NETGEAR BREAKS INDUSTRY PRICE BARRIER TO BRING FIRST AFFORDABLE 10 GIGABIT SWITCHES TO SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESS NETWORKS

SAN JOSE, Calif. — January 22, 2013 — NETGEAR®, Inc. (NASDAQGM: NTGR) ( www.netgear.com ), a global networking company that delivers innovative products to consumers, businesses and service providers, today set a new bar for the networking industry by expanding its switching solutions ( netgear.com/business/products/switches/ ) with a full range of the industry’s first announced affordable 10 Gigabit Copper (10GBASE-T) switches for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), government agencies, educational facilities, and other networks supporting fewer than 500 users.

NETGEAR is introducing three new switches with groundbreaking price points, ranging from the lightly managed ProSafe 8-port 10 Gigabit Plus Switch (XS708E) for small networks, to the ProSafe 12-port 10 Gigabit Smart Switch (XS712T) for small and medium-sized networks, to the ProSafe 24-Port 10 Gigabit Copper M7100 series Managed Switch (XSM7224) designed for enterprise and campus-style networks supporting up to 500 users. NETGEAR’s new 10GBASE-T offerings range from as little as $125 per port to $250 per port on the top end, in stark comparison to the most aggressively priced 10GBASE-T solutions currently on the market, which can cost $415 per port or more.

“It’s good to see that NETGEAR is offering a switch with 10 Gigabit for entry-level situations,” said Eric Lindeman, a solution consultant with ETC Distribution BV in the Netherlands (www.etcdistribution.nl ). “I look forward to the massive speed upgrade and how the network will perform as a result.”

Today’s announcement greatly expands NETGEAR’s leadership in future-proof networking technology innovation in 10 Gigabit switching. The new copper switches join the NETGEAR ProSafe 24-Port 10 Gigabit Stackable L2+ Managed Switch (XSM7224S) successfully launched in early 2011 that leverages 10 Gigabit fiber to enable businesses to accelerate their data centers to enterprise-class speed, with far less cost and complexity than traditional enterprise vendors ( netgear.com/business/products/switches/managed/XSM7224S.aspx ). With the introduction of the new 10GBASE-T switches, NETGEAR becomes the first networking solutions provider to bring more affordable 10GBASE-T solutions to sub-500 user networks to alleviate performance bottlenecks and deliver a fast and seamless response to unpredictable bandwidth demands. The company now offers a complete portfolio of cost-effective 10 Gigabit copper and fiber switching solutions ( www.netgear.com/10gigabit/ ) for networks ranging from a few employees to medium-sized businesses and government agencies with remote branches and campus-style networks.

According to Crehan Research, ( www.crehanresearch.com/ ), a market research and consulting firm focused on data center switch, server and storage networking, 10GBASE-T switch shipments are expected to see a forty-fold increase over the next five years. “Thus far, 10GBASE-T switch market penetration has been relatively low. However, the arrival of affordable, lower-power products in conjunction with the uptake of 10GBASE-T on servers should propel much broader 10GBASE-T switch adoption,” said Seamus Crehan, president of Crehan Research.

The network performance bottleneck caused by the growing demand for bandwidth to support intensive new applications, combined with the proliferation of data replication and the widespread adoption of server and storage virtualization in small and medium sized networks, is driving the deployment of 10 Gigabit solutions for network connectivity. 10GBASE-T, like other BASE-T technologies, uses the standard RJ45 Ethernet jack, a connection form factor not only common on switches but also normally integrated onto servers, workstations and other PCs. BASE-T usually runs up to 100 meters, on the widely deployed, twisted pair copper cabling such as Cat6A and more recently Cat7, which is far easier to adopt than 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) fiber. 10GBASE-T technology is also backward compatible, auto-negotiating between higher and lower speeds, thereby not forcing an all-at-once network upgrade. With Crehan Research predicting that the number of servers with 10GbE ports will represent a majority of servers shipped in 2014, 10GbE has finally reached the tipping point of availability on servers. The next step in adoption requires affordable price points for infrastructure, to put 10GbE in the realm of possibility for smaller networks as well as medium-sized enterprises, government agencies and educational facilities with evolving networking requirements.

“Until now, 10 Gigabit switching has been only an unattainable pipe dream for small and medium-sized networks due to the high cost of entry. But 10GBASE-T provides growing networks a migration path to newer technologies while preserving current hardware investments, a perfect match to meet the cost and performance requirements of growing businesses and other organizations,” explained Peter Newton, senior director of NETGEAR product management for Commercial Business.

He added, “NETGEAR 10 Gigabit switch solutions combine the latest advances in hardware and software engineering for higher availability, lower latency and power consumption and stronger security, at industry-leading, breakthrough price points. The switches we’re announcing today enable us to offer a complete portfolio of 10 Gigabit solutions, spanning small server clusters to network aggregation, and from workgroup labs to network backbones. NETGEAR is already a leading provider for Unmanaged and Smart Switches; our first-to-market advantage in 10GBASE-T switches positions us as leaders in 10GbE switches as well.”

10GBASE-T for medium-sized enterprise and campus-style networks
The NETGEAR ProSafe 24-Port 10 Gigabit Copper M7100 series Managed Switch (XSM7224) ( www.netgear.com/managed/m7100 ) is the world’s first cost-effective 10GBASE-T departmental solution. The M7100 series (XSM7224) is ideal for installations requiring reliable, affordable and simple 10 Gigabit Ethernet top-of-rack server access layer in enterprise and campus-style networks and for high-density, high-performance 10GbE aggregation. The M7100 series (XSM7224) consists of a fully managed, low-latency, line-rate 10GbE copper BASE-T switch solution; 24 ports of 10GBASE-T (RJ45) interfaces that support Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet and 10 Gigabit speeds for server, storage and network progressive upgrade; and four ports of SFP+ interfaces that broaden 10 Gigabit connectivity for 1GbE/10GbE fiber uplinks and other DAC connections.

Like all NETGEAR products, the M7100 series (XSM7224) delivers more functionality with less difficulty: Auto-iSCSI optimization, private VLANs and Local Proxy ARP take the complexity out of delivering network services for virtualized servers and 10 Gigabit infrastructures. The M7100 series (XSM7224) delivers pure line-rate performance for top-of-rack virtualization or convergence, without having to pay the exorbitant acquisition and maintenance costs associated with other networking vendors.

10GBASE-T for small and medium networks
Thanks to NETGEAR, small and medium businesses, agencies and educational facilities are no longer priced out of 10 Gigabit switching solutions. The NETGEAR ProSafe 12-port 10 Gigabit Smart Switch (XS712T) ( www.netgear.com/10gigabit/XS712T ), offers twelve 10GbE copper connectivity ports and two shared 10GbE fiber SFP+ ports as well as an extensive set of Layer 2 network features through the easy-to-use web-based management interface that comes in all NETGEAR Smart Switches. In addition to VLAN support for traffic segmentation, QoS for traffic prioritization, advanced security and IGMP snooping, the switch also provides advanced features such as dynamic VLAN assignment, double VLAN tagging, ACL binding, static routing, and MLP snooping. In small and medium-sized networks, the XS712T can be used as the core switch, providing 10 Gigabit connections to servers and storage devices. The XS712T can also be used as an aggregation switch in medium-to-larger-sized networks, where it can be connected to the new ProSafe M7100 series Managed Switch (XSM7224) at the core.

10G-BASE-T for smaller networks
It’s not only large businesses and government agencies that are experiencing network stress as a result of the proliferation of Big Data applications. The NETGEAR ProSafe 8-port 10 Gigabit Plus Switch (XS708E) ( www.netgear.com/10gigabit/XS708E ) provides eight 10G copper connectivity ports and one shared 10G fiber SFP+ port, at a very affordable price point comparable to enterprise switches. With 10GBASE-T, customers can use the standard RJ45 Ethernet jack and the Cat6 or Cat7 copper cable already broadly deployed within their existing network. The network speed can be improved tenfold from Gigabit to 10 Gigabit with minimal network changes. As part of the NETGEAR ProSafe Plus Switch product family, the 10 Gigabit ProSafe Plus Switch offers some fundamental features beyond those of plug-and-play Unmanaged Switches. These features, for optimizing network performance, include VLAN support, QoS, IGMP snooping, port trunking, rate limiting, and traffic monitoring. The XS708E 10G ProSafe Plus Switch is ideal for smaller organizations —whether businesses, agencies or educational facilities— considering simple and affordable 10GE connectivity for their 10G-capable servers and storage devices.

Pricing and Availability
NETGEAR ProSafe products are available through a broad variety of NETGEAR PowerShift partners ( http://powershift.netgear.com/ ) and authorized reseller and DMR channels. 

• The NETGEAR ProSafe 24-Port 10 Gigabit Copper M7100 series Managed Switch (XSM7224) is available now worldwide at an MSRP in the U.S. of $7,990.
• The NETGEAR ProSafe 12-port 10 Gigabit Smart Switch (XS712T) will begin shipping in late Q1 at a U.S. MSRP of $2,500.
• The NETGEAR ProSafe 8-port 10 Gigabit Plus Switch (XS708E) is also available now worldwide at an MSRP in the U.S. of $1,400.

All NETGEAR switches provide world-class reliability and are backed by the industry-leading ProSafe Lifetime Hardware Warranty and 24x7 technical support that connects businesses directly with experienced switching experts. The ProSafe M7100 series also includes ProSupport Lifetime 24x7 Advanced Technical Support in addition to a 3-Year Next Business Day Onsite Hardware Replacement. 

More Information

Learn more about the full NETGEAR portfolio of 10 Gigabit aggregation solutions by visiting www.netgear.com/10gigabit/ . For details on the NETGEAR ProSafe 24-Port 10 Gigabit Copper M7100 series Managed Switch (XSM7224), go to www.netgear.com/managed/m7100. Visit www.netgear.com/10gigabit/XS712T to learn more about the ProSafe 12-port 10 Gigabit Smart Switch (XS712T). More information on the ProSafe 8-port 10 Gigabit Plus Switch (XS708E) can be found at www.netgear.com/10gigabit/XS708E . 

To learn about the full range of NETGEAR ProSafe Fully Managed, Smart, and Plus switches for businesses, government agencies, educational facilities and other networks, go to netgear.com/business/products/switches/ . 

About NETGEAR, Inc.

NETGEAR (NASDAQGM: NTGR) is a global networking company that delivers innovative products to consumers, businesses and service providers. For consumers, the company makes high performance, dependable and easy to use home networking, storage and digital media products to connect people with the Internet and their content and devices. For businesses, NETGEAR provides networking, storage and security solutions without the cost and complexity of big IT. The company also supplies top service providers with retail proven, whole home solutions for their customers. NETGEAR products are built on a variety of proven technologies such as wireless, Ethernet and Powerline, with a focus on reliability and ease-of-use. NETGEAR products are sold in approximately 25,000 retail locations around the globe, and through approximately 40,000 value-added resellers. The company's headquarters are in San Jose, Calif., with additional offices in over 25 countries. More information is available at www.NETGEAR.com or by calling (408) 907-8000. Connect with NETGEAR at twitter.com/NETGEAR and www.facebook.com/NETGEAR . 

©2013 NETGEAR, Inc. NETGEAR, the NETGEAR logo, and ProSafe are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of NETGEAR, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. Other brand names mentioned herein are for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective holder(s). Information is subject to change without notice. All rights reserved. 

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 for NETGEAR, Inc.: This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Specifically, statements concerning NETGEAR's business and the expected performance characteristics, specifications, reliability, market acceptance, market growth, specific uses, user feedback and market position of NETGEAR's products and technology are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Safe Harbor. These statements are based on management's current expectations and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, the following: the actual price, performance and ease of use of NETGEAR's products may not meet the price, performance and ease of use requirements of customers; product performance may be adversely affected by real world operating conditions; failure of products may under certain circumstances cause permanent loss of end user data; new viruses or Internet threats may develop that challenge the effectiveness of security features in NETGEAR's products; the ability of NETGEAR to market and sell its products and technology; the impact and pricing of competing products; and the introduction of alternative technological solutions. Further information on potential risk factors that could affect NETGEAR and its business are detailed in the Company's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, those risks and uncertainties listed in the section entitled “Part II - Item 1A. Risk Factors,” pages 46 through 65, in the Company's quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2012, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 6, 2012. NETGEAR undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. 

U.S. Media Contact: 

Jeff Norris, Weber Shandwick for NETGEAR, (408) 530-8458, JNorris2@webershandwick.com

U.S. Sales Inquiries: (408) 907-8000, sales@netgear.com

 

U.S. Customer Inquiries: (888) NETGEAR