SDD launches Cisco mid-range offering

Targeting mid-sized networks, Siltek Distribution Dynamics (SDD), the focused IT company in the Siltek IT Supply Chain Group, has introduced the Cisco LAN switching and routing solution to the local market.

The Catalyst mid-market LAN switching solution is a range of switching and routing offerings targeted at high-growth, mid-sized networks and enterprise branch offices with between 250 and 1 000 employees.

"This new solution from Cisco scales to meet the future requirements of Internet business applications, as well as data voice and video integration," says Clinton Henning, product manager at SDD. He adds that the solution offers many of the same intelligent network services available in enterprise-class products, while providing the affordability, simplicity of management, and ease of integration required by mid-sized businesses.

"Many of today's mid-market businesses are experiencing high growth in employees and new office sites, as well as change in the number and types of applications running on their networks," says Henning.

"Many of them require scaleable networks that provide basic connectivity, support for strategic Internet business applications, such as supply chain management, business-to-business, e-commerce and customer relationship management, as well as accommodating additional voice and video traffic."

Companies operating in this category of the market often require that their mid-sized networks retain the simplicity, price/performance and ease of integration of the current network while providing enterprise-class capabilities to support the demands of new Internet business applications.

"Many high-growth businesses are realising the strategic importance of their networks and upgrading their LAN infrastructure to accommodate emerging Internet business applications and additional voice and video traffic," says Henning.

The Catalyst mid-market solution consists of desktop switches that offer wiring closet connectivity: the Catalyst 3500 series XL, including the newly introduced Catalyst 3548 XL, and the Catalyst 2900 series XL. The solution also includes two new routing switches to provide intelligent services in the network core: the Catalyst 2948G-L3 and Catalyst 4908G-L3.

The Catalyst 3548 series XL switch is the latest addition to the Catalyst 3500 series XL stackable 10/100 and Gigabit Ethernet switches and consists of a single rack unit (RU) stackable switch with 48 10Base-T/100Base-TX ports and two Gigabit Interface Connector (GBIC)-based Gigabit Ethernet ports. These accommodate a range of industry-standard GBICs, including the Cisco GigaStack GBIC, and 1000Base-SX and 1000Base-LX/LH GBICs. The Catalyst 3548 XL uses Cisco Switch Clustering technology and extends single IP address management to more than 750 ports, simplifying network management and deployment of these switches in the network. The entire line of Catalyst 3500 series XL switches provides a flexible wiring closet solution for mid-sized networks.