Digital Networks expects to survive

The Digital Networks Product Group will expand both its product range and its reseller base after its sell-off by Cabletron, according to Lee Knocke, director of marketing at the division.

The Digital Networks Product Group will expand both its product range and its reseller base after its sell-off by Cabletron, according to Lee Knocke, director of marketing at the division.

Cabletron is negotiating with an unnamed buyer to offload the group it bought from Digital over two years ago, and which operates as an independent entity within the company.

Knocke said the group has potential beyond the loyal but diminishing Digital customer base. He said Cabletron is selling the group only because, after splitting into four companies, it is more interested in high growth than absolute revenue.

The group is one of the only vendors still to support FDDI products, and Knocke said he was surprised by the loyalty of its customers when Cabletron tried to persuade them to switch to its own products. With investment from a new backer, it will concentrate on the wiring-closet and desktop-switching market, focusing on "enterprise customers that have a job to do today". Knocke said it was too soon to reveal the vendor's product road map.