Cisco ESW-520-24 Faq page 3

© 2009 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information.
Q.
What is the difference between the Cisco ESW 500 Series and the Cisco Catalyst
Express 520 Series Switches?
A.
Both the Cisco Catalyst Express 520 Series and the Cisco ESW 500 Series are designed to
easily integrate and operate with the Cisco Smart Business Communications System (SBCS)
and include support for CCA, Cisco Smartports, and Cisco Discovery Protocol. The ESW 500
Series switches however, are also designed to provide a single high performance platform for
all Cisco Small Business Pro solutions including security, wireless, video and voice.
The ESW 500 Series is the recommended switch platform for both SBCS and Small Business
Pro solutions.
Differences between the ESW 500 and Catalyst Express 520 Series Switches
Table 2.
Differentiators ESW 500 Series
● 24-port 10/100
Models
● 24-port 10/100 PoE
● 48-port 10/100
● 48-port 10/100 PoE
● 24-port 10/100/1000
● 24-port 10/100/1000 PoE
● 48-port 10/100/1000
Embedded GUI Device Manager
Configuration and
Management
CCA
No
Cisco IOS
Cisco Small Business Support Center
Service
Enhanced 5-year with Next Business Day
Warranty
product replacement (where available)
Q.
How are the Cisco ESW 500 Series Switches used, in comparison to the Cisco Catalyst
Series Switches?
A.
The Cisco Small Business Pro Series switches are designed for businesses with fewer than
100 employees. These switches were not designed with the same flexibility, scalability and
lifecycle management of the Cisco Catalyst Series switching portfolio. Cisco Catalyst Series
switches are robust, highly resilient solutions designed to deliver the performance, flexibility,
and scalability needed for the most demanding business needs. The Cisco Catalyst switches
were designed to facilitate the deployment of secure converged applications while maximizing
investment protection. The following are the reasons that Cisco Catalyst switches should be
recommended over Cisco ESW 500 Series switches:
Scalability and high availability: Cisco Catalyst switches are designed to scale on all
●
fronts, including number of ports, PoE ports, and uplinks and are designed to handle a full
range of configurations and consistent look and feel that larger organizations need. In
contrast, the Cisco ESW 500 Series are designed for the needs of the small customer, they
offer few configuration options and do not scale seamlessly when moving up in size and
functionality.
Intelligent Integrated Services: Cisco Catalyst switches are based on years of
●
development of the rich Cisco IOS software and offer the highest levels of application
intelligence, unified network services and integrated security features. These capabilities
deliver converged end-to-end services from the wiring closet, to campus distribution, and to
core. Although Cisco ESW 500 switches offer robust switching capabilities, its products are
not based on the IOS software and do not offer such extensive functionality.
CE 520 Series
● 8-port 10/100 PoE
● 24-port 10/100
● 20-port 10/100 + 4-ports 10/100 PoE
● 24-port 10/100 PoE
● 24-port 10/100/1000
CCA
Yes
Cisco TAC, Cisco SMARTnet, Cisco Smart
Care, Cisco Smart Foundation
Limited Lifetime Warranty
Q&A
®
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