Sixnet Makes the Case for Industrial Grade Network Switches
Summertime temperatures can test the stability of even the most powerful commercial-grade Ethernet switches. When ambient temperatures reach 90 degrees or higher, networking closets located outside can literally bake the components they’re designed to protect. That's where companies like Sixnet enter the picture. Here's why.
July 22, 2010
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Summertime temperatures can test the stability of even the most powerful commercial-grade Ethernet switches. When ambient temperatures reach 90 degrees or higher, networking closets located outside can literally bake the components they’re designed to protect. That’s where companies like Sixnet enter the picture. Here’s why.
Industrial-grade switches from companies like Sixnet can take the heat. No longer the forgotten sibling of the IT world, industrial-grade switches have come into their own as viable alternatives to commercial-grade.
“Imagine putting a 3Com switch on a factory floor, where there’s all kinds of dust and junk blowing around. Not only is it hot, it’s also dirty. You may have a fan to cool the switch, but the fan is just pulling that junk into the switch,” said Scott Killian, global director of PreSales Solutions at Sixnet. “Non-industrial switches will work, but you don’t know for how long. Industrial grade is designed to handle the extremes.”
Sixnet, which makes industrial-grade components including Ethernet switches, sees an opportunity for solution providers with industrial-grade products as more companies move to an all-Ethernet environment and the lines blur between traditional and rugged installations.