Upscaling SMB Networking: the UG-207 Gateway and ULS-202 Switch

Uplevel Systems’ primary market comprises companies with fewer than 100 employees, but we have recently extended our services to support larger organizations with 200-1000 employees. The new UG-206 and UG-208 solutions are designed to meet the demands of these larger businesses. However, it is not enough to have a higher-performance gateway; these customers also require a robust and high-performance network infrastructure with greatly increased performance. Enter 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GE).

Why 10 GE?

Larger businesses with many employees in a single office often discover that their workstations and servers are bottlenecked by the common 1 gigabit/second pipes supported by Gigabit Ethernet (1000BASE-T). They need higher bandwidth to manage data-intensive tasks. 10GE provides 10x the bandwidth of 1GE, for faster data transfer and seamless access to critical resources.

Even smaller SMBs that depend on resource-intensive applications like visualization, data analytics, and video editing can benefit by transitioning to 10GE. Inter-VLAN traffic bottlenecks can be removed, enabling smooth communication between network segments. Additionally, it facilitates well-structured switch stacking for improved network organization and enhanced redundancy.

Does 10GE Fit All Small Businesses?

Just because 10GE is available doesn’t mean that it should be used across the board. Implementing 10GE is often not justified even for larger businesses that cannot benefit from the speed upgrade.  

10 GE Works When:

1.Large on-prem servers and data-hungry apps:

Ideal for businesses with resource-intensive applications and substantial on-premises data. It provides the necessary bandwidth for high-traffic workloads.

2.Inter-VLAN traffic bottlenecks:

Eliminates VLAN data bottlenecks, ensuring seamless communication. It enhances inter-VLAN routing, improves network performance, and reduces latency for critical operations.

3.Well-structured switch stacking:

10GE offers structured switch-stacking for efficient network infrastructure. It provides high-speed connectivity, improved management, flexibility, and redundancy.

10 GE Doesn’t Work When:

1.Most of the apps live in the Cloud:

If a business primarily uses cloud-based applications, and has minimal on-premises server requirements, the need for 10GE is very limited.

2.CPU-Heavy Workloads:

Even internally hosted applications won’t benefit from 10GE if they are CPU-heavy but not network-heavy. In this case, a forklift upgrade to 10GE usually only results in a disgruntled customer, who doesn’t understand why all the expensive equipment did nothing to improve the situation.

3.Messy Infrastructure:

If the network infrastructure lacks organization and coherence, implementing 10GE may not provide significant benefits. Address infrastructure issues, enhance network architecture, and ensure proper management before deploying 10GE.

High-Performance Networking with UG-207 Gateway and ULS-202 Switch

Uplevel Systems has introduced its first two 10GE products for the SMB: the powerful UG-207 gateway & the companion ULS-202 switch.

The UG-207 gateway is equipped with dual 10GE SPF+ LAN downlinks, providing high throughput and connectivity. The matching switch, referred to as the ULS-202 switch, boasts 24 ports & quad 10GE SFP+ links. This offers flexible connectivity options. Both the UG-207 gateway and ULS-202 switch deliver a solid foundation for improving data transfer speeds and productivity for seamless collaboration among employees.

Exploring The UG-207

The UG-207 gateway from Uplevel Systems is an essential networking solution made to take your business to the next level. With its array of features, this gateway offers unparalleled performance:

Ports:

• 2 x WAN ( 1 Gb/s RJ-45, primary + Aux)
• 4 x LAN ( 1 Gb/S rj-45)
• 2 x LAN ( 10Gb/s SFP+)

Throughput:

• Stateful firewall: 1.5 Gb/s
• IDS/IPS: 900+ Mb/s
• IPsec VPN: 1.1 Gb/s

Capacity:  Based on typically observed traffic, UG-207 gateway has a capacity of up to 200 users per website. It has up to 128 concurrent VPN users

Storage options:

• Single 1TB
• Dual 1TB 
• Dual 4TB
• Dual 8TB

Physical: The UG-207 is the same size as the UG-206 (19 x 10 x 1.75 - i.e., 1 RU).

ULS-202 Features:

Ports:

• 22 x Copper LAN ( 1 Gb/s RJ-45, PoE)
• 2 x Copper uplink ( 1Gb/S RJ-45)
• 3 x SFP LAN ( 10Gb/s SFP+)
• 1 x SFP Uplink ( 10 Gb/s SFP+)

Switch Fabric: 128 Gb/s fabric backplane

Switching:

• Layer 2+ switching
• Cloud-managed VLANs and security
• Remote PoE power control

Physical: the ULS-202 is similar in size to the UG-207Pro10 G (17 x 10 x 1.75 - i.e., 1 RU).

Curious about the UG-207 & the ULS-202? Need assistance with your proposal? Reach out to our experts for more information. Contact Uplevel Systems today!

About Uplevel Systems

Uplevel Systems is a small business IT infrastructure provider that sells exclusively through managed service providers. Uplevel’s subscription offering is the most popular with SMBs, but some prefer Uplevel’s new equipment purchase program and use a CapEx model.