Launched under its Insight management solutions umbrella, Netgear has released two new 28-port Smart Cloud switches designed to provide business owners with simplified setup and remote network monitoring and management capabilities.
According to Tobie van Schalkwyk, Business Development Manager at Duxbury Networking, the SA Netgear distributor, the switches also offer greater capacities which are ideal for growing businesses.
“With the ability to be managed through Netgear’s Insight mobile ‘app’ or the Insight cloud web portal – which provide a unified, ‘single pane-of-glass’ view – the switches offer users an easy and cost-effective switching solution,” he says. “This is amplified as no complex software, additional hardware or large, long-term licensing fees are required.”
Van Schalkwyk says Netgear’s Insight solution – available as either a free app for iOS and Android mobile devices or as a web portal accessible from any Internet-connected web browser – is the answer to the once-tedious setup and configuration requirements of devices either in individual device GUI silos or via device management tools created for complex enterprise networks.
Once the switches are installed, policies can be set up across switches without configuring each separately. “The Insight app allows users to see what is connected on each switch port and view port speeds. Users are able to remotely manage PoE power including enabling and disabling powered devices from anywhere and at any time,” he notes.
The Netgear model GC728X Insight managed 28-Port Gigabit Ethernet Smart Cloud Switch features 24 copper Gigabit Ethernet ports plus two SFP and two SFP+ fibre ports. The recommended retail price is R7 799.00 (ex VAT).
In addition, the Netgear model (GC728XP) Insight managed 28-Port Gigabit Ethernet Smart Cloud Switch offers Power-over-Ethernet (PoE+) with a 390W power budget to support demands for PoE devices such as VoIP phones, IP security cameras, wireless access points, proximity sensors, door locks and other IoT devices. The GC728XP is available at a recommended retail price of R12 999.00 (ex VAT).
Both switches offer L3 static routing and full duplexing, non-blocking switching with 92Gbps line-rate fabric.
Together with the latest switches, the Netgear Insight ecosystem is now made up of six managed switches complemented by a line-up of ReadyNAS storage units and the WAC500 series of wireless access points. The devices are designed to work together provide a complete managed network solution.
The Netgear Insight management solution has two subscription plans: Insight Basic for the Insight app only, and Insight Premium for the Insight app, the Insight cloud web portal and certain advanced features.