Information technology managers looking for a way to save money on long-distance calls between sites can use several new products from Cisco Systems to put that traffic on their data networks.
The devices take voice traffic from private branch exchanges and pass it to high-end Cisco routers or access concentrators, which in turn send it over frame-relay, Asynchronous Transfer Mode or IP links to their often far-flung sites, eliminating the need for separate voice networks.
Fearful of seemingly-constant cable cuts and other service interruptions, Colgate-Palmolive Corp. has gone to the air to back up its existing T1 line, which links it to MCI WorldCom's nationwide network.
The consumer goods manufacturer opted to buy a second 1.544M bit/sec. T1 provided by network operator WinStar Communications Inc. in New York. The new line will enable Palmolive to complete voice calls and eventually data transmission in emergency situations.
"It's an excellent safeguard because you never know when a fiber is going to be cut or a manhole is going to blow up," said John Rosado, communications manager at New York-based Palmolive.
In a race against its rivals to create lasting customer relationships, GM is building a massive data warehouse that will include detailed consumer information for marketing purposes.
Several large users last week expressed interest in Nortel Network's plans to support voice and data traffic over a single network, but said they would move towards a converged network slowly.
Just days after switching CEOs, struggling Cabletron Systems this week received the resignations of two top officials, John D'Auguste, president of operations and Allan Finch, vice president of worldwide marketing.
Friday's replacement of Cabletron Systems co-founder, CEO and chairman of the board Craig Benson with technology guru Piyush Patel marked a more aggressive focus on emerging communications technologies that can be developed for both corporate customers and service providers.
In an effort to prepare for its business units' e-commerce initiatives amid an IT staff shortage, Ford Motor Co. last week announced a five-year deal with Hewlett-Packard to help administer and manage up to 1,000 servers worldwide.
3Com customers will soon be able to set specific performance levels for traffic running across mixed Ethernet and ATM networks, thanks to a raft of switch add-on products due out this quarter.
Companies relying on internetworking equipment that's two or more years old risk LAN failures in the year 2000 that would deny end users access to mission-critical applications.
General Motors last week confirmed it has been escalating its year 2000 preparedness efforts as part of a project the world's largest automaker estimates will cost between $US710 million and $780 million.
Cabletron Systems is finalising negotiations to license directories from Novell and Netscape Communications in an effort to help users cut costs and simplify administration of complex networks, Computerworld has learnt.
IBM Token Ring users looking to migrate to cheaper Ethernet networks don't have to leave IBM if they change because the vendor last week introduced five more in a growing line of Ethernet switches.
The longtime Token Ring stalwart is fast becoming technology-agnostic, keeping antsy customers in the fold by offering a migration path to Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet. In addition, IBM priced the bulk of its Ethernet switches aggressively to combat incumbents Cisco Systems Inc., 3Com Corp., Nortel Networks and Cabletron Systems Inc.
Outsourcing powerhouse IBM Global Services next week will announce a program through which it will team with users' information technology departments to tackle and solve network and systems management problems.
Although the vendor already provides outsourcing to users where it handles everything, its new "selective outsourcing" combines the power of user IT staffs with IBM Global Services experts.
LAN vendor Bay Networks recently broadened its network management capabilities with add-ons for managing wide-area network equipment from parent company Nortel in Toronto and for collecting network data for bill-back purposes.
Although vendors are promoting the convergence of voice and data as part of the next significant networking trend, many users are sceptical of sending phone calls over their LANs. They see little or no benefit to this approach to handling voice traffic.