Dell is rolling out a family of Gigabit Ethernet switches that can be changed from unmanaged to Web-managed by pushing a button. The PowerConnect 2700 Series, aimed at SMBs, will replace Dells 2600 Series, which is solely unmanaged.
The switches will ship as unmanaged but can be changed quickly, letting users scale switch capabilities, Dell officials said. In Web-managed mode, the 2700 Series has LAN and QOS (quality of service) features, officials said. In addition, Dell is keeping the price low, offering the Layer 2 switches for as little as $16 per port, about the same as Dell charged for its 2600 Series. The PowerConnect switches come in three configurations—the eight-port 2708, 16-port 2716 and 24-port 2724.