How long does it take to get value from your complex software platforms? How about less than an hour? Gian Paolo Boarina takes a look at the setup process for Cisco’s Network Assurance Engine and shows you how to get value from your installation in less time than it takes to eat lunch!
Cisco
Hands On with Cisco Network Assurance Engine
This is post 5 of 7 in the series “Cisco Network Assurance Engine” Previous posts in this series have discussed the theory behind Cisco’s Network Assurance Engine (NAE) and how it can help detect issues stemming from changes in the network. This post, in contrast, is mostly hands-on with the software. It includes screenshots showing […]
Cisco Live US 2018 Live Blog
Tom Hollingsworth is on the ground at Cisco Live US 2018, live blogging the keynote. Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins will be speaking at 10:30am ET. Catch the live stream here and share your thoughts as well.
Configuration and Hardware Assurance in the Datacenter with Cisco Network Assurance Engine
In this post, Gian Paolo Boarina looks at how Cisco Network Assurance Engine can assure the datacenter fabric is working as expected for configuration correctness, endpoints and hardware resources.
Change Doesn’t Have To Be a Four Letter Word
Change management is the bane of most network engineers, and anything that helps increase confidence in the change process and minimize downtime is extremely valuable. Lower outage rates on changes could also lead to a more flexible change policy, reducing out-of-hours requirements – which is a benefit all round. John Herbert looks at how Cisco Network Assurance Engine is a key component in the change management process, and as additional devices and technologies are supported, the value of NAE will continue to grow.
Assure Network Security Policy and Compliance in the Data Center with Cisco Network Assurance Engine
The time for a better way to deploy and operate data centers and networks is mature now. New products in Cisco’s catalogue show a shared roadmap based on a common theme Cisco refers to as “Intent-Based Networking”. One such product, Cisco Network Assurance Engine (NAE) was publicly released at Cisco Live Barcelona this past January. NAE can provide configuration and state validation as well as security compliance testing for an ACI fabric. Gian Paolo Boarina looks at some of the details.
Verify, Or Die Trying: Observations on Change Management
All networks have one thing in common; the need to change. However, change is inherently risky. Anticipating the potential side-effects of any given change, especially in a complex network, can be extremely challenging. Programmers and network engineers both need to follow consistent processes to minimize the impact of changes, and this post examines the need for good verification as a pillar of change control.
Router vs. Switch
Not sure if you know if a switch or a router is the appropriate device for your particular networking needs? You’re not alone. Between feature rich switches, fast-enough routers, NFV, and SD-WAN it can be tough to determine which is the best for your situation, even when you know all your requirements. From Pete Welcher’s […]
Rolling Out SD-WAN at REI
REI is a very well-known company in the outdoor gear space. They have 153 stores all over the world and are a respected leader in retail. They’re also a trailblazer in adoption of SD-WAN, as their recent plan to roll out Viptela SD-WAN appliances to their stores demonstrated. In a presentation for FutureWAN 18, Adam Burton, Rich Russell, and Mayra Guia detailed their reasons for moving to SD-WAN to increase stability and ease of use, standardize on protocols, and gain visibility and reporting into their wide network of retail stores.
Do You Want to Build a Cloud? Gestalt IT Rundown: February 14, 2018
Tom Hollingsworth and Rich Stroffolino discuss the IT news of the week. This week they talk about how cloud CapEx has doubled since 2014, how bad the Cisco ASA flaw is, and a survey that shows CIOs like buzzwords.