Networking Equipment

We've renamed the network switches category to network equipment this time to

connote a wider meaning. That's because most organizations today opt for

complete solutions instead of going for a network switch here and a router

there.

Last year, there were three names in the network switches category, with

sufficient votes for us to be able to do the analysis-Cisco, D-Link, and 3Com.

This year, we're left with only the first two. None of the other players

received sufficient votes for us to analyze them.

Cisco continues to remain the most future ready brand, with D-Link just a

little behind at 76% on the Users' Choice readiness index.

D-Link is the more persuasive brand of the lot, while Cisco enjoys highest

brand pull. These however, are on a relative scale. On an absolute level though,

neither brand is gaining pull, nor is it persuasive enough.

What this means is that in brand persuasion, users who're likely to purchase

these brands is far lower than users who can recall these brands on top of mind.

Likewise, in brand pull, there are more switch outs happening to other brands

than switch-ins. Brand loyalty for Cisco is 63%, with another 24% who're

uncertain of which brand to shift to. D-Link's brand loyalty is 54%, with 21% of

its existing customers likely to switch to other brands, and another 24% user

base that's not sure which brand to shift to.