Alcatel Adds Switches

CALABASAS, Calif. -- Alcatel (NYSE: ALA - News; Paris: CGEP.PA - News) today introduced the Alcatel OmniSwitch 6850 family of stackable 10/100/1000 and 10/100/1000PoE workgroup switches, which are 10 Gigabit capable workgroup switches. The OmniSwitch 6850s are the first Alcatel switches to provide Gigabit power-over-Ethernet (PoE) capabilities, as well as offer extensive port diversity, full Alcatel Operating System (AOS) support, gigabit to the desktop, 10 Gigabit uplinks, and enhanced performance for a flexible, intelligent and highly available network.

The OmniSwitch 6850L models provide Fast Ethernet to the desktop and are software upgradeable to Gigabit. Alcatel continues as the only workgroup switch vendor to provide a cost-effective means for enterprises to migrate to Gigabit Ethernet desktop connections through an innovative software key that unlocks Gigabit Ethernet functionality built into each desktop port.

As users continue to embrace high-bandwidth and real-time applications such as video to the desktop, multimedia enterprise applications and voice- over-IP over LANs and wireless LANs, enterprises are becoming more dependent on fast network response which is driving the need for Gigabit Ethernet networks. With the Gigabit Ethernet upgradeability feature, OmniSwitch 6850L switches allow the enterprise to upgrade one or more switches at a time via software, saving the cost of completely replacing the hardware.

The Alcatel OmniSwitch 6850s and 6850Ls protect network investment by providing capabilities for future use such as advanced security for the edge, support for user mobility and dual IPv4/IPv6 capability. The switch family's exceptional price-to-performance ratio and numerous power and port configurations mean that customers have the flexibility to buy only what they need today without sacrificing performance they will require in the future. Customers will also benefit from the wire-rate layer-2 switching and layer-3 routing supporting optimal quality of service (QoS) for voice and video applications.

"Although the OmniSwitch 6850s stand less than two inches tall, the switching capacity rivals conventional chassis solutions that we were considering before," said Donna J. VanHousen, Senior Director, Information Services & Technology of ViaHealth. "And, with the various power options and small size, we can use the OmniSwitch 6850 in a closet or as a workgroup switch because of its depth and breadth of capabilities."

Alcatel (NYSE: ALA; Paris: CGEP:PA)