Typically when someone refers to a 'Switched PDU' they typically mean the ability to remotely power-on or power-off a piece of equipment which is connected to that PDU.

A 'Switched PDU' falls into the category of "Smart PDU's" or 'Intelligent PDUs' as they contain an integrated circuit which can provide a variety of switching mechanisms and monitoring circuitry to enable Power Consumption to be recorded and/or alarms to be configured.

With a switched PDU, a user can remotely deactivate a piece of equipment, power-cycle it, or reactivate when safe to do so. All without having to be physically present at the Rack Enclosure where the PDU and connected equipment is located.

Switched PDU's do sell at a premium price due to the cost of the additional circuitry that is added to each individual unit. However this additional price may have a great ROI if it saves frequently and costly visits by a contractor in order to access the Rack Enclosure with the PDU

enLogic are at the forefront of Intelligent PDU technology and have a variety of models available to suit the outlet configuration required for any particular installation. 

Alternatively there are manual switching options also available where a physical switch is located on the outlet-face, or another face of the PDU. This means a user can physically turn off a piece of equipment while doing maintenance or installations. This can be more cost-effective if there is no cost-barrier to accessing the rack enclosure with your PDU installed.