Does Your Client Actually Need 2.5-Gig? (EP 1093)

About this episode

I’ve been buying more 2.5-gig switches lately, and another MSP asked me a fair question: Why? That sent me down a bigger rabbit hole about what we’re actually solving when we upgrade a client’s network. I’m flying solo for this conversation, sharing where I’m using Ubiquiti switches, why I still put 10G connections on servers and Synology storage, and where plain old gigabit still does the job. The takeaway is purpose. Faster ports can make sense for shared storage, database traffic, backups, and switch uplinks. But if the devices and workloads can’t take advantage of them, we might just be buying a bigger number. I’m looking at the practical reasons to upgrade, along with the questions we should ask before spending the client’s money. === Chapters • 00:48 Uncle Marv’s IT Business Podcast Introduction • 01:19 Why MSPs Are Buying **Ubiquiti** 2.5G Switches • 05:12 NetAlly LinkRunner 100G Network Tester • 09:55 Gigabit vs. 2.5G: When Should MSPs Upgrade? • 14:33 Faster Networks for SQL Databases, NAS, and Backups • 17:10 Network Bottlenecks, Switch Uplinks, and Wi-Fi 7 • 20:26 Choosing Compact Switches for Ports, Power, and PoE • 24:01 When a 2.5G Network Upgrade Isn’t Worth It •