Cisco’s Extended Enterprise Solution Overview
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Securely extend the enterprise network to non-carpeted spaces
The Cisco® Extended Enterprise Solution captures business intent and extends it to the non-carpeted spaces of the enterprise, where the operations happen. The solution brings Cisco’s market-leading intent-based networking, Internet of Things (IoT) networking, and Cisco Digital Network Architecture (Cisco DNA) all the way to the IoT edge. This document targets both IT and non-IT audiences to provide a high-level overview of the solution architecture and the building blocks.
Extended Enterprise use cases and business outcomes
The Extended Enterprise is where business operations happen in an enterprise. The Extended Enterprise network extends enterprise IT services and IoT build out to non-carpeted spaces. It provides secure connectivity for outdoor spaces such as warehouses, distribution centers, ports, campus parking lots, and airports.
However, connecting more devices to the enterprise network adds security risks and manageability issues. Cisco’s intent-based, closed-loop architecture, which includes automation and analytics platforms, enables consistent security policy enforcement across carpeted and non-carpeted spaces. Cisco DNA Center can provide a single pane of glass for managing enterprise and Extended Enterprise networks.
Cisco’s Extended Enterprise Solution provides the following capabilities:
By extending intent-based networking to the IoT edge, the Cisco Extended Enterprise Solution can transform your business and drive business outcomes.
Cisco Validated Designs (CVDs) have been used to validate, architect, and configure next-generation technologies. Each is designed to help you accelerate digital transformation, innovate faster, and stay competitive.
The Extended Enterprise CVD is no exception. It provides a design foundation for incorporating a broad set of technologies, features, and applications. Every aspect has been thoroughly tested and documented, helping ensure a deployment that’s fast, reliable, cost-effective, and predictable.
Extended Enterprise Solution features and benefits
| Feature |
Benefits |
| Cisco’s intent-based networking all the way to the IoT edge with Cisco’s Industrial Ethernet wired and industrial wireless |
Extend network connectivity beyond the carpeted spaces; purpose built for harsh Extended Enterprise environments |
| Single pane of glass for managing carpeted and non-carpeted spaces – design, policy, provision, and assurance for network devices |
Simpler to manage, with security and policy compliance; scalable and repeatable operations across the entire enterprise |
| Consistent security policy enforcement across carpeted and non-carpeted spaces |
Policy-based automation, simplified security for traditional IT and IoT devices |
| Plug and play for provisioning industrial ethernet switches, industrial wireless and industrial routers |
Faster deployment, greater business agility |
| Guided remediation and automated troubleshooting with analytics and machine learning |
Self-learning, self-defending, and self-healing network; faster operations, increased operational efficiency |
| High availability and reliability in non-carpeted spaces |
Resilient operations, reduced operating expenses |
Extended Enterprise Cisco Validated Design
Enterprises are looking to innovate and differentiate their offerings by digitizing their operations beyond the traditional carpeted spaces. In the Extended Enterprise, network connectivity needs to be extended beyond the traditional air-conditioned spaces to connect and manage IoT devices as well as traditional enterprise end devices being deployed in outdoor or extreme-temperature environments.
With digitization and a proliferation of IoT endpoints, enterprises are challenged to improve operational efficiency, provide new service offerings, and increase customer satisfaction. Delivering these business outcomes requires a new approach to networking, one that is intent based, to manage the challenges of scale and security faced by the enterprise.
Cisco’s intent-based networking is an architecture based on automation and analytics to delivery policy from end to end at scale. Intent-based networking enables customers to capture business intent and activate it networkwide, in the campus as well as in the non-carpeted spaces where the operations happen. The business benefits of intent-based networking are simplicity, speed, and agility, an IT staff focused on delivering business value, and a reduced risk of noncompliance.
The Extended Enterprise CVD outlines the steps for both IT and operations teams to accomplish the business’s goals by digitizing operations in the ruggedized spaces. It includes design guidance for implementing Extended Enterprise use cases with your existing Cisco DNA Center and SD-Access.
1. Industrial infrastructure: Intent-based networking for industrial ethernet wired and industrial wireless in non-carpeted spaces
2. Reduced complexity: Plug-and-play provisioning of industrial ethernet switches in non-carpeted spaces
3. Security: Intent-based operations groupings provide consistent policy and access independent of network topology, in carpeted and non-carpeted spaces
4. Scalable and repeatable operations across the entire enterprise with Cisco DNA Center
5. Guided remediation and automated troubleshooting with analytics and machine learning
Value proposition of the Extended Enterprise CVD
Planning, testing, and implementing various components and shared services for an extended network can pose a large challenge for organizations. By using the Extended Enterprise CVD with a modular approach—which tests and validates the foundation infrastructure, security, automation, assurance, and shared services—you can reduce costs, risks, and operational issues, as well as speed deployment.
There are many ways an organization can benefit by deploying the Extended Enterprise CVD:
● Simplicity through a single pane of glass for carpeted and non-carpeted spaces – design, policy, provisioning, and assurance for network devices
● Consistent security policy enforcement across carpeted and non-carpeted spaces
● Reduced cost of deployment through plug-and-play provisioning of industrial ethernet switches
● Scalability provided by intent-based networking, assurance, guided remediation, and troubleshooting
● High availability and reliability in non-carpeted spaces for resilient operations
● Summarized and simplified design choices to accelerate deployment and operation of the extended network
Access our Extended Enterprise CVD
You can access the CVD by visiting the Extended Enterprise site: www.cisco.com/go/extendedenterprise or www.cisco.com/go/iotcvd.
In today’s world, the network connects everything. It has the potential to constantly adapt, protect, and inform across all IT and business processes. Cisco intent-based networking is an architecture based on automation and analytics to deliver policy from end to end at scale. It enables customers to capture business intent and activate it network wide, in the campus and in the non-carpeted spaces where the operations happen.
The following unique differentiators make Cisco the best choice to extend your enterprise:
● Cisco’s industrial ethernet portfolio is number 1 in the managed industrial switching market
● Our industrial networking products bring intent-based networking all the way to the IoT edge, with a rich, industry-standard Cisco IOS® Software feature set
● Reduced costs with centralized operations extending to outdoor and non-carpeted spaces using Cisco DNA Center
● End-to-end security and consistent policy across the carpeted and non-carpeted spaces of an enterprise
● Complete portfolio across industrial ethernet, routing, and wireless