How Insight Global transforms with Cisco SD-WAN

As a child, I was fascinated with organisms that change shape. I collected tadpoles in the wild and watched them transform into frogs. I also collected caterpillars and saw them change into chrysalis and then into adult butterflies.

Metamorphosis is one of the key elements that make organisms so successful. Many organisms transform from their early life stages with a completely different appearance as adults. This means that organisms can adapt and evolve, to be able to thrive in a new environment as adults.

Continuing from my recent blog on metamorphosis, Cisco is constantly helping organizations to adapt and to transform. One of the organizations that recently has successfully undergone this transformation is Insight Global.

Insight Global offers staffing and managed services consultancy catering to organizations of different sizes across multiple industries. Founded in 2001, Insight Global has grown exponentially with over 68 offices across 35 US states, the District of Columbia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The company is actively pursuing a forward-looking IT strategy with integrated capabilities for multicloud, security, and application optimization—irrespective of employee’s location.

Migrating to next-gen SD-WAN

Insight Global recently collaborated with Cisco to migrate to the next generation of SD-WAN platforms built on Cisco IOS XE. The migration process started with a single Cisco 1100 Series Integrated Service Router (ISR) under a test environment. Once the initial migration evaluation was successful, the company quickly expanded into multiple locations eventually reaching 64 locations to date. All this is achieved with a lean IT team consisting of just five staff under six months.

“Our migration into the next generation of SD-WAN has been truly a team effort. I felt very supported by Cisco. From CX migration tools, feature templates, a detailed reference guide, to a dedicated support team guiding us through each step of this transformation. While there are some learning curves just as in any migration, overall, it was a seamless and smooth process.”

Michael Kutka, Manager, Network Services

Performance, SASE, and Streamline Operations

This transformation enabled Insight Global to successfully achieve multiple business objectives. First, this migration has consolidated Cisco 1100 Series ISRs into Cisco IOS XE, providing a standard platform for future SD-WAN innovations. Second, deep integration between Cisco IOS XE and Cisco Umbrella established a clear path for Insight Global toward a SASE architecture. Lastly, Cisco ISO XE provides a familiar code base whereby Insight Global’s IT team can easily manage and troubleshoot existing routers while implementing additional Cisco routers such as Cisco Catalyst 8000 Edge Platforms Family.

At Cisco, we are constantly innovating to help our customers transform, enabling them to address their evolving needs. One of these innovations is Cisco IOS XE, the engine of Cisco SD-WAN that is optimized for cloud connectivity, and enhanced visibility, and built for a SASE architecture. Just like metamorphosis, digital transformation drives business resiliency, allowing organizations to thrive in the face of constant change.