Cisco recently unveiled their intent-based network solutions, representing one of the most significant breakthroughs ever revealed to enterprise networking. The delivery is the culmination of Cisco’s goal to create a system that anticipates actions, evolves, learns, and stops security threats before they emerge. This new network will help businesses to unlock opportunities unlike ever before.
With the clear majority of the internet traffic across the world running through Cisco, the brand has used its position to capture crucial data, accessing insights that allow its system to anticipate issues and spot anomalies in real-time, without a compromise on privacy. Already, 75 globally-leading organisations are using these solutions, including NASA, the Jade University of Applied Sciences, and Scentsy.
A New World of Information
With this new development, Cisco has changed the networking world for good, with the most advanced software around. This shift to software-driven networking will give customers the chance to enjoy unmatched agility, performance, and productivity. It comes down to three distinct pillars:
- Intent: Intent-based networking means that IT can move to automated systems, managing millions of devices in minutes.
- Context: Interpreting contextual data allows for new insights, providing an intuitive network that results in better security, faster operations, and improved customisations.
- Intuition: The latest network provides scale machine-learning, using the vast scores of data that flow through Cisco networks to provide predictable, actionable insights.
What Powers the Intuitive Network?
The Cisco Digital Network Architecture, or “DNA“, offers customers an innovative hardware and software portfolio to energise the new networking era. Today, Cisco is offering a host of new DNA technologies that work together to empower customers to move into digital transformation. These updates include:
- The DNA Centre: An intuitive management dashboard that offers intent-based approaches for IT teams, spanning policy, assurance, provisioning, and design. DNA centre allows IT teams to centralise network function management.
- SD-Access: SD-Access uses automated network segmentation and policy enforcement to simplify network access for things, devices, and users. With the automation of daily tasks, SD-Access streamlines network adaption, improves issue resolution, and reduces the impact of security breaches. Initial analytics have shown reductions in network provisioning of 67%, reduced security breach impact of 48%, improved issue resolution of 80% and OpEx savings of 61%.
- Assurance and Network Data Platforms: The new analytics platform manages and correlates the huge amounts of data in the Cisco network, and makes the most of machine learning to transform it into business intelligence, business analytics, and actionable DNA centre insights.
- Encrypted Traffic Analysis: Almost half of today’s cyber-attacks are hidden in encrypted traffic. Cisco’s “Talos” cyber intelligence combined with machine learning can allow users to analyse traffic patterns and identify the presence of known threats, even when they’re hiding in encryptions. This is something that only Cisco can do with up to 99% accuracy and less than 0.01% false positive reports.
- Catalyst 9000 Switching: Cisco is offering a new portfolio of switches designed for the digital era. They focus on managing the demands of cloud, mobility, security, and IoT. The Catalyst 9000 offers unmatched security, performance, and programmability by innovating both software (IOS XE) and hardware (ASIC) layers.
- Software Subscriptions: Cisco now offers software subscription as an essential part of its flagship switching portfolio. With Catalyst 9000, users will be able to make the most of DNA software solutions by subscription, by either purchasing the pre-bundled Cisco ONE software, or other a-la-carte methods.
- DNA Services: To assist customers in embracing this intuitive networking solution, Cisco has developed a portfolio of solutions that leverage innovative tools and best practices. Whether transforming their entire network or integrating new elements into an existing network, Cisco has a range of implementation, advisory, and optimisation services to help. Channel partners will also have the opportunity to resell Cisco services.
- Development Centre: Finally, Cisco is also releasing the new DevNet DNA Developer Centre with resources to assist developers and IT professionals in creating network-powered applications and integrate them within IT systems. This will include sandboxes, learning tracks, and developer resources for using APIs and more.
