Despite losing some ground, Cisco Systems Inc. remained firmly on top of the enterprise router market in 2007.
With all of the services embedded in network infrastructure, customers turn to Cisco for enterprise routers because they're dependable performers, said Brett Rushton, vice president of network strategy and infrastructure at Calence LLC, a solution provider in Tempe, Ariz., which was recently purchased by Insight Enterprises Inc. "Customers have a need for simpler solutions that work holistically across their networks," he said.
Cisco has already noted slower sales growth to some of its U.S. enterprise customers due to the softening economy, which could explain the slight market-share drop. Some customers also might have been waiting for Cisco to launch its Aggregation Services Router line, which debuted earlier this month. "It's probably all of the above," said John Growdon, director of core and data center technologies for worldwide channels at Cisco.
Bill Calderwood, president of The Root Group, a Boulder, Colo. security solution provider that partners with Check Point and Cisco, says Check Point's solid reputation, combined with a sensible price point, have helped it parlay its reputation as a high-end firewall leader down to the midmarket. "They've definitely seen some market- share gains as a result of that," he said.
Both Check Point and Cisco are making "very good progress" in the UTM market on the strength of performance and user interface features, adds Calderwood. "I think we'll see over time that as different point products get integrated into UTM, it'll complement both vendors' already good management tools, and that's really what larger corporations look for," Calderwood said.
Cisco wasn't the only Best-Seller to see a dip in share. Hewlett-Packard Co. also saw a small decline. Nortel Networks Corp. was the only one of the top three to see any growth, and it was small at that, indicating that Cisco customers aren't the only ones concerned about the status of the economy.
