Ethernet Alliance Technology Exploration Forum focuses on end users

The Ethernet Alliance has released the agenda for its latest Technology Exploration Forum (TEF), “The End Users Speak!” Scheduled to take place February 16, 2012 at the Techmart conference center in Santa Clara, CA, the forum will focus on the experiences end users have had with Ethernet in hopes of uncovering potential areas of improvement or new applications.

The Ethernet Alliance is a consortium of technology developers and others with an interest in the advancement of Ethernet technologies and applications.

“This latest installment in the Ethernet Alliance’s TEF series is a single-day event bringing together executives, technology designers and architects, integrators, solutions providers, and others to discuss new developments, issues, and challenges impacting the Ethernet ecosystem,” said Manoj Wadekar, chairperson, Ethernet Alliance TEF, and chief technologist, QLogic Corp. “The End Users Speak! is designed to allow the end-user community to share their experience with Ethernet and their network architecture and application requirements with those individuals in the Ethernet developing community.”

“Throughout the past three decades, Ethernet has fundamentally altered the face of both the global technology and communications ecosystems. Now, as we move towards the next generation of Ethernet technologies and speeds, it is imperative that all of the stakeholders work together to facilitate Ethernet’s continued expansion and evolution,” said John D’Ambrosia, chair, Ethernet Alliance. “By opening the door to greater dialogue, the Ethernet Alliance is helping to ensure that technology creators better understand end user needs and expectations of Ethernet technologies not only immediately, but for the long-term, as well.”

The day-long event will include such panels and sessions as “Ethernet in Future Data Centers,” “Ethernet and the Heart of the Internet,” and “The Role of Power in Networks.” Speakers will come from such major organizations as the Amsterdam Internet Exchange (AMS-IX), Chevron, Comcast, Frontier Communications, Google, Harris Broadcast, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Nationwide Insurance, the Walt Disney Co., the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and YAS Broadband Ventures.

Said Paul Nikolich, chief strategy officer, YAS Broadband Ventures, and chair, IEEE 802 LAN/MAN Standards Committee, “Standardization efforts optimally commence when specific industry need is defined; therefore, opening the lines of communication between technology’s users and developers is imperative. The Ethernet Alliance’s TEF gives these two groups the opportunity to come together to explore the industry’s needs and may provide the basis for launching future standardization efforts.”

Additional information on the event, which will run from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM PST, can be found online at http://www.ethernetalliance.org/event/tef-2012-the-end-users-speak-2/.