3Com Product Blitz Features New Switches, Security

3Com this week plans to expand its networking portfolio with new stackable and chassis-based switches and is bolstering its TippingPoint security portfolio with new quarantine capabilities.

Available in both Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet versions, the vendor's new stackable 3Com Switch 5500 series offers the flexibility of optional Power over Ethernet that can be added later through a slot in the back of the unit, said Stanley Stevens, senior product marketing manager at 3Com, Marlborough, Mass.

Businesses that haven't yet migrated to VoIP phone systems likely don't need PoE capabilities, so the new feature helps customers save money up front but still protects their investments if their needs change, said Arman Eghbali, general manager of Monterey Information Technologies, a Monterey, Calif., solution provider.

"Some customers aren't thinking about phones when they're thinking about data. But two years from now it could be a different story," Eghbali said. "If they do require PoE later, they don't have to do a forklift upgrade."

3Com also is rolling out the Switch 7750 family of high-capacity modular switches for enterprise wiring closets that includes support for PoE, a feature lacking in the current 7700 series, Stevens said. The line includes four-slot and eight-slot chassis for 48-port modules. Higher-density modules are planned for the fall.The company also is upgrading its TippingPoint Intrusion Prevention Systems and Security Management System to support quarantine capabilities, giving a network the ability to isolate or block traffic from end-user devices that are not compliant with security policies. The technology does not require any software to reside on the client device.

The Switch 5500 series is expected to begin shipping this month priced from $2,495. The 7750 family is slated to ship in August with chassis prices ranging from $1,795 to $3,995, fabric prices of $4,995 and 48-port Gigabit module pricing of $4,995. TippingPoint Quarantine Protection is slated for availability this fall.