When Is It Time for a Managed Switch?
If you're managing people and processes for results, we've got a few questions about your business network. Do you:
- Need your business applications to run faster?
- Want a more reliable network?
- Need to control who gets on your network, with what devices?
If so, BizWise has some knowledge to share: you can satisfy all these needs with just one piece of equipment no larger than a laptop case—a managed switch.
Why Switch?
A switch allows employees to connect to each other and share information by linking multiple devices into an Ethernet-cabled local area network (LAN). Each port on the switch connects a device (such as a computer, printer, server, or wireless access point). The switch should let the devices send and receive data without interfering with other exchanges.
Small business LANs typically begin with an unmanaged switch, sometimes one so basic that it's part of the broadband router. Most businesses replace their switches every three to seven years to gain more capacity or new technology.
Why a Managed Switch?
Managed switches have all the capabilities of unmanaged switches but add features that can save a business substantial time and money, says Bob Cloutier of NWN Corp., a Cisco Gold Certified Partner.
They provide four key advantages:
- Faster networking: Managed switches can segment traffic by user group, letting employees who work with essential data have the bandwidth to get it fast. Managed switches also offer quality of service (QoS), which lets you assign a high priority to delay-sensitive traffic such as real-time voice and video.
- Less downtime: If you calculate the impact of network downtime, you'll probably find that it costs your business thousands of dollars annually in lost productivity or sales.
A Cisco managed switch cuts downtime because its intuitive interface lets IT staff troubleshoot and quickly fix problems, says Michaela Noakes of Black Box Network Services, a Cisco Gold Certified Partner. Staff can also monitor and analyze traffic to prevent bottlenecks and system overloads. - More business flexibility: Many managed switches provide Power over Ethernet (PoE). By sending power through the Ethernet cable, PoE eliminates the need to place devices near an external power source.
- Strong security: Cisco managed switches offer multiple layers of security, such as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption, IEEE 802.1X access control, access control lists (ACLs), and MAC address notification to ensure only the right people access your network.
Here's an example, using spam as the type of incident: You have 100 employees; their average salary is $50,000. Each receives an average of 60 emails daily, of which 40 percent are spam. If it takes five seconds to delete a spam email, each employee loses 8.33 hours during a 50-week work year, meaning $20,825 in lost productivity annually. A spam-prevention solution that costs that amount or less will quickly pay for itself.
Who Can Turn It On?
Some managed switches, such as the new Cisco ESW 500 Series switches, are designed for small businesses that do not have staff with substantial networking expertise. You can also receive expert technical support from your Cisco Certified Partner.
Next Steps
- See affordable financing from Cisco Capital and its no-payments offer valid until July 25
- Find a local Cisco Certified Partner that meets your specific needs
- See the lineup of Cisco managed switches for small businesses
