What I think a lot of companies are looking for is a multipurpose LAN device like Cisco's ISR. This is a relatively small deal. It won't turn Nortel around, but it does give them a legitimate end-to-end WAN play.

We characterize this trend as the 'growing operational gap' between the level of IT staffing and the requirements their companies are placing on their infrastructure, particularly their networks. A solution for bridging this operational gap is for networking vendors to develop more intelligent products and features that will help boost an IT manager's operational efficiency.

I think enterprise is an area they need to shore up. They've had a lot of change there. And I don't know how you keep the train running when you've got churn throughout the organization like that.

I think it's good for 3Com to get a fresh start. Bruce probably took them as far as he could.

What they're trying to do is to take IP communications to another level. Every vendor has the same vision, but they're all at different points to getting there.

It's like driving on the interstate during rush hour. Nobody is moving that fast... If you're in a branch office and you need to access the data center, these people watching the game could actually create a situation where all traffic slows to a halt.