In the first two segments of this blog series, I focused on two of the three cornerstones to success in Borderless Networks – Workplace Transformation, and Technology Leadership. The former targeted the connected user and the latter took aim at the technology at work within the network itself.

For the final segment in this series, let’s turn our attention away from systems and technology and focus on Operational Excellence. How does one take all this advanced technology and effectively and efficiently respond to all the user and business demands that accompany this brave, new borderless world? After all, even the richest and “rightest” technology solution will fall short of expectations if it is not bolstered by 1) a proven set of best practices, 2) a strong support structure, and 3) an accurate and complete view of network costs and value.

Let’s examine each of these key operational components.

Best Practices and Borderless Networks

In today’s connected world, business systems and processes are built to take advantage of the network. And just as business systems and processes are unique to individual customers, so too are their networks. Special network service requirements can be dictated by customer business model… or industry pressures… or geographic location… and on and on.

At a business level, Cisco functions as a strategic partner. Industry experts advise customers on networking norms and trends. This advice can target a specific vertical industry such as health care or government. Or it can take aim at horizontal business functions such as remote collaboration or customer care. And Cisco backs up this advice with networking solutions that get you up and running quickly. Examples include, PCI for Retail, Medical-Grade Network 2.0 for health care, and Citizen Connect for governments.

At a technical level, Cisco provides IT and network staff with expert analysis, proven designs, certified training, and technology management best practices. Cisco’s Design Zone and the Cisco Security Center serve as two prime sources of in-depth technical guidance. Cisco makes sure you do networking right… from the start. Here, the breadth and depth of technical guidance offered to customers is unmatched in the industry.

In addition, Cisco also leads by example. Cisco IT has long been recognized as a leader in supporting the networked organization. Our internal expertise and experience is passed on to customers, enabling them to learn from our successes – and yes, our mistakes. Cisco is also recognized for its leadership in Green IT practices. Teleworking, remote collaboration, and resource virtualization are all of strong influence within Cisco. And for those customers looking to take advantage of developing cloud services, Cisco is an active provider (WebEx Collaboration Cloud) and partner with cloud service providers.

Cisco works hard to make sure you do networking right. As my father was always fond of saying, “Do it right. Do it once.”

Support Services and Borderless Networks

The strength of network support services, whether you’re looking at your own internal offerings or those of your technology providers, is a prime determinant of networking success. From design to deployment to operations to innovation, how well you support your business and your end users determines how successful you are in networking. This is not to say that technology or solutions or products don’t matter. They do. What this says is that support service excellence leads you to use the right solutions and then use them most effectively and efficiently.

Cisco offers a wide range of services options. This allows customers to best balance their support requirements with their support budget. Cisco’s enhanced Limited Lifetime Warranty (LLW) reduces maintenance costs, while still providing solid support. Above and beyond LLW, Cisco offers a wide range of services options — from basic (e.g., Smart Foundation) to premium (e.g., SMARTnet and Smart Care) to advanced (e.g., Security Assessment and UC Migration). Cisco will even co-manage your network through our Remote Management Service (RMS).

Customers are provided further flexibility through Cisco direct and on-line service capabilities. Both Cisco’s Technical Assistance Centers and web-based support are award-winning. No one supports networks like Cisco.

In order to optimize support for Borderless Networks, Cisco also offers a single service contract that covers the core technologies within the Borderless Network Architecture – routing, switching, security, and mobility. For example, Cisco’s Network Optimization Service encompasses all four of these core technologies, allowing Cisco to optimize your Borderless Network as one single business system.

Whatever your preference in service levels or service delivery methods, you can rest assured that, with Cisco, you’re receiving the best support available in the industry. No other vendor comes close to offering 5 global TACs and over 1,500 support engineers dedicated to network support. Additionally, as you look to staff your own IT organization, the more than one million Cisco-certified network technicians represents a huge source of talent from which to draw. Combined, Cisco’s resources and your resources ensure that your network and your organization overall is provided the best possible service and the best possible service levels.

Cost Savings and Borderless Networks

Operating expenses typically account for 75-80% of the networking budget. It makes sense then that operational efficiency drives the greatest network-related cost savings. That doesn’t mean that capital expenses should be ignored. You must save wherever you can. Beyond network-related CapEx and OpEx, you should also be mindful of costs that can be directly influenced by the network. For example, downtime results in lower productivity, customer dissatisfaction, and lost revenue. Underutilized resources result in over-spending on systems and support.

Networking devices that support multiple services (e.g., connectivity, security, voice, mobility…) eliminate the need for specialized devices and reduce network complexity. Service intelligence and modular designs also extend the service life of equipment, protecting your investment over time. The result: CapEx and OpEx savings.

Cisco further reduces OpEx through such key capabilities as zero-touch service activation and management automation. For example, Cisco’s ISR allows remote provisioning of integrated services. Cisco’s Embedded Event Manager (EEM) automates common tasks and problem handling.

Cisco’s industry-leading high availability features help avoid scheduled and unscheduled downtime. For example, Cisco’s ISSU allow software updates while the device remains in service. Cisco’s CleanAir technology assures the integrity of your wireless network environment. On the security side, industry-leading products and practices ensure your network is protected from forced downtime or slowdowns. These same security solutions also help you avoid productivity losses when users are remote or mobile. For example, Cisco Virtual Office (CVO) provides for full protection and productivity for teleworkers.

Resource savings extend beyond the network through key virtualization (e.g., VLANs, DMVPN) and sustainability (e.g., EnergyWise, CVO) services. Here, reductions in IT systems, energy use, and facilities requirements drive savings across both IT and the business.

Cisco EnergyWise also serves as a prime example of how the role of the network is expanding to drive value beyond traditional IT enablement. Today, operating as energy management software on Catalyst switches and Cisco Integrated Services Routers (ISR), Cisco EnergyWise along with its Orchestrator management console and PC client software, measures, monitors, and controls power demands of a variety of networked devices (e.g., IP phones, WLAN APs, PCs, and servers). Cisco’s complementary Network Building Mediator enables heightened control over the power demands and energy costs relating to the facilities infrastructure – e.g., lighting controls and HVAC systems. In the future, Cisco EnergyWise and Mediator integration combined with technology partnerships will further consolidate energy controls across the network, providing you with complete control over your organization’s energy consumption and costs.

Last, but certainly not least, Cisco provides for direct cost savings on equipment and maintenance through a number of key programs. Product bundles reduce the cost of purchasing commonly grouped networking systems and components. Cisco Capital Finance provides flexible leasing options when customers are looking to balance CapEx and OpEx and adapt their networks as new demands arise. Trade-in allowances reduce network refresh costs – and support sustainable electronic waste initiatives and directives. And, as mentioned above, Cisco’s enhanced Limited Lifetime Warranty further reduces the cost of the Cisco solution.

As you see, doing Borderless Networks right involves far more than picking the brightest technology, the best solution, or the cheapest product. It is as much technique as it is technology. Are you doing networking right? Are your suppliers and service providers doing right by you? Think you’ll do this once? Or will it take you multiple tries to get it right? Remember… Do it right. Do it once.

I hope you enjoyed this series on Borderless Networks. Let us know what you think. And as always… let us know what you — and your network — need.

]]> http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/IT-watch-blog/borderless-networks-driving-operational-excellence-sponsored/feed/ 0 http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/IT-watch-blog/borderless-networks-ensuring-technology-leadership-sponsored/ http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/IT-watch-blog/borderless-networks-ensuring-technology-leadership-sponsored/#comments Thu, 29 Apr 2010 13:30:57 +0000 Guest Author http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/IT-watch-blog/?p=903 This sponsored guest is from Cisco Systems and was written by Mark Leary, a Cisco senior strategist and Chief Marketing Officer – Network Systems.

In my last blog, I outlined the three cornerstones of success for Borderless Networks – Workplace Transformation, Technology Leadership, and Operational Excellence. I also offered a detailed view into how Borderless Networks accelerates the transformation of the workplace by enabling the visual, mobile, and in-the-moment user experience.

Let’s now turn our attention to Technology Leadership within the network infrastructure itself. In this always-on ever-connected borderless world, leadership in networking is a critical success factor for all organizations. And no longer is the network judged as a tactical IT-serving utility. Now, it is judged even more critically as a strategic business resource.

Key questions to ask include… How does the network best deliver rich and consistent services? How does the network best protect connected resources and users? And finally, how does the network best adapt to new business demands and absorb new technology advancements? Let’s answer each of these three key questions now.

The Network Best Delivers via a Systems Approach.

The network is a critical business system, with many components required to work as one.

Extensible systems and integrated services combine to multiply the value of the Borderless Network. Cisco’s wide-ranging portfolio allows freedom of choice for the customer. Designed-in hardware assists and a wide range of network and service modules ensure that the network delivers not only rich services, but also provides consistent performance when services are turned on. The Cisco Integrated Services Router (ISR), with its extensive services capabilities, serves as a prime example here. Embedded hardware assists for voice, video, and security processing heighten ISR service capabilities and service quality.

Consistent services and common components also enable cost savings and operational efficiency. Cisco IOS provides a common software base across routing and switching systems. Common sparing and component reuse protects your investment as you expand and enhance your network. The Cisco ASR and ISR serve as good examples here. By design, the ASR makes use of SPAs already in use in customer networks. The recently announced ISR G2 makes use of network and service modules designed for the original Cisco ISR series.

The systems approach also delivers operational efficiency. Management expertise, policies, and practices can be applied across the network. Routine tasks and problem handling can be automated via such key features as Command Line Interface (CLI) scripts, Embedded Event Manager (EEM), and Generic On-Line Diagnostics (GOLD). Further consolidation and control is enabled through centralized management facilities such as CiscoWorks LAN Management System (LMS) and Cisco Wireless Control System (WCS).

Sun said it right in the 80s, “The network is the system.” We couldn’t agree more.

The Network Best Protects via Integrated Security.

Secure access to the network and networked resources is certainly a key area of concern for our customers. Security threats come from every direction – and are ever-changing. Protecting the network – no matter the angle of attack – is a must for every organization in this day and age. In many industries, it is even a regulatory requirement.

Given that threats appear in many forms and along many fronts, it is vital that security mechanisms provide blanket coverage for your network and networked resources. Do you lock all your doors when you leave for vacation? Or just some of them? Blanket coverage requires that security services be in operation across the network infrastructure at all appropriate points of potential attack. 

And while these mechanisms must provide for maximum protection, they must also minimize their impact on network service levels. Protection should not sacrifice performance. And performance should not sacrifice protection. Here, Cisco’s systems approach outlined above bears fruit via integrated security services. Networking platforms that are optimized to run security services allow you to “turn on” security without driving down network service levels.

To further ease the impact of security across the network, central policies and consistent management interfaces allow the network operator to enforce security without having to commit to micro-managing security functions and secured users and resources. Here, the key is to balance effective security enforcement with efficient security administration. The goal: Provide full protection for your network and full productivity for your support staff.

Cisco TrustSec serves as a good example of an effective and efficient security service at work across the Borderless Network. TrustSec dynamically assigns access and services for users and devices and ensures that endpoint devices are authorized and healthy via consistent, network-wide security policy enforcement. TrustSec also helps address compliance requirements by providing access control to sensitive and valuable information and assets, collecting user activity and history data, as well as providing end-to-end monitoring and reporting capabilities.

Beyond TrustSec, Cisco further strengthens your security stance across many critical – and vulnerable — fronts. For example, Cisco AnyConnect extends access security to mobile users and their device of choice. The Cisco Virtual Office provides a complete teleworker solution, enabling full productivity and protection for the remote worker. Other security solutions target such key requirements as threat defense, data loss prevention, and PCI compliance.

When securing your network, it is also vital to remember that success is as much determined by solid processes as it is by strong products. Cisco’s unmatched portfolio of security support services run the gamut – from assessment to deployment to optimization to ongoing remote operations. In addition, Cisco also provides for proven secure network designs via Cisco’s Design Zone for Security, a wealth of security guidance and resources via Cisco Security Center, and rapid reaction to threats via PSIRT Advisories.

In this connected age, you must provide the most freedom and greatest flexibility for your users. While at the same time, you must exercise absolute control over connected resources – and all who wish to use and abuse these resources.

The Network Best Adapts via Continual Innovation.

In today’s world, continual network innovation is vital to achieving IT and business goals.

Cisco spends $5B+ in annual R&D on the network. Worldwide, 30 major labs and 20,000 engineers are dedicated to network technology and product development. We are a networking company. It is what we do. This focused and unmatched level of investment keeps us in front of not only our competitors, but more importantly, our customers looking to always do more with their network.

Evidence of this effort can be seen along two critical fronts – network standards and network service intelligence. Cisco has been at the forefront of driving the advancement and adoption of industry standards. Standards pioneered by Cisco read like a Who’s Who in networking technologies. Fast Ethernet, Power over Ethernet, SIP, CAPWAP, and MPLS… just to name a few. (See white paper.)

Cisco is also at the forefront of driving intelligent networks. Security, mobility, application networking, voice, video, network automation, and now even energy management all extend the capabilities and business impact of the network. These intelligent services are core to the Borderless Network Architecture. And they are core to the innovation that Cisco delivers to the network and to customers.

Witness the future unfolding within our IPv6 capabilities or our strong 802.11n portfolio. Witness the sustainability gains offered by Cisco EnergyWise and Cisco Virtual Office. Customers are saving money and promoting sustainable business practices by controlling their energy consumption and making the best use of their facilities. With Borderless Networks, everything is possible.

Is your organization leading or lagging in networking? Is your network ready for anything? Or afraid of everything? Does your network allow your organization to jump at or shrink from new opportunities? Let us know where your network stands.

We work, live, play, and learn in a world that has no boundaries and knows no borders. We expect to connect to anyone, anywhere, using any device, to any resource — securely, reliably, seamlessly. That is the promise of Borderless Networks.

In order to fully deliver on this promise, Cisco is advancing along three critical fronts – Workplace Transformation, Technology Leadership, and Operational Excellence. In this blog, let’s focus on Workplace Transformation and how Cisco is working to accelerate technology advancements and customer success along this front.

The new workplace is visual, mobile, and in-the-moment. And for the end user, the quality of the experience is everything. Network service levels are judged purely by the quality of this “customer” experience. And remember, this “customer” could be running any application, in any location, from any device. And in this borderless world, this “customer” may be internal workers, business partners, or external end customers.

Here, the network must respond to onrushing video traffic demands, meet the rising expectations of an increasingly mobile user population, and last, but not at all least, ensure the integrity of critical business exchanges – no matter the business application, no matter the user location, no matter network conditions… no matter what!

The New Workplace is Visual.

Video drives high impact in business and applies high pressure on the network.

And video is growing dramatically across all networks — big and small, local and global, public and private. 65% of the traffic on Cisco’s own network is video – and that figure is climbing!

Medianet capabilities ensure that your network not only delivers a high-quality video experience to the end user when needed, but also helps ensure that your network is ready for on-rushing video demands and applications. Built-in intelligence offers adaptability and predictability, reliably and transparently providing high-quality media experiences to any device on the network.  With medianet, your Borderless Network optimizes traffic flow and bandwidth utilization, while reducing the impact of network congestion. And it does all this while lowering the complexity and risk associated with video rollouts.

You can bet that Cisco IT makes effective use of medianet capabilities within our own internal network. Without medianet readiness, our own network and IT staff wouldn’t be able to deliver the kind of experience our workers, partners, and customers have come to expect from Cisco’s network and systems.

Cisco’s medianet solution is further bolstered by key networking services such as Multicast, QoS, and mobile VideoStream. These key services combined with such critical built-in switch and router device capabilities as port buffering and video streaming are put to effective use by a broad range of video applications, ranging from the interactive Cisco TelePresence and WebEx to the one-way IP video broadcast or distance learning session.

Providing both the infrastructure and demanding applications such as Cisco TelePresence has taught us a lot about how to do video right across the network. Cisco Validated Designs and public cloud-based services from Cisco and service provider partners are offered in support of the specific needs of our customers. Cisco IT’s experience, proven network engineering practices and designs, specialized support services, and an extensive ecosystem further heighten the positive impact of business video within Borderless Networks.

The New Workplace is Mobile.

The explosion of mobility devices, users, and applications raises the stakes in wireless scalability, security, and support requirements.

Radio frequency (RF) interference is a growing concern for organizations deploying indoor and outdoor wireless networks. Left unaddressed, RF interference can result in low data rates and throughput, lack of sufficient WLAN coverage, WLAN performance degradation, poor voice quality, and low end-user satisfaction. This, in turn, can lead to decreased network capacity, network downtime, and potential security vulnerabilities from malicious interference. Cisco offers industry-leading RF management capabilities in its mobility solutions. Cisco technologies such as ClientLink, Spectrum Intelligence, and VideoStream ensure clear and efficient communications at all times – even when faced with onrushing mobile video demands.

With rising demand for connections and increased traffic volumes, mobility solutions that readily adapt to meet new service demands are of high value. Cisco offers unmatched scalability and service intelligence in wireless networks. For example, Cisco’s 802.11n product portfolio combined with 802.11n design and support services are evidence of our drive to boost performance, while easing adoption of new mobility capabilities. Cisco’s context-aware capabilities and strong security services are yet other areas of mobility leadership.

And given Cisco’s architectural approach to Borderless Networks, it should come as no surprise to find Cisco leading in bringing together wired and wireless networks. Here, we offer physical integration via Catalyst-based WLAN controllers and ISR-based WLAN access points. Integration is further heightened through the consolidation of wired/wireless security systems and policies, enabling access and user protection no matter the connection.

The New Workplace is In-The-Moment.

Application-layer traffic controls within the network work to ensure consistent response times and “always-on” access. QoS, NBAR, NAM, and PISA technologies are just some of the key technologies Cisco provides in support of the quality application experience. Each provides its own unique boost to the customer experience.

For remote and branch offices, Cisco’s WAAS solution optimizes applications across the WAN. Offered as both a standalone solution and one that is integrated with the Cisco Integrated Services Router, WAAS minimizes WAN traffic volumes, supports efficient content delivery and user exchanges, and enables new remote systems such as video kiosks. Most importantly, WAAS provides for a first-class application experience to the remote user. Given that this remote user can often times be a worker interacting with end customers or an actual end customer interacting with on-line transaction systems, a good experience translates directly to heightened customer satisfaction – and likely, repeat and referral business.

Taking application optimization one step further are solutions aimed at supporting applications within the network itself. This not only improves the performance of applications, but also helps minimize the complexity associated with deploying and operating network-based applications. The Cisco ISR hosts applications via its Application eXtension Platform (AXP) – a service module inside the ISR. The Cisco ASR serves as a web conference manager via its WebEx Node service module.

The aim of these network-hosted applications is to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of premium service – no matter location or application.

As stated previously, network service levels are judged purely by the quality of the “customer” experience with any and all networked applications. No borders. No limits.

Are you doing all you can to make sure your “customers” are completely satisfied with their networked experience? Do onrushing video applications represent a significant challenge to your network? Do mobile users and devices represent opportunities or threats to your network? Do additional business applications represent heightened productivity improvements or lowered service levels? Let us know where you stand. And how we can help improve not only your status quo, but also your future outlook.