DUBAI – Current networking technologies are being pushed to their performance boundaries, a survey conducted by the Weston Group in association with Brocade revealed. Members of the Middle East IT channel who responded to the survey were split, almost evenly, between Ethernet Fabrics and Clustering Network solutions as the way forward for data centers while only a fraction (2.13 percent) believe classical ethernet is still up to the task. When questioned about the factors driving the complexity of data centers and the need for better networking technologies, respondents listed server virtualization, consolidation and the cloud as top three reasons in that order. “We believe the IT channel, which is uniquely positioned, between the vendors supplying cutting-edge technologies and regional customers deploying them, is the best judge of the trends shaping the industry. We were surprised to find that most of these players still find technology roll-outs and updates to be slow despite the obvious need for network advancement,” said Prashant Naik, Divisional Manager, Unified Communications and Collaboration at Westcon Middle East. While rapid technology advancements are being made in the data center domain, the research found that only a quarter (25.53 percent) of end-users served by the channel organizations surveyed refresh their data center networking infrastructures every 1 to 2 years, while the majority (48.94 percent) do so only once in 5 to 6 years. Though 29.79 percent of respondents agreed that their customers' tight budgets are a reason for these extended refresh cycles, it is the inability of the IT departments to convince their management of the ROI on network investments that is the prime reason, according to 48.94 percent of the channel respondents. It is no wonder then that nearly 60 percent of respondents selected pre-sales and POC assistance over better credit and payment terms (23.40 percent) and free/subsidized trainings and certifications (12.77 percent) as the most desired form of support that they would like to see from their vendors. Recognizing this need, Brocade in association with Westcon in April this year launched a ‘Partner Academy' in the region that will educate Brocade channel partners about the latest technology trends and product innovations, as well as provide unique insights to drive the sales pipeline and revenue growth. There will be two interactive Partner Academies held every quarter across different regions in the Middle East. — SG
