Businesses that use managed Ethernet and similar solutions will find the technology to be a "compelling alternative" to legacy data networks, an expert has suggested.
According to FierceTelecom's Raymond Smith, the legacy infrastructures are becoming expensive for organisations to both support and maintain, while changes in business environments mean firms must be more flexible.
He added in a column for the website that, because of this, Ethernet solutions are ideal to meet the need for "flexible bandwidth options and traffic sensitivity".
"The benefits of basic Ethernet virtual private line service compared with Frame Relay become apparent from the perspectives of scalability, performance and cost effectiveness," he explained.
Mr Smith also suggested that, depending on certain issues, organisations could use Ethernet to complement existing multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) networks.
Recent research by the International Data Corporation revealed that the global Ethernet switching market enjoyed revenue growth of 32.7 per cent during the second quarter of this year.