Will the hybrid approach ultimately win?

Unified Communications This newsletter is sponsored by NetApp BEYOND BACKUP: DISK-TO-DISK BACKUP COMES OF AGE Assessing the wide array of D2D options can be daunting. In this paper, we compare disk backup solutions and offer guidance for evaluating the different types of advanced data protection solutions and provide guidance for identifying the solutions that will meet your needs. Network World's Unified Communications Newsletter, 07/19/07 Will the hybrid approach ultimately win? By Michael Osterman I had an interesting discussion with the new head of marketing at St. Bernard Software last week about the future of messaging management. The company offers both on-premise appliances and hosted offerings that provide protection from spam, viruses, spyware, threats introduced by instant messaging and peer-to-peer file-sharing systems, etc. The company’s goal is to provide essentially the same capabilities in both on-premise and hosted offerings and let their customers decide the better form factor for delivering these services. Some companies are taking this approach, but not too many. Most messaging security companies offer either on-premise solutions, either in the form of software that you install on your servers or in self-contained appliances; or they offer hosted or managed solutions that manage these capabilities at their own data center(s). There are some advantages to offering a hybrid approach, including more choice for customers and the ability to provide a more flexible upgrade path in the future. For example, smaller companies in which the office manager also doubles as the IT manager often will find it more advantageous to use a completely hosted solution because of resource constraints. As that company grows, however, management may decide that it wants to deploy capabilities on-premise that can be managed by dedicated IT staff. Network World Buyers Guides Find the right products for your enterprise - fast. With seven categories - security, storage, convergence and VoIP, network infrastructure, network applications, wireless and LAN/WAN management - you can quickly pinpoint the hardware or software you need. With the side-by-side comparison tool you can evaluate product features and make the best purchase decisions for your enterprise. Click here to go to the Buyers Guides now. On the other hand, a large company that uses on-premise solutions may decide that adding a new capability is best achieved through a hosted solution. Vendors that offer both don’t force their customers to look for alternative vendors when their preference for service delivery changes. I’d like to get your take on this approach, particularly if you’re in charge of evaluating security, archiving and other offerings. How preferable is a vendor that offers both on-premise and hosted solutions vs. another vendor that offers one or the other? Please drop me an e-mail with your thoughts.   What do you think? Post a comment on this newsletter

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Contact the author: For webinars or research on messaging, or to join the Osterman Research market research survey panel, go here. Osterman Research helps organizations understand the markets for messaging and directory related offerings. To e-mail Michael, click here. This newsletter is sponsored by NetApp BEYOND BACKUP: DISK-TO-DISK BACKUP COMES OF AGE Assessing the wide array of D2D options can be daunting. In this paper, we compare disk backup solutions and offer guidance for evaluating the different types of advanced data protection solutions and provide guidance for identifying the solutions that will meet your needs. ARCHIVE Archive of the Unified Communications Newsletter. BONUS FEATURE IT PRODUCT RESEARCH AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Get detailed information on thousands of products, conduct side-by-side comparisons and read product test and review results with Network World’s IT Buyer’s Guides. Find the best solution faster than ever with over 100 distinct categories across the security, storage, management, wireless, infrastructure and convergence markets. Click here for details. PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE You've got the technology snapshot of your choice delivered to your inbox each day. Extend your knowledge with a print subscription to the Network World newsweekly, Apply here today. International subscribers, click here. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES To subscribe or unsubscribe to any Network World newsletter, change your e-mail address or contact us, click here. This message was sent to: networking.world@gmail.com. Please use this address when modifying your subscription. Advertising information: Write to Associate Publisher Online Susan Cardoza Network World, Inc., 118 Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772 Copyright Network World, Inc., 2007