There are two interesting trends going on in the Ethernet switch market - one involves convergence, the other involves divergence, and both are helping the market to grow, according to Dell'Oro Group.

I'm reminded of a recent blog entry by Matthew Nickasch, who was discussing convergence and divergence in VoIP specifically and our industry in general. He wrote:

"Simply put, this industry is booming with exciting new developments and innovation in technology. As a user and analyst of such technology, it's often difficult to integrate specific products, strategies, and solutions into the 'big picture' that modern organizations and businesses demand."

This, he notes, leads to some divergence, even as other systems converge.

Dell'Oro Group points out that Ethernet switches are converging technologies. This is especially evident when you look at data center networks, where Fibre Channel and Ethernet are converging onto a single network. The recently announced deal between Brocade and Foundry reinforces the trend. 

Even in the wiring closet, you see convergence, with voice and wireless networking converging onto Ethernet. Features like Power over Ethernet, QoS, and security and authentication are enabling that convergence, Dell'Oro says.

However, there is a divergence between these two categories of switches. They're becoming more specialized, and this trend "will make it difficult for vendors in the future to develop a product for one segment of the market and then modify it slightly to address another segment," Dell'Oro says. 

All of this is neither good nor bad; it's just interesting. And it ought to help Ethernet switches flourish. In fact, the research firm says revenue will approach $22 billion in 2012.

Jeff Caruso is site editor at Network World.