Although it may seem surprising, it is possible to find many enterprise networks in which a lot of attention is paid to the selection of other components, but they neglect the choice of the most suitable switch. Incorrectly, There are those who think that this device can contribute little or nothing to the infrastructurewhich in many cases translates into inappropriate choices, which for various reasons can become a real burden.

This misconception, in many cases, undoubtedly comes from the use of very basic concentrators that only provide a tiny fraction of the functions we find in a professional solutionand which also in the vast majority of cases act as a brake for the rest of the infrastructure components, from servers to clients, including of course the rest of the elements that make up the network.

Choosing a good switch for a business network is not a particularly difficult task, but It requires us to take into account certain aspects and that once we evaluate them and cross-reference them with our current and future needs, we analyze the existing offer to find the model that suits us best. And of course we will tell you these points schematically, but you can find them expanded along with a lot more information in the ebook we created with D-Link, which you can download absolutely free from this link .

Key points for choosing the right switch

In fact, there are many aspects that we have to take into account, but we can stay in summary the seven most important. They are the following:

• Number of ports: Depending on the number of devices you need to connect to it, and if possible, add growth estimates at this point in the short term, you should choose a model that adequately meets this need.
• Transmission speed: This point is influenced both by the connected devices and especially by the estimated volume of traffic. You can use analytics solutions to measure current traffic and, as mentioned in the previous section, also set aside extra margin for short-term growth.
• Scalability: If everything is going well in your company, which you would like, chances are that sooner or later you will need to expand your company network beyond the capacity of the switch you have chosen. Therefore, when choosing a concentrator, it is very important to make sure that it has been designed with scalability in mind, therefore allowing you to grow without having to take it down.
• Management tools: A switch concentrates all network traffic, so the ability to manage its traffic, make adjustments based on traffic and needs, and have information and diagnostic tools makes a big difference.
• Safety: as the device responsible for network traffic, a switch with security tools and features translates into a higher level of protection for all data that flows through it.
• Quality of service: the optimization of network traffic, including at the moment the possibility of prioritizing that part of it that is preferential, will allow us to guarantee that everything works exactly as it should, and especially priority functions and services will always have optimal conditions.
• Energy efficiency: Energy saving features simultaneously allow us to both reduce our carbon footprint and save on our electricity bill month after month, thereby reducing operating costs.

As you can see, there are many aspects to consider, but in return you will get a much faster, more efficient and more reliable network. And if you rely on the guide we developed in collaboration with D-Link, network experts and a more than reliable supplier of business switches to make this decision, you will be able to quickly and easily dispel all your doubts, because as well discover the huge list of benefits of this jump.