Choice or the Illusion of Choice

I recently wrote an article for searchSDN at TechTarget on the subject of choice in the SDN markets. The gist of the article was that from a marketing perspective one of the most effective strategies in a cluttered market is to reduce the consumer’s perceived choice to a binary state. It happens all the time, and I used the example of Coke vs. Pepsi to illustrate this. My recent travels and vendor meetings as a delegate to Networking Field Day 7 only served to solidify my thinking in this area, with so many cutting edge and established vendors alike pushing oft competing visions for the future of networking. I’ll be writing more about Brocade, Plexxi, Avaya, and Pluribus Networks in specificity soon, but for now check out my thoughts on the illusion of choice and let me know what you think.