With centralized management of device connections, the need to physically re-cable a switch is eliminated. Although the time saved might appear insignificant, imagine the productivity gains over a year if it can all be accomplished directly from one's desktop.

Similarly, a matrix switch can reduce data center energy costs. Consider the situation of the financial institution profiled above. If it had proceeded with its original strategy to deploy 11 packet analyzers, the heat load on the data center would have increased, as would the cost of cooling.

Implementing the revised plan based on three packet analyzers and a matrix switch lowers the energy costs significantly.

Further, lower heat loads translate into less heat-related wear and tear on equipment, which extends equipment life, cuts down on maintenance repair costs, and also avoids heat-related equipment issues that can impact network performance or even availability.

Holmes is director of sales at Apcon. He can be reached at markh@apcon.com.