Vendors looking to make it easier to control the performance of apps to the branch

Branch Office Best Practices Newsletter By Robin Gareiss, Network World, 05/16/06

Data center consolidation has been the hot trend of the past few years. Now the practice of consolidation is turning toward the branch office.

Two acquisitions last week underscore the strategy among networking vendors to provide multiple functions in a single device, or at least from a single provider. Packeteer announced plans last week to acquire Tacit Networks for $78 million. And Expand Networks said this week it plans to buy DiskSites for an undisclosed amount.