Cisco melds add-on features into branch-office routers

Computerworld - Cisco Systems Inc. tomorrow plans to announce an all-new line of branch-office routers that integrate basic routing capabilities with IP voice support, security tools and other functionality.
Features such as data caching and IP telephony have been available as add-ons to Cisco's existing branch routers for some time. But the add-ons severely limited the basic processing abilities of the routers, said Jeff Wilson, an analyst at Infonetics Research Inc. in San Jose. Cisco designed the new routers with increased memory and CPU capacity to overcome that problem, Wilson said.
The Integrated Services Router line includes seven models that range in price from $1,395 to $13,500, said Dave Frampton, a senior marketing director at Cisco. Two of the routers are aimed at corporate branch offices, while four were designed for smaller branches and one is intended for use by small businesses. All are due early next month, Frampton said.
IP Telephony Support
RBC Dain Rauscher Inc., a Minneapolis-based brokerage, plans to deploy Cisco's new 2821 router this fall at five U.S. branches serving a total of 150 workers. If the pilot rollouts are successful, the brokerage will install the routers at up to 180 locations and convert the offices to IP telephony, said Rich Blasing, managing director of infrastructure services.
"This router product is architected with IP telephony in mind, while the previous attempts were add-on modules," Blasing said. "Collapsing functions on one box is a big feature because it makes things simpler and, from a support standpoint, a lot cleaner."
Because the 2821 will enable branch-office workers to move, add and change IP phones on their own, network operating costs should go down over time, Blasing noted. And with the routers supporting IP telephony in the branches, RBC Dain Rauscher's annual telecommunications budget is expected to drop 20%, he said, although he wouldn't divulge cost details.
In addition, the new router will help support centralized voice mail in Minneapolis, so the brokerage will be able to expand and shift its sales force with more flexibility, Blasing said. He added that the full deployment and the addition of IP telephony could be completed within 18 to 24 months.
Wilson said Cisco developed the Integrated Services Router line because of competitive threats from vendors such as Juniper Networks Inc., which acquired NetScreen Technologies Inc. in April so it could integrate NetScreen's security capabilities into its routers. But, he said, "the fruits of that acquisition are yet to be seen."
David Willis, an analyst at Meta Group Inc., agreed that competition pushed Ciscoto release the new routers. But he added that "the idea of using a single modular platform just makes sense."

Cisco's seven new routers are due early next month and range in price from $1,395 to $13,500.

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