• Switches allow you to route data throughout your computer network.network image by Allyson Ricketts from Fotolia.com
  
  Websense, Inc. is an international company that is headquartered in San Diego, California, and it specializes in online content security, including data, web and email security. These products are designed for businesses. A network switch allows you to connect different parts of your computer network, and it views and relays data across your network. Before you can use a network switch with your Websense software, you need one that is compatible, and Websense is compatible with Cisco switches, especially the 6500 series.
  
  

6509-E

• The Cisco Catalyst 6509-E Switch is an external device, which means that you don't need to open up your computer and install it inside your computer. Instead, you just need to plug it into your network, and you need an Ethernet cable to do this. This product is compatible with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.3a/f standards, and it is compatible with wide area network (WAN) modules. A WAN module is a computer network that is comprised of two or more local area networks (LANs). This product also supports 10G Ethernet modules, which can transfer data at 1G per second, but not all computer systems support this technology. so you should ensure that your system can handle this before upgrading your switch. This product number for this device is WS-C6509-E, and it starts at approximately $4,500.
  
  

Catalyst 6513-E

• This switch is designed for larger networks, and it comes with 13 ports. This switch also supports 10G Ethernet modules, and it can transfer data at 100 Megabytes per second (Mbps), and it meets IEEE 802.3a/f standards. Other features of this device include that is supports up to 8,700 watt (W) direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC) power supplies, and shared port adapter (SPA) interface processors. As of 2010, this product starts at $3,000.
  
  

6503-E

• The Cisco Catalyst 6503-E Switch comes with three ports, and it is designed for companies that need to remotely access their computer systems and supports 10G Ethernet modules and SPA interface processors, and it supports Flex WAN modules. Other features of this switch include that it allows you to monitor system failures and it also allows you to deploy software upgrades across your network. Other features of this switch include that it comes with Cisco's intrusion prevention systems (IPS), which keeps track of your network to determine whether or not your system is being attacked by viruses or hackers, and it also comes with uniform resource locator (URL) filtering. As of 2010, this product costs approximately $19,800.