- Virtual CIO
How to Create an IT Policy Framework for Your Business
5 Dec, 2025





£210.60 inc. VAT
AI-generated summary
The ATEN CS1308 is one of those KVMs that feels “grown up”: dependable switching, proper hardware design, and no faffing around when you just need one set of keyboard/mouse/monitor to control multiple machines. At ~£175 ex-VAT, it’s not cheap, but it’s also not mystery pricing—this is the sort of unit you buy once for an office/server room use case where downtime matters. The rack-mount form factor is a genuine plus if you’re standardising gear across comms/security rooms rather than sticking it on a shelf.
Who it suits: IT teams and resellers supporting small-to-mid deployments—think server rooms, test labs, or shared admin consoles—where you want simple access to 8 computers without paying for “enterprise” bulk switching. Who should hesitate: if you only need occasional access or you’ve got a modern environment where you’d rather consolidate via more flexible management approaches, you might be over-investing. Also, because it’s tied to KVM-style connectivity, it’s not the best fit if your real requirement is USB device sharing across many endpoints rather than controlling multiple machines with one console. If you want a stable, rack-friendly way to manage multiple boxes, this is a sensible buy; if you don’t have that need, spend the money elsewhere.

STARTECH
StarTech.com USB 3.0 to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter - 10/100/1000 NIC Network Adapter - USB 3.0 Laptop to RJ45 LAN (USB31000S) - Network adapter - USB 3.0 - Gigabit Ethernet - black

ATEN
ATEN MasterView CS1732B KVMP Switch - KVM / audio / USB switch - 2 x KVM / audio / USB - 1 local user - desktop

ATEN
ATEN UC3002A - Adapter - 24 pin USB-C (M) to HD-15 (VGA) (F) - USB 3.2 Gen 1 / Thunderbolt 3 / DisplayPort (Alt Mode) - 9.6 cm - 1920 x 1200 (WUXGA) support - black

STARTECH
StarTech.com 10ft (3m) USB to Serial Adapter Cable, Interchangeable DB9 Screws/Nuts, COM Retention, USB-A to DB9 RS232, FTDI IC, Level-4 ESD Protection, Windows/macOS/ChromeOS/Linux - Rugged TPE Construction (1P10FFC-USB-SERIAL) - USB / serial cable - USB (M) to DB-9 (M) - 3 m - black