26, I’ll be hosting the Network World Wireless LAN Showdown. This will be one of our classic presidential-style debates among leading WLAN product providers, and I’d love to know what you want us to ask them.

We’ve got a great lineup of traditional infrastructure providers along with the top start-up companies in the WLAN switching market. Cisco, Extreme Networks, Aruba Wireless Networks and Airespace all have agreed to send a top technology executive to the debate, where they’ll field questions from Network World editors and each other.

With wireless playing an increasingly important role in your enterprise plans, this is a great chance to learn how these companies approach the market in unique ways. How are their products and strategies different? Which solution is most applicable to your applications? Where do they think their rivals come up short?

You can get a taste of the WLAN showdown by visiting our Virtual Showdown, now up and running. Aruba, Airespace and Extreme already are involved, along with three other providers, and the discussion is lively.

Feel free to weigh in online and to offer me some advice about N+I and CeBit America. Thanks.