http://www.burtongroup.com/Research/DocumentList.aspx?cid=11 The Network and Telecom Strategies (NTS) service empowers you to design and implement a future-focused architecture that will support your company for years to come. Nothing is overlooked. From routers to switching, to ATM vs. IP, to public WANs vs. private WANs, to convergence, to wireless, to optical, to cabling, and everything in between, NTS ensures that the decisions you make will be cost-effective and will meet your long-term needs for scalability. en-us © 2008 Burton Group. All rights reserved http://www.burtongroup.com/Client/Research/Document.aspx?cid=1377 http://www.burtongroup.com/Client/Research/Document.aspx?cid=1377 Wireless local area networks (WLANs) introduce subtle complexities that render normal network troubleshooting techniques ineffective. Instead of the predictability of copper wires, the vagaries of radio must be taken into account. Unlike switched Ethernet, wireless is a shared medium. Interference sources abound, and even room layouts can affect a wireless network. In this Methodologies and Best Practices document, Service Director Michael Disabato provides basic information on WLANs and interference sources, describes design considerations that can be used to design resilient, manageable networks, and applies the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) Service Lifecycle to the design of WLANs. Methodologies & Best Practices Wed, 02 Jul 2008 01:00:00 GMT http://www.burtongroup.com/Client/Research/Document.aspx?cid=685 http://www.burtongroup.com/Client/Research/Document.aspx?cid=685 Real-time location systems (RTLSs) are poised to make a significant impact on the enterprise. Advances in location technology, expanding enterprise wireless use, and additional governmental emergency regulations will drive the deployment of next-generation RTLS applications. In this overview, Burton Group Senior Analyst Paul DeBeasi discusses location applications, issues, and technologies. Overview Mon, 16 Jun 2008 01:00:00 GMT http://www.burtongroup.com/Client/Research/Document.aspx?cid=4 http://www.burtongroup.com/Client/Research/Document.aspx?cid=4 The network is rapidly becoming the unified backplane for modern applications and for the entire enterprise, with many separate software and hardware elements interacting over both local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs) to perform data transactions, provide voice and video telecommunications, and deliver streaming media. This extensively rewritten and expanded Methodologies and Best Practices document by Senior Analyst Eric Siegel discusses the frameworks and surveys the techniques for performing rapid incident detection and service restoration in complex unified networks. Methodologies & Best Practices Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.burtongroup.com/Client/Research/Document.aspx?cid=307 http://www.burtongroup.com/Client/Research/Document.aspx?cid=307 We are entering the golden age of mobile broadband. Network operators are beginning to deploy fourth-generation (4G) services. Why is 4G important? What is the definition of 4G? Will mobile networks become more open to new devices, software, and applications? In this report, Burton Group Senior Analyst Paul DeBeasi will analyze these questions and explain how mobile broadband services will impact enterprises. Report Fri, 06 Jun 2008 01:00:00 GMT http://www.burtongroup.com/Client/Research/Document.aspx?cid=779 http://www.burtongroup.com/Client/Research/Document.aspx?cid=779 Redesigning applications to make them less sensitive to wide area network (WAN) environments may be impractical; improving WAN characteristics is expensive; and improving only one factor, such as bandwidth, may not appreciably improve application performance. This report, updated by Senior Analyst Eric Siegel, describes cost-effective bandwidth optimization techniques such as compression and caching along with protocol optimization techniques, wide-area file services (WAFS), and single-user remote access technologies. These can improve the performance of applications and file systems by making the WAN characteristics appear to be better than they actually are. Report Thu, 29 May 2008 01:00:00 GMT http://www.burtongroup.com/Client/Research/Document.aspx?cid=1407 http://www.burtongroup.com/Client/Research/Document.aspx?cid=1407 Wireless LANs introduce subtle complexities that render normal network troubleshooting techniques ineffective. Instead of the predictability of copper wires, the vagaries of radio must be taken into account. Unlike switched Ethernet, wireless is a shared medium. Interference sources abound, and even room layouts can affect a wireless network. In this TeleBriefing, Service Director Michael Disabato provides information on WLAN interference sources, describes design considerations that can be used to design resilient, manageable networks, and applies the ITIL Service Lifecycle to the design of WLANs. TeleBriefing Tue, 20 May 2008 14:00:00 GMT http://www.burtongroup.com/Client/Research/Document.aspx?cid=1339 http://www.burtongroup.com/Client/Research/Document.aspx?cid=1339 Summary measurement tools assist operations-center staff in handling routine incidents, but more complete information is required when staff members deal with complex situations that involve root-cause analysis or advanced performance tuning. A major source of that information is a set of network activity traces, often from multiple locations. This overview, by Senior Analyst Eric Siegel, investigates the tools for gathering, storing, transporting, and interpreting that detailed diagnostic trace data. Both embedded tools and specialized external tools are covered, along with an overview of vendor products. Overview Tue, 13 May 2008 01:00:00 GMT http://www.burtongroup.com/Client/Research/Document.aspx?cid=1264 http://www.burtongroup.com/Client/Research/Document.aspx?cid=1264 The introduction of Microsoft’s Office Communications Server (OCS) 2007 has generated significant market momentum for unified communications and is challenging current enterprise telephony strategies. Microsoft has emphasized that OCS 2007 will enable mediation with enterprise telephony infrastructure. But will Microsoft use telephony “mediation” as a beachhead to provide a substitute for, and eventually displacement of, the Internet Protocol private branch exchange (IP-PBX)? In this report, Senior Analyst Mark Cortner examines the impact of Microsoft’s OCS 2007 platform on an enterprise’s telephony strategy and whether Microsoft’s ultimate role will be one of mediation or domination. Report Fri, 09 May 2008 01:00:00 GMT http://www.burtongroup.com/Client/Research/Document.aspx?cid=1338 http://www.burtongroup.com/Client/Research/Document.aspx?cid=1338 The introduction of Cisco Systems’ Unified Workspace product suite exposes the key product positioning and differentiation with which Cisco plans to address the unified communications market. With strong competition from software titans such as IBM and Microsoft, Cisco plans to focus its product beyond the desktop and address the full work environment or “workspace” of users. In this report, Senior Analyst Mark Cortner examines Cisco’s strategic approach to unified communications, and how its vision of extending unified communications across the business to any user device will impact enterprise adoption of unified communications. Report Fri, 02 May 2008 01:00:00 GMT http://www.burtongroup.com/Client/Research/Document.aspx?cid=1287 http://www.burtongroup.com/Client/Research/Document.aspx?cid=1287 Intel has stated that Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) is “The most important thing since the Internet itself.” Implicit in that statement are the claims that mobile WiMAX will dominate the mobile broadband market, will be widely embedded in electronic devices, and will outperform other mobile data services. Are these claims justified? What are the implications for enterprises? In this overview, Senior Analyst Paul DeBeasi will analyze these mobile WiMAX claims and provide enterprise recommendations. Overview Fri, 25 Apr 2008 01:00:00 GMT