Cisco Aims to Secure Cloud Adoption with New Industrial WAN Edge Platform
International security company, Cisco, announced a new Wide Area Networking (WAN) edge platform designed to help industrial customers accelerate cloud adoption.
The Catalyst 8000 Edge Platform can enable secure and automated access to applications, with a control panel for remote application control. The new solution is based on Cisco Catalyst Cellular Gateways. A support framework developed to connect remote sites using the latest wireless WAN technologies.
The Cisco Catalyst 8000 Edge Platform
The Cisco Catalyst 8000 Edge family features built-in analytics to deliver better visibility into network or application problems and allow engineers to optimize the decision-making process. As a cloud-based solution, the Catalyst 8000 Edge Platform provides full remote access and connectivity capabilities across the cloud, data center, and edge via WAN.
Cisco SD-WAN merges cloud-managed SD-WAN with cloud-delivered security to deliver a single solution.
The Cisco Catalyst 8000 Edge Platforms family. Image courtesy of Cisco.
The Catalyst 8000 family includes three separate models, respectively, the Catalyst 8500 Series Edge Platform, the Catalyst 8300 Series Edge Platform, and the 8000V Edge Software.
The 8500 is the flagship option of the new series. Featuring integrated 40G and 100G Ethernet ports and powered by Cisco’s third-generation Quantum Flow Processor, the 8500 is the more suitable option within the family for data center, colocation, and aggregation sites.
The Catalyst 8300 Series Edge Platform is designed for edge connectivity at branch sites. The 8300 offers modular access with connectivity choices for different applications. Finally, the Catalyst 8000V Edge Software is a software version of the new solution and can be deployed both in the cloud or on virtual platforms.
The Cisco Catalyst Cellular Gateway
The Cisco Catalyst 8000 Edge Platform is compatible with the company’s Catalyst Cellular Gateways to bridge wireless applications. These devices connect users and devices to cloud and enterprise applications via 4G LTE Advanced Pro and 5G technologies.
The Cisco Catalyst Cellular Gateway. Image courtesy of Cisco.
The combination of devices in the new 8000 family and Cisco SD-WAN allows automated deployment of different solutions, together with improved policies management action and network monitoring capabilities.
The new version of the Cisco Catalyst 8000v is set to release in December 2020 and will be available together with other products from the 8000 family via Cisco’s subscription-based offer.
Improving Security for the Automation Industry
Cloud adoption strategies are expanding in a variety of industrial sectors. In July, Volkswagen opened its industrial cloud platform to Amazon web services and other manufacturing companies.
In the same month, IBM and Siemens partnered on a new cloud management solution to build data and network systems. In this fast-changing environment, engineers are adapting their systems quickly, with complexity and visibility issues often hindering and slowing down the transformation process.
The new Cisco Catalyst 8000 Edge Platform is developed to solve these issues by facilitating the transition via WAN edge. Automation solutions are therefore delivered securely and efficiently, facilitating connectivity to applications on-site and on the cloud.
The first trials of the Cisco Catalyst 8000 Edge Platform will be conducted by Adventist Health System to support real-time connectivity to applications across hospitals and physician practices.
What do you think about the new devices?
