Switches
Make Your Network Efficient, Reliable, and Secure
As your business grows, innovative LAN switch designs protect your investment while preparing you for the future.
Local-area network (LAN) switches are at the core of all networks, providing high-speed connectivity, applications, and communications systems. Today's networks not only need to efficiently and securely transmit bandwidth-intensive data, voice, video, and wireless applications, they also need to provide for evolving traffic patterns, new services, and optimized application performance. To meet current and future network needs, all LAN switch designs must incorporate the following six attributes:
- Application Intelligence: Recognition, prioritization and control of applications is referred to as application intelligence. Today's networks must recognize many types of applications and understand the importance of securing and prioritizing applications running on the network to provide the best user experience.
- Unified Network Services: Combine the best elements of wireless and wired networking to connect to any resource or person through any device with consistent, unified services. Switches can now apply and scale security or multicast services consistently across the network or use quality of service (QoS), 10 Gigabit Ethernet technology, and Power over Ethernet (PoE) technology to support new applications and devices.
- Nonstop Communications: Existing features and capabilities that help ensure nonstop communications in LAN switches include: redundant hardware, non-stop forwarding and stateful switch over (NSF/SSO) technology, in-service software upgrades (ISSU) and software modularity.
- Virtualization: To support dynamic resource and service utilization over a shared infrastructure, it is necessary for businesses to adopt new services on a common, virtualized network. This enables securing guest or contractor access to network resources, and provides department segregation for business compliance.
- Integrated Security: Network security is essential. LAN switches provide the first line of defense against internal security attacks and also prevent unauthorized users from entering the network. Security services provided by LAN switches include Network Admission Control; Man-in-the-Middle attack mitigation; and integrated security service modules that provide virtual private networks, firewalls, intrusion prevention, intrusion detection, and many more security services.
- Operational Manageability: To enhance ease of manageability, it is critical that IT staff be able to remotely configure and monitor network devices from a central location, automate responses via embedded event management and use real-time diagnostic management tools to troubleshoot and apply changes.
Routers
Network Router: An Integrated Services Approach
The network router is quickly evolving from a device dedicated to connecting disparate networks to an integrated services device capable of multiple functions beyond routing. Cisco customers are increasingly deploying integrated services routers, or sophisticated network routers that can deliver voice, video, data and Internet access, wireless, and other applications.
Benefits of the Integrated Services Network Router
Growing companies, especially those opening new offices, can take advantage of integrated network router solutions that are highly secure, flexible, and built to be compatible with future technologies.
- One Device, Multiple Functions: An integrated services network router enables organizations to take advantage of numerous built-in technologies such as voice, wireless, and advanced security systems while ensuring the quality of service (QoS) prioritization their network applications demand. Because the network services are built in or can be easily added to the integrated services network router, companies can install one sophisticated device rather than purchase separate products to provide each individual function.
- Same Access at Headquarters and Remote Sites: An integrated services network router gives all workers—even those at branch offices or remote sites such as a home or hotel room—the same access to business applications, unified communications, and videoconferencing. Modular solutions allow you to install the features you need for a particular office, and upgrade equipment when needs change or an office expands.
- Centralized Management: An integrated services network router approach means technical staff at headquarters can manage the network from a central location. This allows technical departments to allocate resources to priority projects while providing reliable service to employees in all locations.
- Integrated Network Security: An integrated services network router, with its systems approach, allows companies to transfer responsibility for security and reliability from individual computers and users to the network itself. This helps protect companies from the influx of viruses, malicious code, and other infections that end users' laptops might unknowingly acquire.
By installing a complete solution and managing it centrally, companies can protect valuable corporate data using multiple types of protection, such as encryption, firewall filtering, antivirus protection, and intrusion detection and prevention.
Reap the Rewards of a Network Router
From reduced capital and operating expenses to increased productivity, the advantages of integrated services apply regardless of the size of company. A small company with two offices can benefit as much as a company with hundreds of branch offices.
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