The design of Cisco switches is considered futuristic and the switches are amongst the most user-friendly available on the market today. Cisco switches incorporate features such as Application Intelligence. Networks today are very advanced and many different applications run on a single network of computers. Cisco switches are able to recognize the different types of applications running within a network. Thereafter, these switches are able to prioritize which application requires more importance and accordingly control those applications. This is known as Application Intelligence, and it facilitates the optimum sharing of resources within a network.
Cisco switches also support Unified Network Services in which wired and wireless resources are efficiently combined to connect one device to another. Cisco switches used in a Local Area Network (LAN) ensure non-stop communications as well as Virtualization. With Virtualization, a temporary user can be given limited access to a common shared network.
Needless to say, Cisco switches also offer high security levels. This is critical because switches are the first line of defence in any network against viruses or unauthorized intrusions. Cisco switches offer services such as Virtual Private Networks (VPN), firewalls, intrusion detection as well as prevention. These days, network administrators also need to access and configure networks from remote locations. Cisco switches allow system administrators to access, configure, diagnose and troubleshoot problems from remote locations. They can also do so in real-time, which was difficult with the older generation of switches.
In fact, Cisco was one of the first companies to successfully sell multi-protocol switches. This was a significant technological breakthrough because it allowed two different types of computers to communicate with one another. Previously, such computers were not compatible with each other which posed substantial networking challenges for computer administrators.
Cisco uses the brand name Catalyst for some of their switches. Largely, there are two types of Catalyst switches – modular and fixed configuration switches. In modular switches, every component has to be independently installed, whereas fixed configuration switches have between 12 to 80 ports. The Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series Multiservice Switch Router is a low-cost option which can be used for office intranet. This helps improve productivity and decrease costs in comparison to the earlier switches which were expensive and inefficient to run.
Cisco switches can also be customized to a large extent without using special tools or experience. Cisco also offers routers that can be used as switches. In fact, some of their switches and routers have parts that can be used interchangeably.
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