Alternative Vendors: Data Networking

"A lot of companies are almost starting to rebel against Cisco," said Ray Nelson, CTO of Whippany, N.J.-based solution provider Consultedge Inc. "They feel it's all or nothing and they're getting frustrated. They're tired of being forced into one thing."

Nelson, an Extreme Networks Inc. partner, said it's challenging to go up against a networking behemoth like Cisco for potential accounts, but in Extreme's case, it has solid switching products that he can back 100 percent.

"A lot of the times when we present these alternative platforms, we really believe they are best-in-breed," he said.

Nelson noted that he also sells Cisco gear. It's the nature of the beast in the data networking market. But through his partnerships with Extreme and Avaya Inc., Nelson said he's found better performance and more innovative technologies. Consultedge also offers solutions from Juniper Networks Inc.

Sean Johnson, business development manager at Hayes Computer Systems, Tallahassee, Fla., agreed that alternative vendors can offer more attractive pricing and strong performance. Hayes is a Cisco partner, but also has strategic partnerships with 3Com and Nortel. "It's nice to have a couple of different options," Johnson said. "I like having alternatives. Sometimes customers demand something else. Sometimes they can't afford Cisco. Why would we miss out on business because we don't offer an alternative?"

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