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Breaking News - Networking:

META Group Report Covers HAN TCO Strategies, Best Practices

A new report from the META Group on Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for High Availability Networks (HAN) is now available through Foundry Networks Inc at www.foundrynetworks.com.

The report covers many business computing and networking topics including:

  • Overview of the high-availability enterprise and definition of TCO
  • Concise discussion of capital expenditures and cost drivers for HANs
  • Key factors for assessing operational expenditures and cost drivers
  • TCO management strategies and recommendations.

Key META Group findings from a series of worldwide customer interviews point out that enterprises often focus on capital expenditures and do not adequately consider the long-term expenses associated with operations; that enterprises deploying a HAN should consider products capable of enhanced multilayer services, including hardware-based routing, security, quality of service, non-performance-impacting network wide traffic monitoring and planning today for forthcoming IPv6 protocol deployments; and that the use of two primary vendors provides leverage in purchasing negotiations by encouraging price competitiveness.

"Most leading businesses consider their communications networks strategic assets, yet IT managers continually struggle to demonstrate the benefits of their infrastructure investments as measured by real cost reduction, improved application support and productivity," said Chris Kozup, program director for META Group's Infrastructure Strategies advisory service. "By following the recommendations outlined in this white paper, and having a comprehensive view of the building and maintenance of a highly available communications infrastructure, users can improve the overall value proposition of their network infrastructure."

The white paper, sponsored by Foundry Networks, provides IT managers with a useful framework for considering the role of TCO in their long-term network infrastructure investments. The report shows potential revenue loss per hour resulting from network downtime for the following vertical industries:

  • Energy: more than $2.5 million
  • Telecommunications: more than $2 million
  • Manufacturing: more than $1.5 million
  • Finance: approximately $1.5 million
  • IT, Insurance, Retail, and Pharmaceuticals: more than $1 million
  • Banking: approximately $1 million
  • Healthcare, Utilities, and Transportation: more than $500,000.
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