3/2/2006 -- And you thought the Ethernet Alliance was all huff and no puff. You remember the Ethernet Alliance, right? The fledgling advocacy group launched last month to reinvigorate the world's most pervasive LAN technology?

Proponents said the time was propitious for Ethernet advocacy. Not everyone agreed, of course. Until last week, the Ethernet Alliance was missing two key technology players: Cisco Systems Inc. and Extreme Networks. Now that both Cisco and Extreme (along with 14 other new backers) are onboard, analysts say, the Ethernet Alliance is starting to look like a beast with teeth.

According to Steven Schuchart, a senior analyst for enterprise infrastructure with consultancy Current Analysis, the new additions effectively double the Etherent advocacy group's membership. What's more, he says, the presence of Cisco (which will take a place on the Ethernet Alliance's board of directors) helps further burnish the group's legitimacy. "[I]t shows that they are gaining real momentum with the participants in the Ethernet market, and that is a requirement for any organization intending on promoting that market," he comments. "The Ethernet Alliance is also gaining traction with vendors on the periphery of the Ethernet market such as Gibson Guitar, as well as Ethernet semiconductor providers, and other Ethernet vendors continue to join. There is still a question as to whether or not the Ethernet Alliance is too broadly focused to be effective, but the recent additions to the organization are a good sign that the organization will have enough participation to succeed."

To recap, Ethernet Alliance boosters -- which also include 3Com, Broadcom, Foundry and Sun Microsystems -- say the industry needs an Ethernet advocacy group to speed the acceptance, and accelerate the time to market, of new Ethernet technologies. "Although Ethernet has existed for more than 25 years, it does not have an industry voice that represents the spectrum of IEEE 802 Ethernet standards developments and serves the IEEE 802 Ethernet industry as a whole," said Brad Booth, president of the Ethernet Alliance, in a prepared release. "With the strong support of our founding members, the Ethernet Alliance will be that voice, and we will move aggressively to accelerate the growth and expansion of IEEE 802 Ethernet technologies."

With a host of participating industry heavyweights, Schuchart says, the Ethernet Alliance has an excellent chance of doing just that. At the same time, he cautions, the advocacy group's work is far from over.

"The Ethernet Alliance now needs to get companies such as Nortel, Alcatel and Intel onboard to finish legitimizing the effort," he stresses, suggesting that there's little incentive for hold-outs not to get involved. "Companies that are not participating need to consider doing so, the fees of the organization are certainly low enough and the potential benefits are good." -Stephen Swoyer