Technology standards, such as Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E, are driving the demand for network infrastructure which can support speeds beyond traditional Gigabit Ethernet. Networks which are not optimized to handle faster speeds could become your future traffic bottlenecks, preventing you from benefitting from the advancements in performance which new technology can bring. Switches often have a longer lifecycle than other network devices, such as firewalls, and so whether you’re deploying new devices today, or just planning for the future, faster connectivity should be a consideration for any new network infrastructure.
Our new 2.5G switch models
After the launch of our first cloud-managed, network access layer switches in December 2021, we are now introducing two additional 2.5G models: CS210-24FP and CS210-48FP.
These new models will be available to order from June 14, 2022.
Both models offer a mix of 1G and 2.5G ports and come with Full Power over Ethernet (PoE).
Note: Full PoE describes a switch which provides at least 15.4W of power per port when all PoE-capable ports are used simultaneously, however, using fewer posts, they can also support devices requiring up to 30W, as long as you stay within the total power budget.
A snapshot of the technical specifications for these new models is shown below and further details are available under sophos.com/switch.
As with all of our switches, these models come with a Limited Lifetime Warranty.
All 2.5G ports on our switches will also work with intermediate speeds such as 100 Mbps or 1 Gbps, so your devices can run at their designated speed. This is possible while using your existing Cat5e and Cat6 cables, saving you the cost of a full rip-and-replace.
Scalable cloud management
As many businesses transition to hybrid working, the importance of flexible, scalable work environments has never been more evident. The management of those environments needs to be centralized, remote-capable, and resource-friendly. We are currently seeing a significant shift from the use of on-premises controls to more flexible and scalable cloud management.
While the more advanced configuration will generally be done using local management, ensure that you’re purchasing the Support and Services SKU alongside every switch you buy to unlock Sophos Central management and provide access to firmware updates and advanced support options.
The network stack – and more
Many of our new switch customers purchase the full network stack from Sophos, consisting of firewalls, access points, and SD-RED, often as part of typical SD-Branch deployments, e.g., in retail environments. These new models further increase the benefit of having one vendor, one view, helping you to reduce complexity and optimize resources by managing the full Sophos product portfolio in a single console.
This content was also published on Sophos Partner News: Introducing Our New 2.5G Switches
