Cisco targets SMEs with low-cost switches

Cisco has unveiled a series of products for small businesses that it claims will offer more energy efficient and secure connections.

The Cisco 100 Series Unmanaged Switches offer wire-speed Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet connectivity with options of five-, eight-, 16-, and 24-port configurations.

The switches are available worldwide priced from US$47 to US$413, and are the first in a planned series of launches in this portfolio.

Cisco has also launched the RV 120W Wireless-N virtual private network firewall aimed at companies with up to 20 employees. The system provides a secure connection, the firm said, and includes a range of business tools such as a browser-based device manager.

The device also has built-in 802.11n wireless access, and can link multiple offices and remote workers to the business network. It features IP Security support with hardware acceleration to offer highly secure and high-performance connections, said Cisco, and is available in the US and UK for US$189.

Finally, the firm has added to its Services Ready Platform 500 series of customer premises equipment with the SRP 526W and SRP 527W platforms.

These offer an ADSL2+ connection, four-port Ethernet connections and 3G wireless capabilities to help improve the delivery of data, voice and other services for small firms, according to Cisco. Prices start at US$300.

Rick Moran, vice president of small business solutions at Cisco, claimed that the new products could benefit small companies in a number of ways.

"Cisco is focused on building reliable and affordable technologies that small businesses can easily use to connect their business to the world, help secure their business, and communicate more effectively," he said.