Stories by Jim Duffy

Force10 Networks this week will unveil data center core and top-of-rack switches that mark the first offering of high-density 40/100G Ethernet among the major switch vendors.

Alcatel-Lucent is reportedly shopping around its enterprise switching, IP telephony and contact center businesses in an effort to boost its financial performance by focusing on core telecom markets.

Cisco this week broadened the security and management capabilities of its enterprise products to help IT shops get a better grip on mobile devices, video and changing workforce habits.

This week, a $12 billion maker of network connectors and panels will unveil a chipset to provide greater security and visibility in data center networks.

Cisco and other data center network combatants best prepare for an onslaught of meshes and pods.

Despite competing standards and proprietary alternatives already on the market, the IETF insists that TRILL is gaining momentum as a method for solving Ethernet scalability problems in data center networks.

Why would Cisco be developing a new data center fabric product line based on merchant silicon when its Nexus switches and FabricPath software are already available? 

NEW ORLEANS -- Cisco this week unveiled two unified communications products optimized for small and midsize businesses, a market Cisco admits it needs to increase share in.

Avaya is taking its data center architecture to the enterprise campus, with the goal of creating "private clouds."

Cisco is in the throes of a companywide transition away from the switches and routers that form the bedrock of its business toward new markets to fuel future growth -- and the shift is affecting Cisco's revenue.

Cisco beat analyst estimates with its second-quarter earnings, posting revenue of US$10.4 billion and earnings per share, excluding expenses, charges and other items, of $0.37.

Networking rivals HP and Cisco have abandoned their common ground in data center switching, with HP accusing Cisco of diverting an IEEE standard and Cisco insisting that customers drove the change.

Cisco this week announced its intent to acquire privately held Inlet Technologies, a provider of adaptive bit rate (ABR) digital media processing platforms, for $95 million in cash and retention-based incentives.

On the heels of what's being described as the biggest electronic shutdown by a government, legislators in the U.S. are trying to reintroduce a bill that would give the President an Internet 'kill switch.'

Cisco this week announced its intent to acquire privately-held Pari Networks, a provider of network configuration, change and compliance management appliances that was <a href="http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/013108-network-management-start-up.html">founded by former Cisco engineers</a>.