The trend for value-based enterprise networking in the wiring closet is driven by organisations that are aiming for high performance, secure networks that can be cost-effectively deployed today while keeping an eye to the future. Extreme Networks’ BlackDiamond® 8500-series wiring closet modules offer a high-value solution addressing customers’ needs for cost-effective, yet feature-rich switching capabilities with natural upgrade paths for scalability and growth on demand.

“With the introduction of the BlackDiamond 8500-series modules, Extreme Networks brings a strong contender to the value portion of the enterprise market, where convergence, automation of tasks, and security are complemented with the consistency of a single operating system,” said Paul Hooper, vice president and general manager for the Volume Products Group for Extreme Networks. “This further reinforces our overarching BlackDiamond 8800 platform strategy to offer customers with a range of cost and performance choices for every part of their network.”

Organisations require an end-to-end network with advanced automation features to discover and provision network edge devices, resiliency to handle fiber outages with minimal impact to users and security to identify and mitigate threats. The BlackDiamond 8800 addresses all of these requirements with a comprehensive family of module choices on a single chassis, and a uniform operating system, ExtremeXOS®. The result is a total modular solution to tackle the most flexible network deployments.

BlackDiamond 8500 Series Modules Highlights:

* Resiliency with Automated Service Recovery: Options for Redundant Management Switch Modules (MSMs) resulting in maximum availability, coupled with a resilient modular network operating system, ExtremeXOS, for maximum protection
* Limited Lifetime Warranty: Extreme Networks new Limited Lifetime Warranty is standard with BlackDiamond 8500-series modules.
* Investment Protection: Scalability and growth on demand, allowing for flexible end-to-end deployment
* Value: Cost effective switching with value-add services and Limited Lifetime Warranty to lower TCO
* Automated Configuration: Open architecture to simplify manageability and Universal Port software to ease network provisioning
* Automated Security Embedded security features to help protect corporate data at the access edge and dynamic ACLs for faster response to threats

Pricing and Availability

The BlackDiamond 8500-series modules will be available this quarter. The Management Switch Module (MSM), the BlackDiamond 8500-MSM24, has a U.S. list price of $4,995. The 24-port Gigabit fibre module, the BlackDiamond 8500-G24X-e, has a U.S. list price of $6,995. The 48-port Gigabit Base-T module, the BlackDiamond 8500-G48T-e, has a U.S. list price of $3,995.

Extreme Networks, Inc.

Extreme Networks provides converged Ethernet networks that support data, voice and video for enterprises and service providers. The company’s network solutions feature high performance and high availability switching that deliver insight and control enabling customers to solve their real-world business communications challenges. Operating in more than 50 countries, Extreme Networks provides wired and wireless secure LANs, data center infrastructure and Service Provider Ethernet transport solutions that are complemented by global, 24x7 service and support. For more information, visit: http://www.extremenetworks.com

BlackDiamond, Extreme Networks, and ExtremeXOS are either a trademark or registered trademark of Extreme Networks, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.