May 29,2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information, contact:

Karen Wucher
Nemertes Research Inc.
Phone: 972-335-7028
Cell: 972-872-0828
Karen.Wucher@nemertes.com

Ethernet WANs Poised for Rapid Growth
But MPLS is Still King

NEW YORK, NY – May 29, 2008 – A growing number of businesses are adopting Ethernet services, according to Nemertes’ Building a Successful WAN research report. Ethernet adoption grew from 46% in 2004 to 53% in 2008, and 85% of those companies plan to deploy more Ethernet services in the future. Another 14% of companies are planning their first Ethernet deployments.

Cost, flexibility, and bandwidth are driving the demand. “Ethernet services are a fraction of the cost of other alternatives,” said Irwin Lazar, principal analyst and program director for unified communications and collaboration with Nemertes Research. “IT executives say they are realizing cost savings, the ability to obtain additional bandwidth, and the support of non-IP protocols such as custom applications for monitoring systems or internal applications, as well the desire to maintain control over enterprise routing protocols.”

Adoption of MPLS services (Multiprotocol Label Switching) continues to increase, with 74% of enterprises indicating use of MPLS services and another 10% planning or evaluating its use, according to
the research benchmark. Three factors are driving the MPLS services increase of 76% from 2006 figures:

• Guaranteed performance for real-time, IP-based applications such as video and voice;
• Moving networks away from hub and spoke designs;
• Cost savings

“Of these three, optimization for real-time applications and more flexible network architecture were tops among IT executives justifying an MPLS migration,” says Lazar.

May 12, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information, contact:
Karen Wucher
Nemertes Research Inc.
Phone: 972-335-7028
Cell: 970-846-4768
Karen.Wucher@nemertes.com

Diverse Business Needs Driving Wireless Applications Wide Array of Technologies
Companies find plethora of mobility solutions

NEW YORK, NY – May 12, 2008 – The next-generation of wireless technology has a new focus: enabling mobile business operations. This transcends the old wireless goals of voice roaming and a local data dynamic in favor of a new focus on enabling business operations remotely. Data-capable devices are in wide deployment, with nearly 90% of IT executives indicating their organizations either support or use such instruments, according to Nemertes’ latest benchmark study, “Next-Generation Wireless”.

WiFi integration is now becoming an important business tool that has largely been deployed to reduce the cost of cellular access. “Enterprises are demanding mobility solutions,” said Mike Jude, research analyst with Nemertes Research. “Vendors and carriers must understand and develop wireless solutions that are aimed at improving business operations. “

Another key finding is that next-generation wireless requires a shared service responsibility between the enterprise IT organization and the carrier. Nemertes found that support for mobile devices continues to increase, with 23% of IT executives indicating support for Blackberry devices, up from 13.8% in 2007. Yet these devices are actually on carrier networks. Improved service expectations of users can only be met by closer collaboration between IT organizations and carriers.

Thirst for Bandwidth Increases across Branch, Internet, and Data Center
Financial-services companies plan greatest increase according to Nemertes study

NEW YORK, NY –May 1, 2008 – Bandwidth demands at branch locations are skyrocketing, according to Nemertes Research’s Advanced Communications Services benchmark. The study found that IT executives expect an 84% increase in bandwidth available in 2008, and a 99% increase in 2009, up from a 72% increase in 2007.

“The continued demand by remote workers for high-performance collaborative and centralized business applications is the driving force behind these increases,” says Robin Gareiss, Nemertes’ executive vice president and senior founding partner .

Nemertes also found the adoption of managed services at the branch is increasing, and has been for the past three years. Now, 63% of companies use some type of managed service at the branch, compared with 46% in 2007, and 27% in 2006. Participants tend to use traditional carriers for network-based services, such as router management, WAN management and implementations. With resellers, the focus is ongoing management of applications, installation and training. With systems integrators, the focus is on design and implementation. With outsourcers, they center on network or application management.

Other key findings of the research include:

April 15, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information, contact:
Karen Wucher Nemertes Research
Phone: 972.335.7028
Cell: 972.872.0828
Karen.Wucher@nemertes.com

Nemertes Research Announces Advanced Communications Services PilotHouse Awards
Service Providers and Enterprises Recognized for their use of Advanced Services

New York, NY – Apr. 15, 2008 –Nemertes Research recognized 11 leading service providers that received top ratings from business customers at yesterday’s inaugural PilotHouse awards dinner in Boston at the World Trade Center.

Nemertes also presented Innovator awards to IT executives who demonstrated innovative and efficient use of advanced communications services, based on a multi-faceted point system that evaluated several criteria in how they use services. These companies include BP, LyondellBassell North America, Matria Healthcare, Pfizer Inc., Saint Luke’s Health System, and Shaw Industries.

“These organizations represent the cream of the crop when it comes to deploying and utilizing next-generation services including MPLS, Ethernet, hosted services and other emerging offerings,” says Robin Gareiss, executive vice president and senior founding partner, Nemertes. “If you want to know who’s leading the pack when it comes to using and delivering these services, this extensive, five-month research project gives insight to the top carriers and businesses that effectively leverage their services.”

As part of Nemertes’ Advanced Communications Services research project, 647 IT executives rated their primary and secondary service providers and provided details on how they use carrier services. PilotHouse Awards recognized both major and emerging service providers who received the highest average scores in several categories. Major Carrier winners include:

System Integration Drives SOA Deployment

Benefits include cost savings, improved maintenance and faster, easier upgrades

New York, NY – Mar. 18, 2008 – Integration, whether among internal systems or of internal systems with those of partners, suppliers or service providers, is the major factor driving enterprises to deploy service-oriented architectures (SOA) according to Nemertes Research latest benchmark, “Services-Oriented Architectures and Applications.” The study, based on two months of in-depth interviews with more than 52 IT executives at 50 companies, found that the closely linked issues of integration, complexity, consolidation and resilience accounted for nearly 40% of the reasons given for adopting SOA.

For more information, contact:

Karen Wucher
Nemertes Research
Phone: 972.335.7028
Cell: 972.872.0828
Karen.Wucher@nemertes.com

Server Virtualization Requires Shift in Security
Thinking

Analysis of risk factors sharpens
security focus

New York, NY – Feb. 12, 2008 – Rapid adoption of server virtualization is forcing companies to think about the security implications of virtualization.

Most IT departments currently secure physical and virtual servers the same way. Unfortunately, consolidating servers into a pool of virtual machines interconnected by virtual networks invalidates many of the assumptions that underlie current data center security techniques. While the focus has been on the security of the hypervisor, the real risks may lie elsewhere.

“As server virtualization has gained acceptance in corporate data centers, security has gone from an afterthought to a serious concern,” says Andreas M. Antonopoulos, senior vice president of Nemertes Research. Much of the focus has been on the technologies of virtualization rather than the operational, organization and economic benefits the technologies offer companies. For server virtualization to deliver its benefits as securely as possible, companies need to conduct a more rigorous analysis of the risks associated with it. “Part of the uncertainly arises because most companies do not have a good understanding of the real risks surrounding virtualization, “says Antonopoulos.

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FULL REPORT

November 19,
2007

For Immediate Release

For more information, contact:

Karen Wucher
Nemertes Research
Phone: 972.335.7028
Cell: 972.872.0828
Karen.Wucher@nemertes.com

July 25, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information, contact:
Karen Wucher
Nemertes Research
Phone: 972.335.7028
Cell: 972.872.0828
Karen.Wucher@nemertes.com

    Mokena, IL – July 25, 2007 – Having a strategic security vendor is a growing trend for IT executives, with 42.6% indicating they have one according to Nemertes’ latest benchmark, “Security and Information Protection: Technology Trends and Vendor Ratings.”

July 10, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information, contact:
Karen Wucher
Nemertes Research
Phone: 972.335.7028
Cell: 972.872.0828
Karen.Wucher@nemertes.com

Mokena, IL – July 10, 2007 – When it comes to mobility, the story’s much bigger than the iPhone. Enterprises are poised to expand their wireless investments considerably over the next 12 to 18 months, according to a just-published Nemertes Research benchmark, “Building the Successful Virtual Workplace.”

June 21, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information contact:

Karen Wucher
Nemertes Research
Phone: 972-335-7028
Cell: 972-872-0828
Karen.Wucher@nemertes.com

Enterprises Moving Toward Web 2.0
Reservations Exist On Use of Open Source

MOKENA, IL -- June 21, 2007 – Enterprises increasingly are adopting Web 2.0 applications such as wikis, blogs, and RSS feeds, according to Nemertes Research benchmark, “Collaboration Applications.”The study, based on five months of in-depth interviews with more than 120 IT executives, found that 18% are using blogs, 32% are using wikis, and 23% are using RSS.

Nemertes Research

Press Release
May 30, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Branch Offices Increase, Bolstered by Collaborative Technologies
Over 62% of Participants Plan to Increase Branch Office Locations

Mokena, IL – May 30, 2007 – The number of virtual workers and telecommuters are growing substantially, according to Nemertes’ latest benchmark, “Branch Office Best Practices.” The study, based on five months of in-depth interviews with 120 IT executives, finds 62% of participants are planning to increase the number of their branch-office locations, and on average, branch offices will grow 11% in 2007, up 8.9% from 2006. Driving the growth of the branch office is global expansion, employee attraction and retention, merger and acquisitions, cost savings, and environmental concerns.

Press Rlease: For Immediate Release 

For more information, contact:
Karen Wucher
Nemertes Research
Phone: 972-335-7028
Cell: 970-846-4768
Karen.Wucher@nemertes.com

April 30, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact:
Karen Wucher
Nemertes Research
Phone: 972-335-7028
Cell: 970-846-4768
Karen.Wucher@nemertes.com

FutureNet to Showcase Next-Generation Services & Networks
56%of Enterprises View MPLS as WAN Technology Choice

NEW YORK, NY -- April 30, 2007 – MPLS is the WAN technology of choice for 56% of enterprises, according to Nemertes Research’s Building the Successful Virtual Workplace benchmark. VPLS, carrier Ethernet, and optical-based services are also on the watch lists of staffs that must build robust networks capable of supporting multiple traffic types.

Press Release

March 27, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Complex Networks Lead To Falling VOIP Vendor Ratings
Shortel continues to impress IT executives according to Nemertes study

NEW YORK, NY -- March 27, 2007 – IT executive ratings of their IP telephony vendors have declined this year, according to Nemertes Research latest benchmark volume, “Voice Over IP: State of Deployment, Architecture, Vendor Ratings, ” which has tracked vendor performance in several categories for the past four years. The study, based on five months of in-depth interviews with more than 120 IT executives, finds that vendors need to improve the most in the areas of management tools, ease of installation and troubleshooting, and customer service. IT executives rated vendors highest in product features, overall performance, and technology.

PRESS RELEASE

February 6, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Nemertes Research VP to Join Network World Editorial Team
Andreas Antonopoulos to Share Security Expertise in Weekly Column

NEW YORK, NY -- February 6, 2007 – Nemertes Research, a leading research firm specializing in the business impact of emerging technology, announces that its security expert and sr. vice president, Andreas Antonopoulos, is the new security columnist for Network World.

“We are looking forward to Andreas taking over our security column and offering his industry insight and knowledge to our readers," said Michael Cooney, news editor for Network World. “Having him share his expertise with the readers of Network World is the latest milestone in the long-standing relationship between Nemertes Research and Network World.”

August 7, 2006

Lazar, Kardish Join Nemertes Research
Highlights expansion in wireless, mobility, collaboration

NEW YORK … August 1, 2006 – Collaboration expert Irwin Lazar and wireless specialist Christopher Kardish have joined Nemertes Research—both bolstering Nemertes groundbreaking research in key growth areas.

Joining as principal analyst and program director, Lazar will leverage his extensive research experience in voice over IP (VOIP), video over IP, SIP, presence, and real-time communications technologies in his new role at Nemertes. He will lead Nemertes’ collaboration, VOIP, and convergence research.

‘Information Stewardship’ Huge Issue for IT Execs in 2006,
But Many Enterprises Lag In Strategies

NEW YORK, NY, Dec. 19, 2005– Eighty-seven percent of IT executives say information stewardship – managing and setting policies for every byte of data in the enterprise – is vital to their organizations, according to a ground-breaking research benchmark from Nemertes Research. Yet only 40% rank information stewardship as important when it comes time to put money and resources behind it. Most do not have a person or group dedicated to managing information stewardship. And fewer than half of IT professionals have done actual return-on-investment calculations regarding the process.

Budget dollars going to regulatory compliance

NEW YORK … August 15, 2005 –Despite growing risks posed by security threats and government regulations, enterprises have increased their security spend fro 2.3% to 3.9% of the IT budget since 2003 and 75% of that increase has gone into compliance initiatives rather than security systems and technologies.

This is the major finding of a report released today by Nemertes Research based on six months of in-depth interviews with more than 60 IT executives at mid-to-large organizations across a range of industries.

“The current security spend is far less than the 6%-7% of the IT budget that Nemertes recommends, although security breaches can lead to public notoriety, loss in market capitalization, and even jail time for senior executives,” says Andreas M. Antonopoulos, Nemertes’ senior vice president and founding partner who led the benchmark study

JMP SECURITIES ANNOUNCES EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT WITH NEMERTES RESEARCH
Nemertes’ Assessment of Marketplace and Technology Trends to Complement JMP’s Equity Research Product

By Melanie Turek
Senior Vice President, Nemertes Research

New York--January 2005. It will come as no surprise that enterprises are becoming increasingly “virtual” every day. But the term “virtual workplace” is often defined in different ways. For some companies, virtual workers are those who work in truly remote offices, across the country or the globe. For others, virtual workers spend most of their time on the road. But we believe the true definition of virtual workers is this: employees who are physically separated from their managers, co-workers and/or immediate reports, even if they themselves work at a headquarters or large satellite corporate office.

NEW YORK … January 5, 2005 –According to “The Virtual Workplace: Leveraging Real-Time
Communications in the Enterprise,” a new research benchmark from Nemertes Research, companies can
save as much as $10 million per year by leveraging “virtual workers”—employees who work in a different
geographic location from their supervisors. The number of virtual workers has increased by 800% over
the past five years; 58% of IT executives describe their company as a “virtual workplace” today, and
another 9% say they’re “almost there.”

The virtual workplace lets companies save money in three key areas: facilities, personnel, and

Meanwhile, Customers Grow Weary of Carriers’ Convergence Inertia

NEW YORK … November 16, 2004 –Voice-over-IP start-up costs swing dramatically, from $515 to $1,512 per user, depending largely on the vendor and the size of the rollout, according to Nemertes Research’s latest benchmark series, Convergence: Reality at Last. ShoreTel and Nortel posted the lowest per-unit startup costs; Avaya and Cisco posted the highest.

NEW YORK, July 14, 2004 – A large majority of enterprise organizations achieved return-on-investment (ROI) sooner than anticipated on their externalization initiatives, according to the Nemertes Research benchmark research series, "Extending the Enterprise". 80% of benchmark participants achieved ROIs sooner than anticipated, with a typical break-even point of less than a year. Moreover, many companies are likely to obtain 3-year ROIs of more than 200%. IT executives cite the use of leading-edge technologies--particularly XML/Web services, security, and identity management--as key to achieving these ROIs.

NEW YORK … June 14, 2004 –According to “Secure Messaging for a Changing World,” a new benchmark research series from Nemertes Research LLC, one in five companies isn’t using anti-spam software, and just 23% use software for messaging compliance. E-mail is mission critical for businesses today, and the dangers posed by viruses, spam and compliance worry most IT executives. Yet many aren’t doing all they can to mitigate the risks.

Viruses are the oldest threat, and they’re what companies have the best handle on. Still, 30% experience hits that expand beyond one PC. An even bigger concern is spam, which has grown by more than 200% on corporate networks during the past year and accounts for nearly 40% of all traffic. Almost three-quarters of companies that don’t use anti-spam software plan to do so within 12 months—and they may be looking to their anti-virus vendor to provide it.

Almost three-quarters of IT executives say they’d like to get anti-spam and anti-virus technology from one vendor. IT executives are looking at viruses, spam and compliance as a single threat matrix—as they should, says Melanie Turek, Nemertes Principal Research Analyst. “It’s critical that companies approach messaging as an integrated whole, and protect such newer technologies as IM,” says Turek. “IT executives want and need to apply consistent rules across applications, while giving end users as much control and flexibility as possible.”

Network-optimization Becomes Top Goal for Businesses in 2004

NEW YORK … March 17, 2004 – An overwhelming number of employees—87%—works away from the headquarters building or campus, according to Nemertes Research’s latest benchmark series, “Maximizing Your WAN: Bandwidth Trends and Benchmarks.” That’s one of several reasons bandwidth demand is rising on average 50% to 100% a year, and in some cases up to 500%.

Other factors influencing bandwidth demands include deployment of Web services, growth in graphical and high-capacity voice, video, and collaborative applications, and data-center consolidation, according to the five-month research project.

“Nearly every organization requires a faster, higher-capacity network. And it’s absolutely crucial for companies to operate these networks as efficiently as possible,” says Robin Gareiss, Nemertes’ principal research officer. “Yet, adding bandwidth is not always the best answer.”

Businesses increasingly must rely on carriers or explore the growing area of network-optimization products that leverage existing bandwidth. IT executives rate the traditional long-distance providers (AT&T, Sprint, and MCI) higher than the incumbent locals (BellSouth, Qwest, SBC, and Verizon) in 10 categories. But network-optimization vendors (Expand, Internap, Packeteer, and Peribit) scored higher than all of the carriers, according to the 130-page research benchmark series, which included input from about 100 IT executives.

NEW YORK … Dec. 8, 2003 – The most popular collaboration tool in use today—and for the foreseeable future—is instant messaging. A new benchmark by Nemertes Research shows that 90% of IT executives say their employees use IM, even if it’s not officially sanctioned by IT.

A consumer technology that came into most enterprises through the back door, IM is starting to show up on IT managers’ radar screens. They’re realizing that they need to get a handle on the technology to ensure it delivers maximum value.

“Although most companies allow the use of IM today, many haven’t standardized on a specific client or service,” says Melanie Turek, Nemertes’ principal research analyst. “That creates an opportunity for vendors of enterprise-class IM software and services—and a challenge for IT managers who are trying to figure out how best to deploy the technology.”

IT executives expect IM will help them boost productivity, speed time to market for developing and delivering new products and services, and manage remote employees—a growing concern among today’s global organizations. “IM can do a lot to ensure far-flung employees get the information they need right when the need it,” says Turek. “That’s especially important for companies whose employees are located around the country, and the world.”

NEW YORK … July 1, 2003 – IP telephony is approaching critical mass among U.S. businesses: Nearly 84% say they’re using or testing the technology at an average cost of $636,000, according to “Implementing IP Telephony,” a 100-page report from Nemertes Research, a research firm that specializes in analyzing the business value of emerging technology.