The extensive evaluation conducted by The Tolly Group assessed the GS724TS and GS748TS in the areas of zero-loss Layer 2 throughput, stacking port performance, stack resiliency, management, security, and Quality of Service (QoS).

During the extensive testing, Tolly Group engineers verified the zero-loss bi-directional throughput of 20 Gbps aggregate across a three-switch stacking ring topology, the sub-second fail-over when one of the active switches in the stack was failed, the resiliency of the stack when switches were added or failed, management of the stack via Web browser and SNMP-based management software, the ability to authenticate users via 802.1x and refer to a RADIUS server to verify credentials, and the ability to support rate limiting and layer 2/3 prioritization.

"Both SMBs and branch offices need to reduce costs for their IT infrastructures, plus allow for future network upgrades and expansion. Easy-to-manage stackable smart switches can help them to accommodate their needs without significantly adding complexity and costs," stated the Tolly Group report.

"Tests show that NETGEAR ProSafe GS748TS and GS724TS support advanced network features - all of the features that are important to SMB and branch office users while delivering robust performance and functionality."

"The results of the Tolly Group testing validate the high-end performance and robust feature set of our ProSafe Gigabit Stackable Smart Switch product family and substantiate the reasoning behind why this line is continuing to enjoy increased adoption and market share among growing small and medium businesses," said Sanjay Kumar, director of product marketing for switching products at NETGEAR.

"The ability to deliver zero-loss Layer 2 Gigabit performance, easy Web-based or SNMP manageability, and the capability to stack multiple switches to manage as many as 288 ports with a single IP address with full resiliency, while keeping it easy to manage, all at an affordable price point, has positioned our Gigabit Stackable Smart Switches the de facto standard in the Stackable Smart Switch category."

The NETGEAR ProSafe 24 and 48 Port Gigabit Stackable Smart Switches (GS724TS and GS748TS) offer performance and reliability in a complete affordable network switch solution that delivers scalability and high availability, advanced security, advanced Quality of Service (QoS), and "smart" management features.