For example, Hudson said, it took just 53 days to switch Inrange over to the CNT information technology systems, including its enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM), voice and email systems. "I think that's a record in anyone's book," he crowed.
Nevertheless, some analysts expressed concerns about the increasing competitive pressure on CNT from players including Brocade Communications Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: BRCD), Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO), and McData Corp. (Nasdaq: MCDTA).
"While the [Inrange] acquisition integration appears to be going better than feared and has further cost/expense reduction potential, we maintain our Peer Perform rating owing to intensifying competition and a weaker balance sheet," writes Bear Stearns & Co. Inc. analyst Andy Neff in a research note.
According to Hudson, CNT's deal to buy Inrange -- bringing it the highest-port-count Fibre Channel director currently on the market -- put it in front of the industry curve. Though he didn't mention any competitors by name, he alluded to McData's announced plans this week to buy Nishan Systems Inc. and Sanera Systems Inc.; Ciena Corp.'s (Nasdaq: CIEN) acquisition last week of storage-over-Sonet vendor Akara Corp.; and LightSand Communications Corp.'s merger with SANcastle Technologies Inc. (see McData Sweeps Up Nishan, Sanera, Ciena Plunks Down $45M for Akara, and LightSand Buys SANcastle).
"If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then CNT should feel flattered by others' attempts to catch up to our breadth of products and services," he said.
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