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Smart business decisions often call for finding ways to cut costs. For the majority of companies looking at upgrading their network equipment, the most important thing about the design is that it delivers maximum benefit for minimum budget.

One area that is often looked at with regards to cost cutting is network hardware, such as routers and switches. There is seemingly a VERY wide price variation from one vendor to another and often we are faced with questions about why the most inexpensive products may not be a good fit for our clients' networks. Is there any valid reason behind the pricing disparity between vendors, or is it simply a matter of manufacturers trying to make more money?

As with most things you really do tend to get what you pay for. Yes the cheapest network switch or ADSL router may do the job - but does it do the job well and how long will it work for? Performance, data throughput and reliability are the most important aspects of network hardware.

Often it makes more sense to spend a few extra dollars and invest in equipment that will handle the throughput of a growing network, vastly improving performance and future proofing the overall design. Just because a switch can connect at gigabit speeds does not mean that it can keep up with constant gigabit traffic, especially on multiple ports at the same time. This is where the so called "backplane capacity" comes in to play and this is where the brand name, more expensive devices really shine.

The same goes for ADSL routers. Your company probably relies on its Internet connection more than you think. Could you afford for it to be unreliable? As with network switches, spending a few extra dollars on a higher quality, commercial grade router will often provide you with a far more reliable connection and a lot more features that you can use for setting up inter-site VPNs, 3G wireless backup connections etc; features that just aren't present on the standard modem routers that your Telco may provide you.

Correct Solutions believes in sourcing the best networking products available for your business whilst still maintaining good value for money. If you have concerns about your current network hardware or would like to discuss increasing the speed of your network traffic, call us for a chat!