SMC Networks has announced the launch of its new TigerAccess Extended Ethernet Switch (SMC7824M/VSW) and TigerAccess Extended Ethernet CPE (SMC7801A/VCP). The solutions are now available to the local market via SMC Networks South Africa.

Avaya and Polycom are expanding their existing relationship and will jointly develop and market integrated video, voice and collaboration solutions.
The companies plan to deliver fully integrated, end-to-end unified communications (UC) solutions that use the Avaya Aura Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)-based platform and the Polycom Open Collaboration Network strategy.

SMC Networks has launched two TigerStack II 1000 Stackable Managed Layer 3 Switches (SMC8926EM and SMC8950EM) − a new line of high performance switches designed to improve the performance of workgroup network infrastructures with enhanced performance, scalability and availability.

Citrix Systems announces immediate availability of five new Citrix NetScaler Application Firewall appliances designed to bring a new level of security to public and private clouds and web applications. Each of the new appliances is built on the Citrix NetScaler MPX hardware platform, the application acceleration, load balancing and web-security system that powers thousands of enterprise data centres and most of the world’s largest clouds and websites.

The Enterprise Mobility Solutions business unit of Motorola has been positioned by Gartner in the Leaders quadrant in the ‘Wireless LAN Infrastructure Magic Quadrant’ report.

Tata Communications launched two new public Telepresence rooms in Chicago, USA and Sydney, Australia, last week with the Starwood Hotels & Resorts group. To date Tata Communications has twelve public rooms globally, including its first public Telepresence room in Africa, at Neotel headquarters in Midrand.

With organisations heavily focused on driving efficiency and cost-effectiveness, the need for more seamless and integrated communications within business is more obvious than ever.

2010 will see the emergence of the unified network. In the same way as Ethernet and the internet have driven the standardisation of computer communications protocols and made network connectivity ubiquitous over the past 30 years, 2010 will see network integration develop into an enterprise strategy.

Business communications are increasingly complex and require workers to manage multiple devices, applications, and face-to-face interactions in an attempt to stay productively connected with one another.

Challenges are likely to become a hallmark of 2010, not least when it comes to securing enterprise-wide computer networks.

Widespread recognition of the need to drastically reduce carbon emissions has been rapidly gaining momentum across the globe, particularly in the last decade, writes Fiona McLean-Banks, Polycom business development manager at Zycko.

In 2006, the IP PBX market was buoyant; a trend-setter that seemed to be growing at predicted rates of 80% and upwards. Enter the global recession and three years down the line the market seems to be, like all its industry peers, feeling the economic chill.