A new generation of Gigabit Routing Switches will signal the demise of asynchronous transfer mode in local area networks, according to industry analysts Forrester Research Inc. The Gigabit Routing Switch, which will result from the increasing combination of Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet and IP switching will be fast, cheap and able to handle all flavors of Ethernet, it says. Forrester adds that although some Fortune 1000 companies may still be considering asynchronous transfer mode for the local area network backbone they should rather be looking to patch the technologies already running. According to a new report from the company entitled The Right LAN Backbone, asynchronous transfer mode is too complex and expensive for corporate local networks.
