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Are Network Switches Commodities?

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Network switches are commodities. That’s what many U.

Network switches are commodities. That’s what many U.S. Federal Government IT executives and managers tell me. “We don’t care if we buy Cisco, Juniper, Brocade, or HP, as long as they are compliant” is what I have often been told. “We just want the best deal for the taxpayer. They are commodities.” Fair enough. Maybe. But are network switches really commodities? A useful definition (source: WhatIs.com): A commodity is a type of widely-available product that is not markedly dissimilar from one unit to another. By definition, a commodity product lacks a unique selling point. In an IT context, th

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