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Chiasso, Switzerland. 1st February 2008 – Allied Telesis, a global provider of secure IP/Ethernet access solutions and an industry leader in the deployment of IP Triple Play networks over copper and fiber access infrastructures, today announced a new family of stackable Layer 2 managed Gigabit switches, the 8000GS series. Following in the footsteps of Allied Telesis’ highly popular AT-8000S Layer 2 Ethernet switch series, the AT-8000GS is currently the only Layer 2 managed Gigabit switch range on the market that features true – not virtual – stackability. This unique capability delivers superior performance for Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) and enterprises at a very competitive price. The 8000GS family includes two 24 port models, with or without Power over Ethernet (PoE), and a 48 port model.

Allied Telesis’ new 8000GS series features a high-bandwidth 20Gbps resilient ring stacking topology, which enables up to six switches to be stacked and operate as though they were a single device. This saves customers time on administration, as a stack is quicker and easier to manage than several individual devices. The true stacking architecture also enables link aggregation, VLAN configuration, and port mirroring across the stack. These features are especially important to companies with densely-populated networks, where the high port count and stacking architecture make the AT-8000GS devices ideal for use as network edge switches. They are also suitable for smaller companies who are looking for powerful Gigabit performance from a single switch now, as well as the flexibility to add additional switches as the company and its network needs grow.

Each switch in the new 8000GS series includes four SFP combination ports, so that customers can use the built-in 10/100/1000T ports or an optical SFP which is available separately. A choice of management methods come as standard on the new switches, including an industry standard compatible local Command Line Interface (CLI), remote CLI via Telnet, SNMP or a simple, intuitive Web-based interface. These familiar options reduce learning time while minimizing the cost of deployment.

As it is designed for deployment at the network edge – a vulnerable point in any network – the new 8000GS range supports today’s security requirements including IEEE 802.1x and RADIUS. These protocols protect the network from unauthorized access by ensuring robust user authentication. The devices also include support for TACACS+ to make remote security administration easier and provide separate authentication, authorization and accounting services. The 8000GS family supports guest VLANs so that visitors who physically connect to the network can be restricted to a predefined area, enabling them to have access to the Internet while on company premises but not to corporate servers. Quality of service features include the ability to separate network traffic into eight priority types in four queues per port, ensuring fast, efficient delivery of voice, video and data traffic.

“The 8000GS series combines Layer 2 Gigabit performance with true stacking capability, making it an ideal solution for companies large and small,” said Melvyn Wray, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Allied Telesis. “As it is both affordable to buy and cost-effective to run, we expect the 8000GS series to become as popular as our bestseller 8000S switch family is today.”

The 8000GS series will be available at the end of February 2008 and list prices are as follows.

AT-8000GS/24	$1,500 or €1,154
AT-8000GS/24POE	$2,600 or €2,000
AT-8000GS/48	$2,800 or €2,154