Intelligent network switches on the rise as more is expected of the network

I found this interesting piece of article which talks about INTELLIGENT NETWORK SWITCHES.

Networks are like the backbone of a business, and if we have to make our networks intelligent , the best idea is to start with intelligent switches.

FUNCTIONALITY MORE IMPORTANT THAN SPEED 

The switch manufacturing biggies like CISCO systems and JUPITER networks feel that making faster switch is not the solution rather there is a definite need to build more functionality into the switches.More and more vendors are introducing intelligent network switches with strong security functionality built into them. Other types of functionality are clearly on the way.

Intelligent switches offer network managers the ability to scale services such as network security and application control.

APPROACHES IN BUILDING INTELLIGENCE 

Vendors are taking differing approaches to building these intelligent switching technologies. Some offer overlay control systems that work with an existing network infrastructure. Other vendors, such as ConSentry, are offering intelligent switches with network access control and application management technology built right into the architecture of their switches. The overlay approach is obviously cheaper, the embedded approach taken by ConSentry and some other vendors has its advantages.