Plan B: An SMB's Guide To Making Do During The Recession

Start The Discussion | Fredric Paul | May 13, 2009 06:05 AM

bMighty's Fredric Paul presents his unique guide to affordable alternatives to the technology you really want.

Plan B: An SMB's Guide To Making Do During The Recession

Informationweek Discussions

To upload an avatar photo, first complete your Disqus profile. | View the list of supported HTML tags you can use to style comments. | Please read our commenting policy.

Previous Slide Next Slide 17 of 19

Plan A: Gigabit Ethernet | Plan B: Ethernet

Faster networks are better networks. Everyone knows that. That's why you want to upgrade your company's network to Gigabit Ethernet -- 10 times faster than plain old 10/100 Mb Ethernet. But Gigabit Ethernet, like other high-speed networking technologies, commands a steep price premium -- though less than it used to.

And you can't just upgrade here and there. To take full advantage of 1000T Ethernet, you'll need to upgrade devices all over your network. Many older computers -- especially the less-expensive ones often found in small and midsize businesses -- aren't yet equipped to take advantage of Gigabit Ethernet. So it's not just the price, it's the hassle.

bMighty's Paul Korzeniowski argued almost two years ago that Gigabit Ethernet was about to make its move into the SMB mainstream. But maybe right now isn't the best time to roll out Gigabit Ethernet, at least not everywhere. Sure, if you have a backbone network and you're making upgrades to it, regular old Ethernet may not quite cut it anymore. But for desktop connections, 10/100 Ethernet is probably still good enough for the vast majority of applications.

Bottom Line: Plan A may no longer be bleeding edge, but it's not yet necessary, either. As the economy remains slow, companies are less ready to spend for speed. That means Plan B is still right for right now.

Don't Miss: