Avocent Corporation, a provider of IT infrastructure management solutions, has released its next-generation switching appliance, MergePoint Unity, that supports both KVM over IP and serial console management technology.

According to Dennis Drogseth, vice president, Enterprise Management Associates, the newly launched switching appliance from Avocent (News - Alert) represents a solid step forward in remote data center management. The switch, as noted by Drogseth, is capable of enabling IT administrators’ with considerable flexibility and power to manage nearly every piece of IT equipment found in their data centers and remote branch locations.

Avocent MergePoint Unity is capable of helping IT administrators to have significant cost savings and also a reduction for in-person management needs. As stated, the new switch will help them to have a streamlined management of the multitude of devices in data center racks, including servers, storage, networking and serial appliances.

MergePoint Unity switches are optimized for data centers or for branch data centers with a mix of KVM and serial targets. The device pairs complete platform flexibility with serial connectivity through a KVM appliance to extend the features offered by the current generation of Avocent DSR switches. In combination with DSView 3 management software, the new switch is stated to offer enterprise-class and branch data centers the required management solution for remote device and equipment control.

The company also mentioned that the MergePoint Unity appliance is standards-based for maximum interoperability, and thus allows administrators to see immediate progress towards Return on Investment soon after the deployment.

Some of the noted benefits of this new switch includes; Serial IQ module support which allows for bi-directional communication; Virtual Media support which allows a user to mount/map a USB media or mass storage devices directly to a remote computer through a physical USB connection to the MergePoint Unity switch; CAC/Smart Card reader support where a remote admin can quickly and securely authenticate remote servers; Dual Power and ethernet options for critical configurations.

Additionally, the new switch comes with enhanced video experience that supports for 1280x1024 video resolutions giving IT administrators better target computer and remote-client viewer capabilities. Moreover, the ACI port allows for single console view of tiered targets from local console.

Apart from these, when launched from the MergePoint Unity appliance, the local port is said to maintain the same look and feel as the web interface.

"Today's economic forces are putting pressure on IT department budgets, and IT managers need the technology solutions they deploy to meet current needs, evolve with them as they change, and continue to add value over time," said Ben Grimes, senior vice president of Corporate Strategy and chief technology officer with Avocent.

"Our new MergePoint Unity switch design, features and cost advantages help IT managers maximize their monitoring and management of data center and branch facilities by combining KVM, USB and serial capabilities into one solution to manage the variety of equipment in the racks,” added Grimes.

Grimes also clarified that the MergePoint Unity meets the technical needs of forward-looking IT department administrators, and at the same time also addresses the relevant budget-related priorities of the enterprise CIO, today.