Mid-market companies dependent upon data replication, virtualization and video on demand tasks may now build reliable and affordable 10-gigabit infrastructures with the NETGEAR ProSafe 52-Port Gigabit Stackable Smart Switch (GS752TXS)

Netgear introduced the industry's first 10-gigabit smart switch for mid-market networks. The NETGEAR ProSafe® 52-Port Gigabit Stackable Smart Switch (GS752TXS) is the ideal companion to the rapidly emerging class of 10-gigabit servers, delivering maximum throughput from server to switch for demanding tasks such as data replication and backup, virtualization, video on demand and high-volume transaction processing.

At less than half the cost of a managed switch, the ProSafe 52-Port Gigabit Smart Switch provides 48 gigabit ports for connecting devices to the network, along with four 10G SFP+ ports for stacking or uplink to servers. As many as six switches can be stacked for a total of 288 network ports, with full redundancy for maximum reliability.

"Web-managed (smart) switches are extremely attractive to mid-market companies looking for a balance of performance and value. However, a serious downside across the industry has been the lack of 10G connectivity in this product segment." said Matthias Machowinski, Directing Analyst for Enterprise Networks and Video at Infonetics Research. "With NETGEAR's latest smart switch, buyers no longer have to compromise on 10G connectivity, ensuring they can get the highest performance out of their servers, NAS appliances, and network up-links."

"I see this switch as a perfect balance between satisfying low per-port costs for gigabit users while attaching to a 10-gigabit backbone," said Ted Spence, Chief Information Officer of Electronic Entertainment Design and Research (EEDAR), a specialty video game research firm in Carlsbad, Calif. "The smart management tools in particular offer exactly the right level of monitoring that we need, with a price that makes the product attractive for growth."

"As part of our commitment to smart IT, not big IT, we are supporting our mid-market customers as they bring 10G servers on line," said Maggie Wu, Senior Product Line Manager for Switching Products at NETGEAR. "Going forward, we will accelerate the introduction of 10G switching and storage solutions that are reliable, affordable and simple."

The NETGEAR ProSafe 52-Port Gigabit Stackable Smart Switch (GS752TXS) is now available worldwide and is priced at US$2,100.