Adtran Rolls Out New NetVanta Line

The new NetVanta 1000 Layer 2 managed Ethernet switch line, aimed at small and branch offices, complements the vendor's existing portfolio of access routers and VPN/firewall devices, which all run on the Adtran Operating System, said Danny Windham, senior vice president and general manager of the enterprise networks division at Adtran, Huntsville, Ala. "We want to be a one-stop shop for SMB customers," he said.

The NetVanta 1224 and 1224ST rack-mount switches feature 24 10/100BaseT ports. The 1224ST also includes dual interfaces that support Gigabit uplinks over copper or fiber. The NetVanta 1224R and 1224STR, Adtran's two all-in-one models, combine the 24-port managed switches with an IP access router, firewall and optional VPN capabilities, as well as high-end features such as support for VLANs and Quality of Service. The 1224STR also offers a Gigabit Ethernet port.

"They're putting a tremendous amount of features and functionality into a single box vs. having boxes A, B, and C," said Lee Williams, president of Digital Connections, a solution provider in Hendersonville, Tenn.

While Adtran will not likely take a lot of market share away from Cisco in the short term, it could pose a threat to competitors such as Hewlett-Packard and Dell, said Zeus Kerravala, vice president of enterprise infrastructure at The Yankee Group. Adtran's long-term success will depend on its ability to deliver advanced features, such as Gigabit to the desktop and Power-over-Ethernet, which the vendor promises to add later this year, he said.

Adtran's 5,000 solution providers should expect to see average margins of 20 percent on the new switches, which will be sold via distribution partners, including Ingram Micro and Tech Data, Windham said.

The products are available now at base prices ranging from $795 to $1,295. An advanced feature pack that includes an IPsec VPN is priced at $695.