时至今日,新兴小型网络公司的模式已经很清楚,他们充满活力且身手灵活,把以前还是不可能的新技术转变为现实。这些小公司随后就有了依靠自有枝术赚钱的机会和展示自己的舞台,他们要么转而进入其它风险投资中,要么把公司卖给较大的竞争对手优雅地退出比赛。New Oak Communications 公司就是一个很好的例证,它上月被 BayNetworks 收购。对于新兴的 VPN(VirtualPrivate Network)公司,这种机会转瞬即逝。当业界的大牌公司侵入这一领域时,象 VPNet 和 C2 Net 就失去了优势。象 Cisco 和 Microsoft 这样的大型公司已经整装待发,只等 VPN 标准成熟。尽管这种局面为小公司提供了开发专有应用的极好机会,但一旦 VPN 标准建立,企业网络管理员们恐怕就不会再使用二流厂商的产品。毕竟如果对于多数网络管理员来说,加密和通道体议已经能够 Today, the pattern of emerging small-scale network companies is very clear. They are full of vitality and flexibility, and turn new technologies that were not possible before into reality. These small companies then have the opportunity to rely on their own money to make money and show their own stage, they either turn to other venture capital, or sell the company to larger competitors gracefully withdraw from the game. A good example is New Oak Communications, which was acquired by BayNetworks last month. For the emerging Virtual Private Network (VPN) company, this opportunity is fleeting. When the industry’s big names invade this field, like VPNet and C2 Net lose their advantage. Large companies like Cisco and Microsoft are ready to go and wait for the maturity of the VPN standard. Although this situation provides small companies with an excellent opportunity to develop proprietary applications, once the VPN standard is established, corporate network administrators may no longer use second-tier vendors’ products. After all, if for most network administrators, encryption and channel negotiation have been able