Released on: June 17, 2008, 7:39 am

Press Release Author: LivewirePR

Industry: Computers

Press Release Summary: SMC's among most efficient in In-Stat's industry analysts'
review of 24- and 48-port switches

Press Release Body: 17 June 2008 - SMC Networks (www.smc.com), a leading provider of
LAN hardware and broadband connectivity devices, today announced that its network
switches showed to be among the most energy-efficient of high-capacity fixed
switches in comparisons conducted by In-Stat. The publication of the results of
these comparisons further support SMC's stated commitment to ensuring that its
products are environmentally-friendly - while in use, while in transit and after
disposal.

With data centre energy consumption accounting for a not insignificant amount of US
energy usage, choosing energy-efficient computing and networking equipment can have
impact. In the report, "Green Networking Equipment: Who Leads and Who Lags",
analysts Victoria Fodale and Scott Scherer of In-Stat compared the energy
consumption of enterprise fixed switching solutions, and concluded that ".even among
similarly equipped switches, capable of performing identical tasks, there are
significant vendor-specific differences in energy efficiency." SMC was ranked number
two out of a pool of 13 24-port network switches, with a fabric capacity per Watt of
just under two; and fifth of 13 in 48port switches, with, again, a fabric capacity
of just under two.

SMC's commitment to deliver energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly
net-working solutions, started as far back as 2003-before the movement was popu-lar.
SMC not only complied fully (6 out of 6) with the European Union's RoHS and WEEE
demands, and the later China and Korean RoHS, it also took the proactive step of
moving all of its product lines-worldwide- to match those standards. The company's
long-standing environmental focus, addressing both the end-products and the
manufacturing processes, means that, today, over 90% of SMC's SKUs provide
energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly, lead (and other contaminant)-free
solutions to the company's channel partners for installations from classrooms to
boardrooms.

"SMC's commitment went beyond what we needed to do, to what we wanted to do," said
Thierry Gonon, General Manager EMEA at SMC Networks. Further, "The objective of
leveraging our volume to ensure that every country we ship to bene-fits from an
efficient, non-toxic solution without a significant cost increase made this the
right decision."

In the same report, In-Stat notes that Power-over-Ethernet is one of the big
power-users in networking. SMC Networks has, from its first PoE introductions, been
mindful of the consumption potential, and has been especially diligent in stressing
intelligent power design in those products as well.

"'Green Networking' is a popular phrase, but at SMC, conservation is - and has been
for years - a part of the culture, not a catch-phrase or an initiative," said Gonon.
"Clearly there's a balance to be struck between rising PoE demands, lar-ger
aggregation switches and cutting-edge technologies, so we work diligently on
creative power solutions. At SMC, we're always working to ensure that the energy
footprint remains small at user sites."

SMC Networks stresses efficiency in its product development specifications, but it
doesn't necessarily take the easy route to power savings.

"Some manufacturers implement energy saving processes in their products that can
increase the likelihood of full or partial device failure, or that can reduce
overall networking efficiency for the sake of power," said Iain Kenney, SMC
Net-works' Director of Product Marketing. "We're mindful that the underlying network
still needs to be reliable and optimised for efficiency, so, for example, where many
manufacturers will shut down unused switch ports or components to con-serve energy,
SMC worked to find ways to reduce overall power consumption while leaving all ports
and components on and available for smoother operation, longer life and better
overall network performance."

"We have had an Environmental Policy Team in place looking at all of our prod-ucts
and projects with a critical eye, because after 33 years as a networking ven-dor,
we've gained a different perspective on our markets, our partners, our end users,
and our corporate responsibility," adds Gonon. "We're really very proud of our
leadership in this area."

For more information about SMC Networks please visit www.smc.com




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Contact Details: Journalists for further information please contact:
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Tel: +34 93 477 4943
e-mail: maria.aguera@smc.com