Cisco Catalyst IE3100 Rugged Series switches: Big benefits, small footprint

Now making its entrance is our latest and most compact industrial managed Ethernet switch, the Catalyst IE3100 Rugged Series. First announced in February 2023, these switches are now shipping and are ready to power your industrial networks, especially in space-constrained deployments, where every inch matters.

Part of a powerhouse family

The Catalyst IE3100 is the latest addition to our comprehensive family of industrial switches—a family that includes switches in various form factors, such as rack-mount, DIN rail mount, IP67 rated, and embedded. These ruggedized switches can resist extreme temperatures, shocks, vibration, and humidity. They are specifically developed for industrial IoT networks and deliver deterministic and extremely fast resiliency for uninterrupted operations.

The Catalyst IE3100 complements the Catalyst IE3x00 family of switches that include the Catalyst IE3200, IE3300, and IE3400. The Catalyst IE3x00 family of switches are DIN rail-mounted and run the same modern IOS-XE operating system that powers our Catalyst 9000 Series enterprise switches. This family features Gigabit Ethernet copper and fiber interfaces, fast convergence in case of failure, and additional enhanced features such as Layer 2 NAT, which makes them a popular choice among many verticals such as manufacturing, roadways, railways, utilities, ports and terminals, mining, and oil and gas.

Stand-out features

In addition to combining the power of Cisco IOS XE with built-in security and Cisco DNA Center for simplified management, the Catalyst IE3100 allows customers to use existing IT investments and knowledge while offering targeted functionality expected by industrial IoT customers, such as:

1. Compact size. Reduce engineering efforts and cost when designing cabinets and other deployment considerations.

2. Fully managed. Administer with Cisco DNA Center for streamlined network management and increased network and device visibility while reducing downtime for routine maintenance.

3. Extend IT practices into your industrial network with IOS XE built-in security, and seamlessly integrate into Cisco security solutions with Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE), Secure Network Analytics (Stealthwatch), and SecureX. Use 802.1x-based authentication, downloadable ACL lists, and dynamic VLAN assignments for network segmentation to reduce cybersecurity risk.

4. OT mindset. Integrate effortlessly into your industrial network with the features you need, such as L2 NAT for machine builders, IT and OT redundancy protocols, support for EtherNet/IP (CIP), Modbus, PROFINET, SCADA, and more.

5. Flexible deployments.Take advantage of 6, 10, or 20 Gigabit Ethernet ports with two Gigabit SFP uplink ports or two Gigabit combo uplink ports.

Use cases

Too often, unmanaged switches find their way into industrial networks, but such equipment falls short in delivering what today’s enterprises need. Unmanaged switches cannot enforce policies or prioritize or segment traffic, their open ports create security risks, and network monitoring proves difficult. In short, they cannot deliver what is needed.

Being fully managed, the Catalyst IE3100 is in control of the endpoints that get connected, how the data is prioritized for quality of service (QoS), and how the traffic is separated by VLANs. Therefore, it is a strong alternative over unmanaged switches. It is especially beneficial for machine builders who make complex, custom-built turnkey solutions, such as robots and conveyor belts, which have connected devices within their assemblies. The end users will appreciate that these solutions can seamlessly fit within their networks with improved control and an enhanced security posture.

The Catalyst IE3100 is an excellent choice for deployments in confined spaces. Space is a common consideration in cabinets that house several pieces of control equipment in addition to networking, such as those used at roadway intersections, at manufacturing plants, next to railroad tracks, and in solar and wind farms. The ability to use smaller enclosures helps to reduce engineering effort and cost.

Planning space-constrained deployments in industrial settings no longer requires a compromise between size, manageability, and security. With the Cisco Catalyst IE3100 Rugged Series Switches, OT teams can connect more devices, secure them with confidence, and manage them with limitless agility.

The Catalyst IE3100 is the most compact switch in our managed Industrial Ethernet portfolio for your space-constrained use cases.

Source: cisco.com