Ken Hodge, CTO of Brand-Rex said: “We have always worked closely with other industry experts in the cabling standards bodies and IEEE (the guardians of the Ethernet Standards) to make sure we stay ahead of end user requirements. Ethernet standard developments are an important factor in determining our R&D strategy, ensuring that we remain leaders in networking technology.
“The Ethernet Alliance is a powerful group of industry leading companies who champion commercial aspects of Ethernet developments. As such it is a strategic imperative for us to become involved in the development of these new standards to retain our industry leading role.”
The Ethernet Alliance was responsible for the emergence of Ethernet speeds, such as 2.5 Gb/s, 5 Gb/s, 25Gb/s and 50Gb/s. Markets were requiring these speeds, however the IEEE standards committees were not considering them. To allow discussion of these market demands, the Ethernet Alliance acts as a forum where requirements and developments can be discussed outside the IEEE standards committees between members such as Dell, Cisco, Broadcom, Intel and others. Valuable market intelligence from these discussions is then shared with IEEE committees. This knowledge sharing influences the development of leading edge interoperable technologies.
The Ethernet Alliance aims to collate global Ethernet knowledge and information to be made commercially available, encouraging global cooperation among leading IT companies. It provides a platform for information exchange and expert discussions.
Ken Hodge summarised “Brand-Rex is proud to be part of the Ethernet Alliance, a valuable industry association. We look forward to engaging in progressive discussions between members in promoting the use of Ethernet installations and applications.”