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Extreme Networks is building out its capabilities at the edge of the network with a new fixed switch and an 802.11ac wireless access point.
The offerings are part of Extreme’s Unified Edge product portfolio, which aims to help businesses deal with such trends as the growing need for bring-your-own-device (BYOD) and the increasing numbers of mobile devices gaining access to the corporate network.
The Unified Edge initiative is part of the company’s larger Software-Defined Architecture effort.
Employees today expect connectivity from anywhere, and from any device they want, according to Mike Leibovitz, director of mobility and applications at Extreme. That is increasing the demand on companies for high-performing networks that not only are ready to meet the requirements but also can scale if those requirements change.
“Meeting customers’ needs today is no longer enough; rather, businesses must be prepared to support the needs of tomorrow,” Leibovitz said in a statement, adding that the vendor’s new products combine “a future-proofed edge switching series with an affordable 802.11ac access point that can be deployed anywhere.”
Extreme officials are rolling out the new Summit X460-G2 Gigabit fixed switch, which—like the new IdentiFi Access Point (AP) 3805—is optimized to work with Extreme’s NetSight management and Purview analytics platforms, according to officials. There are 10 models of the switch, including options for 1/10/40 Gigabit Ethernet uplinks. In addition, the new switch offers cross-platform stacking with other Summit switch models, which means customers can deploy the new switch without having to replace other Summit switches they’re already running.
Extreme inherited the Identifi family of wireless APs when it bought Enterasys Networks last year for $180 million. The new Identifi AP 3805 offers customers a full-featured access point at a lower price than other products in the family and offers a discrete form factor that will make it easier for customers to deploy in a broad range of environments, officials said.
The new Summit switch reportedly is shipping now, while the AP will be available next month.