Fortinet FortiSwitch 248D Secured Access Switch (FS-248D)

Forty-eight gigabit ports in a shallow 246 mm depth chassis — the FortiSwitch 248D was designed for rack rows where space is tight and port density matters. Running at 104 Gbps of non-blocking capacity with sub-microsecond latency, it clears any practical gigabit workload across a full floor of workstations, IP phones, and server connections. FortiLink authorization from a FortiGate turns it into a managed access switch in minutes.

Hardware at a Glance

Where the 248D Fits

At 246 mm depth, the 248D fits in shallow-depth enclosures and two-post racks often found in older buildings or server rooms with limited cabinet clearance. The 48 access ports serve a full floor of up to 48 wired endpoints — desktops, VoIP phones, IP printers — without requiring PoE, which keeps power consumption at a quiet 38.66 W average. The four GE SFP uplinks connect the switch to a core layer or directly to a FortiGate appliance.

FortiLink enables the FortiGate to push VLAN assignments, 802.1X policies, dynamic port profiles, and firmware updates across all managed switches centrally. The 248D is particularly common in mid-size offices where all endpoints are wired and PoE is delivered separately via dedicated injectors for the few cameras or phones that need it.

No PoE: Is That a Problem?

For many deployments, no. Workstations, servers, and most printers draw power from AC outlets, not the switch. If a site has a small number of PoE devices — an AP here, a camera there — individual injectors cost less than a full PoE switch. The 248D is the right choice when the majority of endpoints are non-PoE and cost-per-port efficiency matters. If most or all ports need PoE, the FS-248E-POE or FS-248E-FPOE variants are worth considering.

Who Uses the 248D

IT administrators upgrading aging unmanaged 48-port switches to something FortiGate-aware find the 248D straightforward to justify: same port count, full L2/L3 management, and FortiLink onboarding in under ten minutes. Managed service providers standardizing a customer fleet on Fortinet gear often include the 248D as the access layer in deployments where the FortiGate handles the security and the switch handles connectivity.

Moving Up: The FS-448E

When uplink speed becomes the bottleneck, the FortiSwitch 448E (Campus series) provides 48 GE access ports with 10GE SFP+ uplinks, higher MAC address capacity, and the full Campus feature set. It operates under the same FortiLink management model. DataCenter360.ca stocks the FS-448E alongside the 248D for sites planning a phased refresh.

Buying from DataCenter360.ca

DataCenter360.ca ships the FS-248D from Canadian stock with free delivery across the country. As an authorized Fortinet Select Partner, we can source this unit alongside FortiCare support contracts, transceivers, and DAC cables in a single order. Fortinet-certified engineers are on hand to help with deployment sizing and FortiLink design before you buy.