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  What are the most common mistakes made when purchasing KVM switches?

What are the most common mistakes made when purchasing KVM switches?


The biggest mistake is buying on lowest cost as the only factor without considering future needs. The most common mistake is buying a KVM switch that will solve your problems for today only. When this occurs, end users come back to the seller saying that they recently purchased a KVM solution but they bought this new system XYZ that does A, B and C; however the KVM switch was not designed to support D and E. This type of issue will cause the user to either buy a new separate KVM solution or set the system up as a separate entity. Ultimately, this is frustrating to the end user.

Accessories
On more complicated systems that require Server Access Modules (adapters that hang off the back of each PC or server) and various types of accessories for mounting and access, users may mistakenly read a marketing article that tries to sell them a switch only and does not mention that the user is required to have the additional accessories to make it work.

If the switch is ordered without these accessories, the installer will get it and be very frustrated. When purchasing the more complicated systems, keep in mind that KVM switches that use any sort of CATx cable will ultimately force you into buying another device that connects to both ends to encode/decode the signals. 		  Compatibility
Another very common mistake is users purchasing different types of equipment from different manufacturers (KVM switch from vendor A, KVM extender from vendor B, and a KVM tray from vendor C) and being surprised to encounter problems. When performing the initial installation and configuration, 90 percent of these users will realize very quickly that they will have many compatibility issues on their hands.

At Black Box, if we suggest a solution that includes connecting more than one system, we make sure to have it fully tested and qualified so the end user will not have to struggle to make it work.


Please contact us for more information on purchasing the KVM solution that best fits your needs.