"The (standard) basically lets you get further out on the edge of the network, without having to run power to the devices," Haff said. "It really is a reaction to having more and more technology attached to networks."
Increasing corporate use of IP telephones and wireless access points have been primary drivers behind the adoption of PoE, David Passmore, technology analyst for The Burton Group, said.
With IP telephones, vendors are replicating the power supply available for traditional telephones through PBX switching systems. PBX, or private branch exchange, is an in-house system that interconnects telephone extensions to each other as well as to the outside telephone network.
"(PoE) is basically replicating the same capabilities that companies have had for years with their older phone systems," Passmore said.
Cisco is gradually replacing its pre-standard PoE system, which it introduced in 2000, Passmore said. On its new Ethernet switches, Cisco has added hardware to make the devices compatible with the older system, as well as support the IEEE standard.
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