March 12, 2008 -- Power consumption and other "green" issues are fast becoming the information technology industry's biggest challenge, reports the tech research firm In-Stat.
Inevitably, contends the firm, as these concerns grow, focus will broaden to all types of IT equipment, settling on one of the thirstiest devices: the LAN switch. According to the firm, switch vendors who address energy efficiency earliest have significant opportunities to develop competitive advantage in their respective markets, taking full advantage of the continuing growth in the switch market.
"As many businesses develop green initiatives using best practices published by organizations like the Green Grid, IT managers will be forced to absorb some degree of responsibility for their organization's power usage," comments Victoria Fodale, an In-Stat analyst. "The role of energy efficiency will grow considerably in importance for future equipment purchases."
Recent research by In-Stat found the following: that shipments of power over Ethernet ports, which can consume more than 10 times the energy of standard ports, have tripled since 2005; that even among similarly equipped switches, capable of performing identical tasks, there are significant vendor-specific differences in energy efficiency.
According to the firm, the research, titled "Green Networking Equipment: Who Leads and Who Lags? (#IN0804265LS)", helps to answer specific questions and provide insights into: components of "green" networking and how they affect energy efficiency; explosive growth of Power over Ethernet (PoE) and its future power requirements; advantages and disadvantages of standard and proprietary hardware components; a snapshot of power efficiency by vendor for Fixed Gigabit Ethernet switches; strategies vendors are pursuing to improve energy efficiency.
The research is part of In-Stat's Ethernet Switch Quarterly service. Market shares for a wide range of Ethernet switch vendors are provided, based both on port shipments and manufacturers' revenue for the quarter. The data is highly segmented, both by OSI Layer (L2, L3, and L4-7) and equipment configuration (Fixed vs. Modular), as well as by speed (Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, 10 Gigabit Ethernet).
The price for the research is $995. For more information on this research or to purchase it online, click here.