A few weeks ago, I went to Tokyo for the first time. I wanted to try the various cuisines this city had to offer.  After all, it is the city with the most Michelin star restaurants in the world.  For recommendations, I turned to my trusted sources: friends, family and the Internet.   I was able to gather tons of information on which restaurant to go to and items to try out from the menu.  Nothing says more authentic than a testimony of someone who experienced it.

So instead of repeating ourselves about how great the new application delivery platform from Cisco is, we decided to let you hear the story from your peers. Cisco ISR-AX is based on the industry leading ISR G2 with all the application services you need in the branch including Application Visibility and Control (AVC), WAN optimization (WAAS), and security. As customers centralize applications to the Data Center and Cloud, the gap between the users and the information they need is widening.  It directly impacts employee productivity and for some companies, their customer experience.

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Tags: Cisco, ISR-AX, router, What is the ISR-AX?

In my previous Blogs I have talked about Megatrends including BYOD, the Next-Generation Workspace, Video and the Internet of Things. One unfortunate reality all of these trends have in common is that they are going to put additional stress on your current Network and Security Infrastructure and Operational Process.

TrustSec uniquely offers the welcome opportunity to improve and extend Security Policy Control and the same time make it easier to Operate and Maintain. This post concludes the mini-series on TrustSec. Previous Blogs have looked at TrustSec in the DC and applied to VDI.  Here I have asked Dave Berry Cisco TSA to take a step back and look at the bigger picture from Network Access to the DC. Read More »

Tags: Cisco, Megatrends, network access, policy control, routers, SGT, TrustSec, vpn

When it comes down to it, MGM Resorts International’s focus revolves around its guests. And today, an important facet of hospitality includes an accessible, reliable network. But it doesn’t serve only the resort’s visitors; the network has also become a vital part of the business.

Being one of many major resorts on the renowned Las Vegas Strip, MGM Resorts was anxious to connect with guests – and have guests connect to them. So MGM partnered with Cisco to implement an IT infrastructure that would give guests what they were asking for while also enhancing business-focused technology capabilities. Read More »

Tags: Cisco, connected mobile experiences, Hospitality IT, Hospitality WiFi, MGM Resorts

In my last post, I discussed the importance of a strong network foundation.  Let’s get a little deeper into this now. The strategies depicted in the diagram below have been developed over nearly two decades of Cisco Services experience in the field.  These outline what MUST be addressed in order to successfully and fully optimize your investment.  Omission of any one will induce risk into the project.  I will highlight this as we pass through the strategies.

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Tags: Cisco, design zone, five strategies for optimized network design, Hardware Optimization, Network design, NOS, services, strategy

Your NOC Your Way at Interop

Over the last few weeks, we’ve started to unpack some of the focus-group discussions we’ve recently had with hundreds of IT professionals.  The goal of these focus groups was to help as Cisco continues to ensure we’re meeting our customers’ needs.  We’ve discussed some of the top priorities for network managers including, keeping users happy, reducing the dreaded help desk calls, and improving ROI while reducing overall operational costs.

These and other top concerns for IT professionals were paired up with Cisco and partner technologies to show real solutions.  These solutions have been on display at Interop at the Cisco booth in our NOC area and will likewise be at the Borderless Networks booth at CiscoLive Orlando.  Jimmy Ray Purser and Rob Boyd caught up with the architect of this NOC, Marlowe Fenne to get an introduction to the Unified Access solution.

In this video you’ll see quick ways to: Read More »

Tags: applications, Cisco, interop, Network Managers, NOC, ROI, security, Techwise