Juniper Makes The Switch

VARs agreed that Juniper, Sunnyvale, Calif., had the technological savvy to make a darn good switch, but many questioned whether jumping into a crowded multibillion-dollar market that Cisco Systems Inc. dominates with 70 percent of the market share was a wise choice.

Well, according to Everything Channel's 2008 State of Technology: Networking survey, Juniper's line of EX switches, which is still in its infancy, is garnering more than a little interest from solution providers.

According to the survey, only 3.6 percent of solution providers carry the new EX switching line. Nearly 48 percent said they are considering offering the EX Series, but first must finish evaluating them before making a concrete decision. Twenty-seven percent, however, said they've looked into the Juniper switches and after an evaluation have decided not to represent them.

Regardless of the buzz Juniper's new switching line is generating, respondents predicted the vendor will have a tough time supplanting Cisco as the market leader. Nearly 43 percent of respondents said Juniper's switches pose no threat to Cisco's dominance, while roughly 17 percent said Juniper represents a significant threat.