Do I Really Need Managed Switches and VLANs?

If you are running a small or medium sized business, managed switches are an essential addition to your networking requirements. Without it, you will not be able to get your computers to talk to each other making the seamless functioning of your enterprise next to impossible. With the help of managed switches, you can create VLANs, which offer a number of additional features.

Using Switches to Create a Network

Prior to switches, most enterprises used hubs to create their local area networks. HUBs were inexpensive and facilitated connections between two or more computers. The only problem with them is that they do not restrict any data flow. If one computer sends a signal to the HUB, it gets relayed to all computers connected to it. As a result, there is a tremendous amount of network usage, which can slow its performance. Switches such as Cisco switches provide an excellent alternative. They work almost identically as HUBs but permit restricted message transfer. This way the pressure on the network is reduced.

Using Switches to create VLANs

One of the key benefits of switches is their ability to create a virtual local area network. A VLAN permits splitting port interfaces, placing some of them in the primary broadcast domain and others in a separate domain. This way, smaller groups of computers are created providing significant benefits to the business. Each group can be defined based on the department or function. Since messages are restricted to the devices on its group, processing time spent relaying them is reduced. This substantially enhances the performance of the network.

Benefits of VLANs

The primary benefit a VLAN can offer a business is the ability to create network groups. When groups are defined business process or department wise, it ensures that data specific to the department remains within the department. This is particularly useful in functions like HR or Research and Development.

VLANs also offer features like differentiating the bandwidth allocation between devices and groups. If for example, the operations department of your business requires more speed and performance, additional bandwidth can be assigned to the devices in this network.

Since the network is divided into a number of subgroups, maintenance of the servers is easier and cheaper to perform. This puts less pressure on your IT personnel and provides for enhanced performance and support of your IT systems. 

Apart from VLANS and switches, firewalls such as Cisco Firewalls, Cisco Telephones, telephone systems or telephones from Mitel, Sonicwall and switches, other Sonicwall products and Cisco routers are found at wholesale prices with many leading online sellers.