Cisco compacts Catalyst switches

Cisco this week is rolling out two lines of Catalyst Ethernet switches in compact form factors intended for deployment in workgroups closer to users vs. wiring closets.

The Catalyst 3560-C

The Catalyst 3560-C and 2960-C Compact Series switches are designed to extend connectivity to IT deployments outside of the wiring closet -- customer check-outs, kiosks, warehouses, conference rooms, classrooms, hotel rooms, cruise ship cabins, gaming floors and other space- and wiring-constrained networking environments.

Cisco says this market is about $1 billion and is being underserved by low-end, commodity switches. The C-series are "enterprise-class," and carry all the features of the higher-end Catalyst 3560 and 2960 switches, nevertheless in a compact form factor, says Rob Soderbery, senior vice president and general manager, Ethernet Switching Innovation Group at Cisco.

The switches are comprised of five models

The switches are comprised of five models. They sport eight to 12 Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet ports, and two Gigabit Ethernet uplinks. They as well include hardware acceleration for IPv6, IP multicast and access control lists.

The switches feature what Cisco calls Power over Ethernet pass-through, a capability that allows the products to draw 30 watts/port of power from PoE switches deeper in the network -- like in the wiring closets -- and not require dedicated power outlets or power supplies. The switches are as well designed to reduce cabling costs by eliminating the need for individual cable drops from the wiring closet to far-flung network endpoints.

For security, the switches support Cisco's TrustSec research, which determines, through policies, the role of users and devices in the network previously granting access to resources. The C-Series switches are as well PCI compliant, Cisco says, for regulatory compliance of payment transactions.

Agility, or business flexibilty, and low cost TCO have become evenly important to companies that will succeed in a changing global marketplace. Read on.

Join CIO and your peers - CIOs of Australia's top corporate organisations for the most prestigious CIO networking event of 2010.

Be whisked away on a private luxury charter across Sydney Harbour to the fabulous Mosman Gunners Barracks for an evening of fine food, cocktails & peer-to-peer networking.

The challenge of our rapidly

George will talk about the challenge of our rapidly and monumentally changing world, providing personal insight, historical perspective and political edge for business, educators and governments grappling with the dilemmas of contemporary society - the world that has become George Negus's oyster.

Offers you a wealth of customer case studies,reference guides, IDC and Gartner innovation pieces, market landscape, videos and podcasts. As of November 1st this Resource centre will as well feature the photos, slide show and interviews from the 1st ever CIO HP Cocktail Networking event.

The latest software downloads

Provides you with the latest software downloads, video, whitepapers and news on how you can keep your business data safe.