ITT tackles SoHo market

Infrastructure provider ITT Industries Network System and Services has developed a network architecture for the small office/home office (SoHo) market.

Infrastructure provider ITT Industries Network System and Services has developed a network architecture for the small office/home office (SoHo) market.

The infrastructure is solely available through distributor Pronet, which was made exclusive distributor of the Midi-LAN product earlier this year.

John McLaren, Midi-LAN business manager at ITT, said: "We have developed a server for small offices aimed at businesses that have about 10 to 16 employees."

McLaren described how the demand for these networks is increasing rapidly, and said this was because most small offices are still running with unconnected variables.

"We are now scaling down networks and making them affordable to small businesses," he said. "They have taken the same network technology that larger offices use and compressed it down into a small cabinet, with the aim of allowing the same performance and functionality as a large company network."

All of the products supplied through the channel and ITT offer support to its partners. McLaren said: "We trade through resellers that are trained and approved by us, in the UK and at our training centre in Hungerford."

He added that ITT is working closely with the channel, and getting the right people of the right calibre to supply and install the products."

The demand for SoHo networks could result in the biggest growth in the home office arena, as more and more people are using technology to carry out their work from offices at home.

"There has been a lot of coverage in the press about people working from home. We have taken small office technology and moved it there," said McLaren, adding that every new house built today is a potential workplace, and therefore represents a demand for SoHo networking.