FDDI Network Inventions

Integrated Networks, a small FDDI network startup, had entered into a contract with giant IBM. InNet's part of the bargain was to double the throughput between an FDDI network and an IBM mainframe. The original strategy was to produce a completely new FDDI network node at a cost in excess of half a million dollars.

What was IBM's part of the bargain? IBM had agreed to purchase a number of new units somewhere between a dozen and zero!

As we did not think that little InNet needed to be supporting giant IBM in this extravagant way, we invented an alternate way to satisfy the terms of the contract at a fraction of the cost and in record time.

Our input to this process directly resulted in the following benefits to InNet (which during the course of development was aquired by ASCOM):

• Shipped a specification-exceeding prototype to IBM/NASA in 45 days.
• Saved about 4/5ths of the originally projected $500K in NRE costs.
• Designed, implemented, and delivered the final product more than two months early.
• The resulting new revenue more than covered the cost of development.
• The technology was secured by two United States patents:

Some other accomplishments for this client included:

• Created the reliable core of a complete FDDI Metropolitan Area Network product-line by enhancing a prototype FDDI MAC.
• Provided technical support to traveling engineers.
• Interfaced with potential customers at the Inter-Op network trade show.
• Helped to resolve FDDI compatiblity issues in conjunction AMD, the chipset supplier.