Guardian Network BrochureLearn the Difference
Integrated devices – Just like home devices, business devices have become more and more consolidated over time but not to the extent that the home devices have. Network administrators in a business network are more comfortable having separate devices and even like the idea. This is because network administrators like to be able to isolate problems down to a certain device and they like to be able to know the performance capabilities of every device. If you use an integrated router, switch, and firewall all into one device, troubleshooting, managing, and understanding the performance capabilities of that device gets complicated. I’m not saying that this isn’t done. You can buy a big & expensive, chassis-based, Cisco 6500 series switch and have almost all these functions on different blades of the switch. This may be fine for a larger business with a group of administrators but to a medium size business and a single network administrator, many times, this is a scary thought.
Keep in mind that for a medium or large size business, these integrated home devices won’t work because they don’t offer all the features required. The standalone routers, switches, and firewalls have many more features than these integrated devices do.
Routers – Routers are used to communicate between networks. It has intelligence in that it is able read IP addresses and direct them to the correct location. Generally your router is provided by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). It is the last device that is “yours” before you reach the internet. If you are buying a router, Cisco may be the way to go, though a new company called Vyatta is now offering an open source router.
Switches – Switches generally are small devices that have lots of ports that accept network cables. It is the backbone of any network as it provides a central place of connection for all the different devices on the network. While one can use archaic devices such as hubs, there is very little reason to. Switches offer advantages such as isolating traffic – rather than sending the traffic to every computer on the network. Numerous companies offer switches. At the small business level you can purchase these from NetGear, Linksys, or Belkin. At the larger corporation level where performance and redundancy are paramount you can purchase them from companies such as Cisco.
Firewalls – Firewalls provide a method of allowing or preventing devices from sending any or certain communications to your LAN. This is important in preventing data compromise by individuals such as hackers who attempt to exploit the communicative nature of the internet. The standard firewall (are you seeing a pattern here?) would be Cisco’s PIX (now ASA) series.
Generally speaking your router will plug into your ISP’s connection. Your firewall will plug in to your router and your switch will plug into your firewall. All other devices will plug into the switch.
