Despite interoperability trials and demonstrations involving alternative data center fabric standards, a non-standard fabric technology is said by proponents to be at the front of the pack.

At Interop this week, Avaya will toss its hat into the rapidly expanding BYOD ring with new software for its policy manager that helps IT get a handle on mobile device management (MDM).

Avaya has unveiled low-end Ethernet switches for small and medium-sized enterprises and remote branches that include features usually found in higher-end enterprise-class switches.

One of the premier technology shows of the year once again hits Las Vegas from May 6-10 and many of the themes IT leaders grapple with on a daily basis will be the hot topics at this year's forums and panel discussions. The show focuses on nine subject areas this year including: cloud computing, networking, wireless and mobility, virtualization, data center, storage, collaboration, information security and risk management, and IT management. Mobility is a dominant discussion point at this year's show though with 14 sessions on the topic.

As more and more corporate workers use their favorite social networking tools for job-related tasks, IT executives are left with little choice but to quickly find ways to manage the consumer software.