What is a Managed Switch Service?

Switches play a vital role in most business networks. They connect individual devices both with each other and with routers. This makes it possible both to share internal resources and to access the internet.

What are Managed Switches?

Managed switch are switches that need to be actively managed. This has several implications. Ultimately, however, they all revolve around the principle and practice of Quality of Service. If you know what you’re doing (or you employ someone who does) you can fine-tune your switch’s settings to deliver maximum quality of service.

The reason you need to know what you’re doing isn’t just so you can understand what each individual setting means. After all, these days you can use a quick internet search to learn about terms like port speed, port mirroring, and virtual LANs. In fact, terms like redundancy and traffic prioritization will probably make sense to people without any technical knowledge.

The reason you need to know what you’re doing is so that you can navigate your way through the practical implications of these concepts. In some cases, these will be obvious but in other cases, there may be more nuance.

For example, in most situations, you will clearly want to prioritize VoIP phones over printers. Streaming video, however, may pose more of a challenge. On the one hand, you may be willing to throttle bandwidth for staff browsing the internet on their breaks. On the other hand, you don’t want to throttle video presentations or video-based learning.

What is the Difference Between Managed and Unmanaged Switches?

In simple terms, managed switches deliver maximum performance if you know how to use them. Unmanaged switches will typically deliver a lower level of performance but are essentially "plug and play" solutions. If you do your research, you may well find an unmanaged switch designed with your situation in mind. You would, however, need to get very lucky to find a perfect match.

Since managed switches are more complex than unmanaged switches, they also tend to be more expensive to buy. They may also be more expensive to run. Essentially that would depend on whether or not you already had the expertise to use them. That said, even if you need to hire someone to run your managed switch, you may still find it pays for itself.

For example, using a managed switch might allow you to run VoIP phones instead of traditional ones. This doesn’t just lower your phone bill.

When Should you use a Managed Switch?

As a rule of thumb, the more performance matters to you, the more you should lean towards using a managed switch. In the old days, that used to mean that businesses leaned towards managed switches and home users leaned towards unmanaged switches. These days, however, the distinction isn’t so clear.

Many businesses will have a clear need for managed switches. This is particularly likely for knowledge businesses, service businesses, and larger businesses. Many businesses, however, could still do just fine with an unmanaged switch. For example, smaller businesses delivering real-world services (e.g. gardening services) may not need the ultimate in network performance.

Should I buy a Managed or Unmanaged Switch?

In some cases, the choice will be obvious. In others, it’s going to come down to your priorities. Basically, the more you depend on your network, the more you should lean towards a managed switch. If cost is an issue, you might want to try a combination of managed and unmanaged switches. You could then look to upgrade the unmanaged switches when budget allows.

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