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Dell Strengthens VNA, Thanks to Force10; Refreshes PowerConnect: Page 2 of 2

Dell continues to add to its PowerConnect line with the recent addition of the 8100 10-GbE high-density, high-performance switch family. The PowerConnect 8100 is targeted at enterprise campuses and smaller, midmarket network infrastructures.

In terms of performance, the 8100 delivers low-latency 10-GbE performance and up to four 40-GbE ports. It's optimized for virtual desktop infrastructure, unified communications and collaboration and video conferencing. Enterprises can scale up in density by stacking up to six switches together.

The PowerConnect 8100 line comes in four flavors: 24 and 48 ports, and in dedicated RJ-45 or fiber models. It can be expanded to include 40-GbE-capable QSFP+ ports. Customers can use Dell OpenManage Network Manager 5.2 to manage and configure switches, and Dell's ReadyRails for quick, tool-less installation. The 8100 USB Rapid Deployment ports eliminate manual configuration of each switch.

Mehra adds that he expects Dell to maintain focus on its strengths--the broader campus and the midmarket. The 8100 line works very well with what enterprises are trying to accomplish outside the data center.

"They're starting to need these high-capacity, core deployments within campuses that will be able to handle the increased video needs," says Mehra. "From a BYOD perspective, with an increase in applications running on these mobile devices, the enterprise networks need to evolve as well to support the increased need for mobility, video and other cloud-based applications, whether they are using VDI or not."

Pricing for the PowerConnect 8100 Series starts at $11,095.