Broadcom Corporation(NASDAQ: BRCM), a global innovation leader in semiconductor solutions for wired and wireless communications, today introduced the BCM56545 series, the world's first high performance stackable enterprise switch series with integrated and wire-speed application-level visibility and mobility features suited for the Enterprise 2.0 workplace. See the technology in action at INTEROP 2012 or visit www.broadcom.com to learn more.

As employees around the world replace the use of desktops and laptops with mobile devices and the deployment of cloud based enterprise networks continue to scale at a dramatic rate,  network managers must reconsider how they provision, secure and control enterprise computing resources and information access.

Based on the proven StrataXGS® architecture, the BCM56545 series brings groundbreaking innovation into the enterprise wiring closet, delivering application level visibility on a single switch chip. The innovative App-IQ Web 2.0-ready technology delivers ubiquitous traffic visualization for social networking and peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing applications, allowing network managers to implement application-level intelligent policies, manage congestion, and meet the increased application visibility demands of the modern workplace. Network managers now can block undesired applications and improve employee productivity with a cost effective and scalable approach. Until now, only specialized and expensive appliances could deliver this level of application visibility.   

Use of enterprise wireless LANs (WLAN) is growing at a rapid pace, moving from small hotspot-style deployments to enterprise-wide deployments that span the campus. With 48 ports of 1GbE, 4 ports of 10GbE and 80 Gigabit optical QSFP-based cost-effective stacking performance, the StrataXGS BCM56545 switch series satisfies the increasing bandwidth and speed demands in the enterprise and complements integrated WLAN support using CAPWAP technology with standards-based port extender support (IEEE 802.1BR E-Tag). With support for thousands of virtual switch ports, IT managers now have the ability to cost-effectively deploy a large base of mobile users and devices with very granular policies. 

Market Drivers:

• The number of devices connected to IP networks will be 2x the global population by 2015(1)
• Annual global data center traffic will reach 4.8 zettabytes by 2015(2)
• Massive traffic growth challenges current network architecture(3)
• The Gigabit Ethernet Enterprise  switch market is expected to reach 260 million in total port shipments by 2015, with approximately 70 percent addressing the access switch market(3)
• Bandwidth-intensive content in the Enterprise requires Gigabit wireless connectivity speeds(4)
• Analysts tout mobility as the overriding trend in 2012 Enterprise networks(5)

Key Facts:

• New App-IQ technology provides unprecedented web application intelligence capabilities
• Eliminates the need to deploy expensive, specialized appliances or core switch service blades
• Enterprise 2.0-ready technology classifies applications riding over HTTP or on non-standard ports
• Integrated WLAN enables seamless wired and wireless device support and management
• Enables cost-effective, power-efficient, high performance fan-out to a large number of users and devices
• Fully compatible withBroadcom's industry-leading XLP® multi-core processors for best-in-class control plane processing

Availability:

The BCM56545 series is now sampling with production volume slated for the second half of 2012.

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Quotes:

Matthias Machowinski, Directing Analyst, Enterprise Networks and Video, Infonetics Research

"IT organizations need to invest in next generation technology to keep up with growing traffic demands and user requirements for ubiquitous connectivity. While there is pressure from WLAN at the network edge, we've only begun to scratch the surface with the types of devices that will ultimately connect to the network. What matters is that once a device is connected to the network, it impacts traffic from the edge to the core, and for this you need a higher performance Ethernet switch."

Eric Hayes, Vice President of Product Marketing, Network Switch, Broadcom Corporation

"IT and network managers around the world are demanding more density, higher bandwidth and intelligent features to more efficiently manage the ever-increasing requirements of keeping employees connected, regardless of their location. With today's introduction of the BCM56545 series, we're bringing the innovation we're known for in the data center and service provider networks to the enterprise wiring closet — unifying wired and wireless LANs while providing the application-level intelligence capabilities required for greater efficiency."