EAGLE EYE – BI
Network switches
In Issue #19 of News in the Channel , Stock in the Channel BI analysts highlighted network switches and the stock crunch experienced by mid-tier vendors in 2024. As this landscape remains competitive, demonstrated by a price drop of 4% year-on-year, the BI team consider the popularity of network switches in the channel.
Top performing brands in the channel (by total searches) Network switches (01 Dec ’24 to 25 Feb ’25)
Managed vs unmanaged A key consideration, when deciding on a switch, is whether to opt for managed or unmanaged, trading off a higher level of control and customisation versus a plug-and-play option that offers little to no configuration or scalability, yet offers easy setup. Our analytics engine shows that the managed variety is by far the most popular option, leading in stock held and searches for the past three months. While an unmanaged switch is cheaper, managed switches are desired by professionals managing complex networks. Speed The secret to successful selections is balance, optimising features such as speed at the lowest cost. Switching capacity is another feature, determining the maximum amount of data that can be passed through the switch. In the channel it is popularly 176 Gbit/s based on user searches, managing traffic without bottlenecks and without breaking the bank. Analysing the basic switching RJ-45 ethernet ports quantity, the standout number is 48 ports, meaning that a popular configuration is high-density deployments in enterprise and data centre environments. This setup basically favours one big switch instead of smaller less powerful ones.
3.04%
1.65%
Wickus Bester, B2B channel analyst S tock in the Channel
6.85%
14.02%
29.61%
Brand
Cisco Ubiquiti HPE Aruba Netgear TP-Link D-Link Zyxel
Statistical Analyst for the B2B channel, creating data-driven market intelligence reports in over 20 IT categories. Using analytical metrics based on search data, stock levels and implied sales, we see trends as they flow through the channel, and spot opportunities on the horizon.
19.86%
24.98%
Top search terms Dec ’24 to Feb ‘25
For more in-depth analysis of network switches please contact our BI team for detailed insights BIteam@stockinthechannel.com
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