ADTRAN Revamps Switch Line

While much attention is being paid to high end converged data center devices, many small and medium businesses still are searching for lower cost, higher performance network switches. In response, ADTRAN, which has been serving that market for 25 years, enhanced its 28-port Gigabit Ethernet switches, so they offer more bandwidth while reducing their size and power consumption.ADTRAN unveiled the NetVanta 1534 and NetVanta 1544, devices that fit in half a rack, so businesses can house twice as many ports in their switches. One side benefit from the smaller product design is decreased power usage: the company claims that these switches use 70% less energy than previous models.

The NetVanta 1544, which sells for $2,295, is a Layer 3 switch offering 24 fixed 10/100/1000Base-T ports plus four 2.5 G bps ports. The NetVanta 1534, which is priced at, $1,545, offers 24 fixed 10/100/1000Base-T ports plus two 2.5 G bps ports and two 1 G bps ports.

The network switches include a desktop security auditing feature that relies on Microsoft's Network Access Protection (NAP) Protocol to monitor the health of client computers. A network forensics capability maps a device's IP or MAC address to the corresponding switch port location. A small form factor pluggable diagnostic helps network administrators troubleshoot fiber connections.

With annual revenue of $484 million, ADTRAN is a relatively small player in the network equipment market. The company has established a large dealer network to service small and medium businesses, however, the company's business model could be threatened as vendors increase their size, drive down their operating costs, and lower product pricing.