The Cisco® Catalyst® 2960-S and 2960 Series Switches are the leading Layer 2 edge switches, providing improved operational excellence, highly secure business operations, improved sustainability, and an enhanced workspace experience. They are fixed-configuration access switches designed for entry-level enterprise, midmarket, and branch office networks. Figure 1 shows the Cisco Catalyst 2960-S Series Switch model and Figure 2 shows the Cisco Catalyst 2960 Series Switch model with LAN Lite software.

The Cisco Catalyst 2960 Series Switches with LAN Lite Software have the following capabilities:

- Fast Ethernet connectivity with Power over Ethernet (PoE) of up to 15.4W per port
- GbE for data connectivity
- Enhanced troubleshooting for problem solving, including link connectivity and cable diagnostics
- Single IP address management for up to 16 switches
- A wide range of software features to provide ease of operation, highly secure business operations, sustainability, and a borderless networking experience
- Limited lifetime hardware warranty

The Cisco Borderless Network Architecture delivers the new workspace experience, connecting anyone, anywhere, using any device, to any resource securely, reliably, and transparently. The Cisco Borderless Networks architecture addresses primary IT and business challenges to help create a truly borderless experience by bringing interactions closer to the employee and customer.

Borderless experience is only possible with intelligent network elements designed and architected to meet the needs of a global workspace. Cisco Network Access is a primary component of this architecture, enabling various borderless network services such as mobility, security, EnergyWise, and ease of operations for increased productivity and operational efficiency.

Cisco Network Access for Borderless solution focuses on the following primary areas:

- Sustainability
- Ease of operations
- Borderless security
- Borderless experience

Sustainability

Cisco Catalyst switching solutions enable greener practices through measurable power efficiency, integrated services, and continuous innovations such as Cisco EnergyWise, an enterprisewide solution that monitors and conserves energy with customized policies. Together, Cisco EnergyWise technology and Cisco Catalyst switches reduce greenhouse gas (GhG) emissions and increase energy cost savings and sustainable business behavior. Sustainability features in the Cisco Catalyst 2960-S and 2960 Series Switches include the following features sets:

- Cisco EnergyWise technology
- Efficient switch operation
- Intelligent power management

Cisco EnergyWise Technology

Cisco EnergyWise is an innovative architecture, added to fixed configuration switches, promoting companywide sustainability by reducing energy consumption across an entire corporate infrastructure and affecting more than 50 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions created by worldwide building infrastructure, a much greater effect than the 2 percent generated by the IT industry. Cisco EnergyWise enables companies to measure the power consumption of network infrastructure and network-attached devices and manage power consumption with specific policies, reducing power consumption to realize increased cost savings, potentially affecting any powered device.

EnergyWise encompasses a highly intelligent network-based approach to communicate messages that measure and control energy between network devices and endpoints. The network discovers Cisco EnergyWise-manageable devices, monitors their power consumption, and takes action based on business rules to reduce power consumption. EnergyWise uses a unique domain-naming system to query and summarize information from large sets of devices, making it simpler than traditional network management capabilities. Cisco EnergyWise’s management interfaces allow facilities and network management applications to communicate with endpoints and each other using the network as a unifying fabric. The management interface uses standard Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) or TCP to integrate Cisco and third-party management systems

Efficient Switch Operation

Cisco Catalyst 2960-S and 2960 Series Switches, designed and engineered by Cisco, provide optimum power saving, low power operations for industry best-in-class power management, and power consumption capabilities. The Catalyst 2960-S ports are capable of reduced power modes so that ports not in use can move into a lower power utilization state.