Dell is not new when it comes to networking. In fact, the PowerConnect series has been around since 2001 but they’ve been typically bundled with networking solutions and packages until now. Dell announced that they’re bringing the PowerConnect 5500 and 7000 switch families as standalone products to the market to offer businesses an open, affordable and capable switch solution.
The PowerConnect 7000 family is designed to deliver scalable performance and enhanced functionality for mid-sized business deployments, distributed offices and large server farm. They will benefit from high availability wire-speed performance and simplified management of multiple switches with a single IP address. The 7000 series also delivers the connectivity to support Dell’s PowerEdge servers in addition to automated provisioning and iSCSI operation with Dell’s EqualLogic storage arrays.
The PowerConnect 5500 series enable a superb solution to basic, non-managed Gigabit Ethernet switches deployed in small-to-medium offices and remote locations, which require rapid wire-speed deployment with flexible features.
Dell also announced ICS (Integrated Computer Systems) as their distributor for networking solutions and IMVI (International MicroVillage, Inc.) for system integration. The PowerConnect 5500 starts at USD1,297 while the 7000 series starts at USD3,704.