Still think bigger switches are always better? I sure did until last month

I was dead set that a 48-port Aruba switch was the right call for our office in Austin, but after talking to a network engineer who runs a 150-person firm on 24-port units stacked, I changed my tune. He showed me that half our ports were sitting dark because we overprovisioned, and the power savings alone were around $200 a month. Has anyone else downsized their switch setup and seen real savings?

2 comments

2 Comments

alex_coleman6d ago

Hold on, are we really talking about $200 a month in power savings or is that just an estimate from one guy with one setup?

noahchen5d ago

Yeah, $200 a month sounds high but it adds up fast if you're running a few switches 24/7. I've seen power bills drop by over $100 after swapping out an old 48-port for two 24s, especially if you're also cutting fan noise and cooling load. Your mileage may vary, but over a year that's real money back in your pocket.