1. A financial market data network, comprising: one or more initial communication interfaces adapted to facilitate communications between the network and one or more external financial exchanges that provide raw financial market data; one or more secondary communication interfaces adapted to facilitate communications between the network and one or more external consumers of the raw financial market data provided by the one or more external financial exchanges; a first specialized switch situated between at least one of the initial communication interfaces and at least one of the secondary communication interfaces, wherein said first specialized switch includes a first switching fabric that is adapted to facilitate communications between the one or more external financial exchanges and the one or more external consumers; a first processor within the first specialized switch, the first processor being configured to: receive raw financial market data directly from the one or more external financial exchanges without the received raw financial market data first traveling through the first switching fabric; process the received raw financial market data into a normalized format before the financial market data is sent through the first switching fabric; route and send the normalized financial market data through the first switching fabric; and when the normalized data is acted upon: receive a trade command based on the normalized financial market data; route the trade command through the first switching fabric; and forward the trade command to the one or more external financial exchanges without the trade command undergoing further processing within the first specialized switch; a second specialized switch situated between at least one of the initial communication interfaces and at least one of the secondary communication interfaces, wherein said second specialized switch includes a second switching fabric that is adapted to facilitate communications between the one or more external financial exchanges and the one or more external consumers; a second processor within the second specialized switch, the second processor being configured to: receive second raw financial market data directly from the one or more external financial exchanges without the received second raw financial market data first traveling through the second switching fabric; process the received second raw financial market data into the normalized format before the second financial market data is sent through the second switching fabric; route and send the normalized second financial market data through the second switching fabric; and when the second normalized data is acted upon: receive a second trade command based on the normalized financial market data; route the second trade command through the second switching fabric; and forward the second trade command to the one or more external financial exchanges without the second trade command undergoing further processing within the second specialized switch; wherein the first and second specialized switches are a pair of redundant specialized switches.