Dell is scheduled to launch its PowerConnect line of LAN Ethernet
network switches next month, seeking to bundle them with its server
products to create out-of-the-box networks for SMEs.
Dell already sells its own network servers, caching servers and
load balancers, as well as reselling network equipment from a
variety of vendors. As a result, the company said the development
of a line of network switches was a natural progression. Kim
Crawford, Dell's vice-president and general manager of network
products, said the company would continue to offer competitors'
switches and more sophisticated network equipment from companies
such as Cisco and Nortel.
Brooks Gray, a senior analyst at Technology Business Research, said
approximately 20% of customers buying Dell servers also wanted
switches.
Crawford said Dell's PowerConnect line would be targeted at
companies or offices with between 10 and 1,000 desktops but refused
to confirm that Dell's network equipment strategy involved
competing directly with companies such as Cisco.
"Dell's immediate goal is clear," said Gray. "They're going after
the Layer 2 market, at least for the first six to 12 months."