Trapeze's New Swinger

Wireless LAN switch hopeful Trapeze Networks Inc. announced today that it is bringing onboard a new CEO to replace its current head, Jim Flach, who is retiring.

Jim Vogt is the new guy on the high wire. Vogt was previously CEO of security appliance startup Ingrain Networks Inc. [ed. note: who?]. Before that, he ran Nortel Networks Corp.'s (NYSE/Toronto: NT) small business unit, having started out at Bay Networks before Nortel bought it in 1998.

Vogt tells Unstrung he plans to try and build out Trapeze's worldwide markets and will be looking at engaging in more partnerships and OEM deals. "The partnership piece is an obvious way to cross [into new] markets," he says.

Potential partnerships could involve data infrastructure players and VOIP companies among others, but Vogt says he has no specific details yet.

Vogt joins Trapeze at an interesting point in the company's development. Early last year, the firm entered the market as an incredibly bullish startup -- spending like it was 1999 (see Trapeze's High Wireless Act). But by October, the company was cutting staff and seeing management shakeups (see Trapeze's Wireless Wobbles and Trapeze Sales VP Sails Off).

Craig Mathias, a principal with the Farpoint Group, an analysis and consulting firm, says Vogt's mix of startup and enterprise experience may be a "good fit" for Trapeze, noting that the company "needed to do something" after its bumpy ride in the second half of last year.

Vogt notes that he had some experience with the wireless LAN market back when Bay Networks bought Netwave Technologies in 1998. Vogt was the general manager of Bay Networks distributed networks systems at the time and helped to introduce one of the first wireless LAN product lines from a major networking player based on the 802.11 standard. — Dan Jones, Site Editor, Unstrung