Talking Up IP Technology

The show, which takes place Dec. 12-16 at New York&'s Jacob Javits Convention Center, will be host to more than 140 vendors. Industry diversity will be on display, from giants like Microsoft and CA to lesser-knowns like Zeomi, a Center Point, Ala., maker of keyboards with an extra Tab key next to the number pad.

But hot topics like VoIP, application security, WAN optimization, network monitoring and federation will mark a reversal from past Interops where client-side technology dominated, said Paul Langway, founder of PVP Sales, a solution provider in Ringwood, N.J., who&'ll be attending the show. IP technology is at the heart of the change, he said.

Avaya, Basking Ridge, N.J., plans to unveil Avaya VPNremote software. VPNremote is firmware that can be added to any Avaya IP phone to securely extend all the functionality of a home-office exchange to remote workers, said Lawrence Byrd, director of IP telephony and mobility.

WAN optimization vendor Coyote Point Systems, San Jose, Calif., is slated to launch its Equalizer Extreme II line of Web application acceleration systems as well as a new lineup of modules, said Bill Kish, CEO and CTO.

Branch office networking vendor NetDevices is set to launch a global channel program. Headed by Tim Straight, new vice president of channel sales, the program aims to help drive sales of the vendor&'s first product, the SG-8 Unified Services Gateway, an all-in-one appliance for branch and remote offices that combines networking, VoIP and security capabilities.

Aruba Networks plans to unveil upgrades to its wireless LAN infrastructure aimed at improving voice-over-WLAN calls&' quality and security. In addition to new interoperability partnerships with Spectralink, Avaya and Vocera, Aruba has added a packet inspection technology that identifies and prioritizes voice traffic, said Peter Thornycroft, product manager at Aruba, Sunnyvale, Calif.

Seattle-based security vendor Aventail is scheduled to introduce a solution that enables a distributed workforce to share information in realtime using a Web portal. Aventail Secure Collaboration sits behind Aventail&'s SSL VPN and uses integrated VoIP to power features like remote help desk, videoconferencing and instant messaging, said Sarah Daniels, vice president of marketing and product management at Aventail.

JENNIFER HAGENDORF FOLLETT and KEVIN MCLAUGHLIN contributed to this story.