Agility is a key to achieving success in today’s modern business landscape. Organizations are looking for robust storage solutions that help them remain competitive and meet the ever-growing digital age. Storage Area Networks (SANs) are specialized, high-speed networks best known for efficient storage solutions and scalability.
The SAN switch is at the core of most SAN storage networks and plays a vital role in enabling seamless communication between storage devices and servers. In this article, we have compiled a list of SAN switches that are at the forefront of optimizing storage networks and increasing business agility.
List of Different SAN Switches
Let’s take a look at the different types of SAN storage switches that help move data traffic between servers and storage devices:
- Lenovo IP SAN switches: Lenovo’s IP SAN switches are designed particularly for organizations looking to achieve efficient IP clustering. These switches offer scalability, high availability, agility, and simplified management to a network. Lenovo switches are the preferred choice compared to the other switches as they offer seamless integration and high performance that help businesses increase their agility.
- Cisco MDS 9000 Series: Cisco has been a leader in networking solutions for decades. Their MDS 9000 Series is no exception and is designed specifically for complex storage area network (SAN) environments. These switches have become a top choice for organizations that want reliable and secure data access. Cisco MDS 9000 Series offers features like high performance, scalability, flexibility, and virtual SANs (VSANs) for effective use of resources.
- Brocade G620 Switch: Brocade, now part of Broadcom, is best known for offering Fiber Channel switches. The Brocade G620 Switch supports Gen 6 Fibre Channel technology by offering a high-density and high-performance solution. The G620 guarantees lower latency and reliable data transfer with the help of features like Forward Error Correction (FEC) and non-blocking architecture, which enhance business responsiveness.
- HPE StoreFabric SN6500B: Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) StoreFabric SN6500B SAN switch is a high-performance switch with no exception. This switch is designed to support the needs of modern, data-intensive applications, offering high bandwidth and low-latency. The SN6500B supports adaptive networking, so they are able to allocate resources dynamically in response to demanding workloads.
- Dell EMC Connectrix DS-6610B: Dell EMC’s Connectrix series is engineered to optimize storage networking, and the DS-6610B switch is an excellent choice. This switch ensures proactive management of storage networks by offering features like Fabric Vision technology that help monitor and troubleshoot. The DS-6610B is a great choice for organizations looking for a reliable and scalable solution to meet their constantly changing storage needs.
- Juniper Networks QFX Series: Juniper Networks is a leader in AI networking solutions, and the innovation of QFX Series broadens its expertise to storage networking. The QFX Series allows data networks and seamless integration of storage because it supports both Ethernet and Fiber Channel. These switches are renowned for their configurability, which empowers organizations to simplify and optimize storage operations for increased agility.
- IBM SAN384B: IBM has a long track record of delivering business solutions and provides the SAN384B switch that offers features like high-performance, scalability, and low-latency. This switch also comes with advanced features like Quality of Service (QoS) for managing critical applications.
- NetApp SAN Switches: NetApp is a renowned company that offers a range of SAN switches tailored to different storage systems. These switches are designed to work seamlessly with NetApp storage solutions and offer a comprehensive approach to storage networking. NetApp SAN switches can help businesses increase agility by ensuring data availability and accessibility.
- Extreme Networks SLX Series: Extreme Networks is popular for its innovative approaches to networking, and their SLX Series goes beyond its capabilities to storage networking. The SLX Series improves the efficiency of storage networks with network slicing and automation features.
- Hitachi Vantara Adaptable Modular Storage (AMS) Series: Hitachi Vantara’s AMS Series switches are specially designed for organizations seeking adaptive and scalable storage solutions. These switches ensure effective data flow across the network by enabling seamless connectivity between servers and storage devices. The AMS Series offers a reliable foundation for data storage and access that helps enhance business agility.
- QLogic QL45000 Series: Known for their exceptional performance and versatility, QLogic, which is now a part of Marvell, provides the QL45000 Series SAN switches. These switches give organizations the flexibility to adapt to changing infrastructure requirements. The QL45000 Series SAN switches support both Fibre Channel and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE). The purpose of designing these switches is to enhance storage network efficiency and reduce operational complexity.
Conclusion:
The right choice of SAN switches can directly impact efficiency, reliability, performance, and overall business success. Here, we have discussed at least 11 SAN switches that have become the top choice of many organizations due to their unique features. Invest in the right SAN storage switch that meets your business needs and enhances business agility. Whichever switches you choose, make sure they are packed with high-performance, scalability, flexibility, low-latency, and other advanced features, offering your business a reliable and secure solution for future growth.