Should I choose managed switches or unmanaged switches?

When selecting the right type of switch to meet your needs, one consideration is whether to use a managed switch or an unmanaged switch.

Unmanaged switches use autonegotiated ports to determine parameters, such as data rates and whether to use half-duplex or full-duplex mode. Additionally, unmanaged switches have no concept of virtual LANs (VLANs). Thus, all devices belong to the same broadcast domain.Unmanaged switches do maintain a media access control (MAC) address table, however. This table tracks dynamically learned MAC addresses and the corresponding switch port on which the MAC address was learned. The inclusion of a MAC address table means unmanaged network switches offer a separate, per-port collision domain.

A collision occurs when two devices within the same domain attempt to send data at the exact same time. If this occurs, the switch drops both packets, and the end devices are forced to retransmit. A collision domain is a Layer 2 network boundary where devices can send a broadcast frame and reach all devices within said segment.

Managed switches let users adjust each port on the switch to any setting, enabling them to manage, configure and monitor the network in many ways. They also provide greater control over how data travels over the network and who can access that data.Managed switches generally offer Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), which enables users to monitor the statuses of the switch and individual switch ports and provides statistics like traffic throughput, network errors and port status. Network admins can track this data over time and use it for both troubleshooting and network capacity purposes.

Managed switch ports can be configured as trunks, a process that tags data frames with a VLAN ID and transports multiple VLAN frames across a single link. Trunk ports are typically used to connect two switches together or to connect a switch to a VM server that requires access to multiple VLANs. Admins can also virtually combine multiple ports to form port aggregated links that transport at two, four and eight times the speed of a single link.

Lastly, managed network switches usually have a remotely accessible console -- command-line or web interface -- to enable administrators to make configuration changes or adjustments from different physical locations.

How should I choose between managed and unmanaged switches? 

Unmanaged switches are designed to just plug in and run, with no settings to configure. These are fine to use in small networks with only basic needs.Unmanaged switches are most often seen in very small, uncomplicated networks with only a dozen or so devices connected and without critical requirements for security and availability.

Managed switches, however, are fully configurable, are customizable, and provide a range of data on performance. Those attributes make them more suitable for larger networks and networks supporting critical activities. Typically, such networks power enterprise-level businesses, government agencies, universities, and healthcare organizations.