Rapid change in the enterprise networking equipment markets is the only constant that vendors can count on today. Targeting opportunities is a challenge due to emerging technologies, like unified communications and fixed mobile convergence, and a continued focus on security, go-to-market strategies, and customer demands to improve business performance. IDC's Canadian Quarterly Enterprise Network Tracker® covers the LAN switch and router markets. Understanding which markets and segments are growing greatly enhances clients' ability to more effectively respond to today's dynamic market. This product incorporates multiple streams of inputs, such as channel sources and supply-side and demand-side research, gathered through IDC's analyst discussions, worldwide research, end-user surveys, and interviews. This visibility into market trends can assist clients in developing more effective sales and marketing strategies to better capitalize on market segments with the greatest growth potential, to reduce sales cycles, and to increase revenue and market share.

This tracker provides total market size and vendor share for the following technology areas and segmentations. Measurement for this tracker is in unit shipments and factory revenue for routers and in port shipments and factory revenue for Ethernet switches.

Technologies and subtechnologies:

• Routers by product class (high end, midrange, low end, SOHO) and deployment (carrier, enterprise, and residential)
• Residential routers by connectivity (wireless, wired)
• Switches by form factor (fixed managed, fixed unmanaged, modular), speed, and Layer (L2, L3, L4–7)Segmentations:
• Port/line/unit shipments and revenue

• Canada

This tracker is delivered on a quarterly basis via a pivot table tool. The delivery schedule for this tracker is as follows:

• Historical data: Week 10 after period closes

IDC's tracker data is developed using a rigorous methodology that includes well-planned and well-coordinated local, regional, and worldwide data cross-checks combined with a proprietary advanced data consolidation and analysis data platform managed by IDC's Worldwide Tracker organization. Data sources used in the process of determining IDC's tracker numbers include, but are not limited to:

• In-country local vendor interviews
• Distribution data feeds
• Worldwide and regional vendor guidance
• ODM data
• In-country local channel partner discussions
• Import records
• Feedback from component suppliers
• Vendor briefings and public financial reports

IDC trackers provide the accurate and timely market size, vendor share, and forecast information you need to identify market and product expansion opportunities, increase revenues, and win market share. IDC's tracker research is a critical input to the planning and monitoring cycles of the business process. Common uses of the tracker data include:

Planning Process

• Regional, state or city-level planning — setting regional, country, state or city-level sales targets based on market opportunity
• Product marketing — creating a product strategy and road map based on currently available product features and expected growth
• Production planning — using customer demand data as an input in the creation of production schedules
• Product portfolio planning — accessing accurate and detailed data as an input into the product development process

Monitoring Process

• Performance measurement — comparing vendor performance on prior fiscal periods
• Competitive analysis — reviewing competitor performance across multiple dimensions: product, features, channel, segment, geography
• Sales forecasting measurement — assessing internal sales forecast versus actual results
• Price benchmarking — comparing vendor versus market pricing data by model
• Marketing communications — using positive results for messaging in the press, at partner events, or in sales collateral