Nortel? who?

[gaz350]

Just looking at some guide prices for our new college network and came across some Nortel network equipment.

 

I've never seen/heard of nortel, so how do they rate against cisco/HP etc?

[localzuk]

Nortel are currently undergoing Bankruptcy proceedings... So, I'd steer clear if I were you.

 

But to answer your question, they are a huge, old, company that are more focussed on phones and VOIP than switching gear, so I personally would not choose it over Cisco or HP.

[CyberNerd]

Nortel Kit is good. We have a couple of gigabit backbone switches that are modules for out IBM blade chassis. I'm hoping they will still be supported by IBM!

[maniac]

I though Nortel Networks were a subsidiary of BT, or the two were closely associated with each other at one point.

 

The SEGFL network used to use Nortel routers for schools on 2Gb copper about 4 or 5 years ago. Great big things they were, but they worked well. Then everyone got upgraded to fibre.

 

Mike.

[kmount]

Coincidental timing!

 

Olympics loses tech provider ? The Register

[john]

Nortel are currently undergoing Bankruptcy proceedings... So, I'd steer clear if I were you.

 

But to answer your question, they are a huge, old, company that are more focussed on phones and VOIP than switching gear, so I personally would not choose it over Cisco or HP.

Is that Nortel as in the Nortel Phone Systems pushed by BT in millions of businesses, schools, unis, colleges etc up and down the UK??? I hope not but then again I could now get some more VM licences for it for peanuts as everyone junks them

[localzuk]

Is that Nortel as in the Nortel Phone Systems pushed by BT in millions of businesses, schools, unis, colleges etc up and down the UK??? I hope not but then again I could now get some more VM licences for it for peanuts as everyone junks them

 

[ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nortel]Nortel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

[Britknightuk]

Sad to hear Nortel is going down the pan but not a surpise coming from a past employee. Nothing wrong with the equipment, it was way ahead of its time when I worked there in 1999. While most people were still on dial up we have 10Mb in the factory I worked in and they were working on 20Mb when I left, all fibre of course and wireless access through the factory in every room. Video conferencing to Canada even then was amazing. But all good things come to an end...specially when the accountants get into the act!!!

 

Nortel provided equipment for BT in this county but did their own FWA (fixed wireless access) phone system abroad in counties like Poland, Mexico, Canada, USA etc.

[john]

Nortel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yup thats them, anyone want to buy this:

http://www.chipmonks.co.uk/BCM400.jpg

 

£14000 to anyone including a large range of handsets and goodies

 

I don't like having kit that has the parent company gone bust tbh, fine someone like that will never vanish someone will bring them back and support them, but makes me think where on the ICT Dev Plan should the replacement system be to say we have only had this one in for 6 years and it was a LOT of cash new to start with! And its got all the features, VOIP, Video Conferncing, ADSL integration (so the bumph says in the pack) so has lots of opportunites and is fairly modern.

Edited July 13, 2009 by john
re-hosted image best not to hotlink

[Britknightuk]

Ah that picture brings back memories.....

 

But to answer Gaz orignal post I like HP as I have them in 3 schools I look after and have no problem with them.

[Batman]

Nortel are currently undergoing Bankruptcy proceedings... So, I'd steer clear if I were you.

 

I think they've been having problems for years.

[mac_shinobi]

side tracking a bit but just curious as to what people thought of juniper ?

 

Networking Security and Network Performance Solutions - Juniper Networks

[Spitfire]

We use Juniper equipment for our vpn access, it just sits in the server room, we have never had to touch it since it was installed a few years ago, it does a great job.