I am trying to gather data to compare the life cycles (replacement cycles) of various enterprise network routers and switches. Can anyone recommend a resource for this type of information?
Actually you are asking for someone to do some research for you. This quest would require a global poll to several diferent types of companies world wide, inquiring on the type and usage of their equipment for their enterprises.
There is no none statistical information ever gathered in terms of which you have placed this question. As, of coarse you would actually need to take into concideration the changes of the industrial development in the progress of our transmission speeds. Over the past 25 years, the speed in which the standard PC and office units has gone from 8 bit processing on into the giga-hertz processing speeds. So would need to refine your quetionable search to each change in developments on faster systems. We are now in the photo-rey, optical / fast digital type of processing our communications. The once simple switch and router has gone from the old analog 8bits to a blazing giga-hertz/ optical type switching devices.
So, in terms of the question, millions of units are replaced on an annual bassis just to keep up with the new technology in the communications environment. It mostly would depend on the drive of the need to change out the systems. I, myself, have seen routers last for years in many environments, simply due to the type of infrastructure that is mandated by the companys' needs in handling information.
Switches and Routers
