Cloud Management with Cisco IOS XE Solution Overview
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Cloud management with Cisco IOS® XE enables Cisco Catalyst™ 9000, Cisco C9000 Smart Switch, and Cisco IE3500 Rugged Series Switch users to manage their enterprise and industrial switches from the cloud via a single unified platform with the Meraki® dashboard. The unified IOS XE operating system provides customers the power of choice in on-premises or cloud management on a per-device basis. This document outlines the benefits of using IOS XE to manage your switches from a unified cloud platform.
Enterprises face growing network complexity driven by a surge in the number of connected users, IoT devices, cloud applications, and emerging security threats. The traditional means of managing networks on a device-by-device basis is becoming increasingly less effective at handling these growing demands, and users are citing error-prone processes and time-consuming tasks as a compounding burden on their teams.
Cloud management with IOS XE addresses these challenges by providing a unified cloud platform to simplify the provisioning, configuration, and monitoring of enterprise and industrial switching fleets. By offering operational flexibility with the power to choose where the device configurations are performed (on the device or in the cloud), users can streamline operations, enhance their security posture, and scale efficiently — all while retaining advanced control and access to enterprise features.
This solution removes levels of complexity from the network management experience by offering automated workflows for device management, rich troubleshooting tools, centralized assurance and visibility, and a powerful API ecosystem, all accessible through the intuitive Cisco Meraki dashboard.
● Simplify network management through centralized cloud-based management and automation, reducing manual device-by-device configuration and troubleshooting.
● Accelerate troubleshooting and minimize downtime by leveraging advanced cloud Command-Line Interface (CLI) tools and intelligent packet capture for remote diagnostics without onsite intervention.
● Strengthen network security with policy-based segmentation and powerful 802.1X authentication via Cisco Access Manager and Identity Services Engine.
● Improve network agility and scalability with a seamless cloud migration that takes advantage of your existing hardware, with no rip and replace required.
● Enjoy enterprise features being brought to cloud, such as support for Border Gateway Protocol, Virtual Routing and Forwarding, StackWise® Virtual, In- Service Software Upgrades, Rapid Per-VLAN Spanning Tree+, and the new cloud-managed EVPN fabric solution.
● Manage your entire switching fleet – industrial, access, and modular – across the network edge to the campus core with a range of support for various IOS XE switching families.
Legacy tools and modern networks
Many teams relying on traditional network management tools face significant challenges as a result of the inherent complexity associated with device-by-device management. These challenges stem from manual troubleshooting, siloed monitoring, and difficulties executing changes in bulk.
These difficulties are compounded by the rapid growth of IoT devices, wireless connectivity, and cloud applications, which are driving unprecedented network complexity. As more devices, users, and applications connect to the network, the traditional ways of managing campus infrastructure are quickly leaving IT teams questioning how they can keep pace.
The common answer to modernizing the network is grounded in the use of graphical user interfaces and virtual controllers to manage the network. While the benefits of these solutions are well known, many teams feel that giving up granular access and customization is not worth the added simplicity of operation.
That’s where cloud management with IOS XE comes in. Cisco’s cloud management with IOS XE addresses these challenges by providing a simplified architecture for managing large sites, while leveraging your initial and existing hardware investments. On top of this, users are able to retain access to the CLI and advanced Layer 3 features, while still enjoying the scale and efficiency of a cloud platform.
This solution enables faster deployment, centralized control, and proactive network assurance, helping enterprises reduce complexity and overcome skill shortages that many IT professionals identify as critical issues.
The components of this solution unify new and existing aspects of the portfolio to provide a single offering that bridges together industry-leading enterprise switching hardware with the industry-leading cloud platform.
● Cisco campus and industrial switches: Supported models include the entire Catalyst 9200 and Catalyst 9300 Series, high-performance variants of the Catalyst 9500 Series, the new Cisco C9000 Smart Switches, and ongoing expansion into the rest of the modular core platforms, plus support for rugged deployments with the Cisco IE3500 Series.
● A unified operating system: IOS XE provides a consistent OS across cloud and on-premises deployments, supporting advanced routing, high availability, and security features.
● A unified cloud dashboard: The centralized management interface powering this experience is the Meraki dashboard.
◦ Configuration source: Cloud: Users benefit from a fully cloud-managed experience driven by the user interface, with configurations built and performed in the cloud.
◦ Configuration source: Device: Users benefit from centralized assurance, visibility, and monitoring from the cloud. This capability allows for configurations to be stored and performed local to the device through traditional methods like console port, Secure Shell (SSH), and CLI.
● Cloud CLI: An interactive CLI terminal embedded into the Meraki dashboard enables direct IOS XE command execution. Users opting for cloud configuration retain access to select configurations, all IOS XE show commands for advanced troubleshooting, and switch detail verification. Users opting for device configuration retain access to full read/write capabilities and can configure their devices from the cloud terminal or via traditional management methods like SSH, console port, or CLI.
Onboarding switches to Meraki dashboard
Table 1. Outcomes achieved with cloud management with IOS XE
| Outcome |
Description |
| Simplification of enterprise network management |
● Centralized cloud management reduces operational complexity and downtime across corporate campuses and large sites.
|
| Ability to deploy new sites rapidly |
● The ability to execute changes quickly and in bulk accelerates branch office and retail site rollouts.
|
| Enhanced security posture across locations |
● Policy-based segmentation and 802.1X authentication reduces cyber risk associated with a growing number of connected users and devices.
|
| Seamless cloud migration |
● Migrate your on-premises infrastructure to the cloud, without having to rip and replace hardware.
|
Reducing help desk time-to-resolution with cloud management
Solar A/S is a European sourcing and services company for electrical, heating, plumbing, ventilation, and climate and energy solutions. The 3,000+ employees in Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Poland focus on product sourcing, value-adding services, and optimizing customers’ businesses.
The primary goal of the project was to reduce and consolidate the number and types of networking devices needed to support the business and help simplify network management. The distributed help desk teams that troubleshoot network issues from employees and customers needed an easy-to-understand view of switch port status and connected devices instead of relying on the technical NetOps team at headquarters for resolutions. To solve this, the teams migrated their Catalyst 9000 switches to the cloud and were able to see a drastic reduction in time to resolution for help desk inquires.
“The Meraki dashboard is an excellent combination of simplicity and intuitive features. Help-desk staff are just one or two clicks away from client and switch information that is actionable, so that problems are solved in much shorter timeframes.”
Frank Osberg, Network Architect
Solar A/S
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Cisco uniquely combines the power and performance of our industry-leading campus switching portfolio with the intuitive and easy-to-use cloud dashboard, delivering unmatched operational flexibility, security, and scalability. Our platform supports diverse management preferences and seamless migration paths, empowering customers to build their networks confidently and efficiently.
Experience the benefits of cloud management today
Discover how cloud management with IOS XE can transform your network operations. Request a demo or contact your Cisco sales representative to learn more.
Demo: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/networking/meraki-cloud-management-dashboard-consult.html.
Can’t wait to see the action? Check out this self-guided demo below to get a feel for managing your switches from the Meraki dashboard.
Self-guided demo: https://cisco.navattic.com/47b052w.