Interop 2006 vs. Interop 1996

The VAR Guy spent Tuesday at Interop in New York. Although smaller than the monster conferences from the 1990s, this Interop was a solid event with good mix of vendors on hand.

Still, The VAR Guy sensed that something was missing. After a few good meetings and a tour of the event floor, he found the problem: The networking industry needs some controversy. Some drama. A good public vendor feud.

Gone are the days when Cabletron Systems mixed it up with Cisco Systems, SynOptics Communications and other networking firms on the show floor.

Cabletron’s founders were infamous for gutting SynOptics networking hubs and turning them into fish tanks for all to see. Cabletron’s executives were equally controversial in the company’s home state of New Hampshire. One time, when a local bank standardized on another networking firm’s hardware, Cabletron ripped the bank’s automated teller machines out of its lobbies.

The VAR Guy isn’t suggesting that we need to return to the days when Cabletron held “Cabletron vs. Cisco” boxing matches at trade shows. But a little drama certainly wouldn’t hurt.