A managed switch is a network switch that offers additional functions and is used for configuration and monitoring. It can be more easily adapted to the necessary requirements due to the manual configuration.
In contrast to unmanaged switches, they offer more options, but require experienced administrators or technicians. Managed switches allow the setting and monitoring of ports, which ensures the management and configuration of the network. The switches also offer better control over data management in a LAN (Local Area Network), i.e. which data is transmitted over the network and who has access to the data. This is made possible by the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), which monitors all these statistics, such as network errors, data throughput or port status.
Managed switches are used in large corporate networks with many devices, as they offer better control over data traffic and network topology, e.g. security functions can be configured. However, managed switches are more expensive than unmanaged switches. The performance, security and reliability of a network can be efficiently optimized and problems can be identified and resolved.