Have you ever wondered why Cisco Systems dominates the enterprise networking industry? There are many reasons why an organization would choose to work with one technology provider over another. Features, cost, scalability, manageability, and portfolio of products can all have an impact on an organization’s final decision.
For these reasons and more, organizations choose to work with Cisco for their advanced networking needs.
A Brief History of Cisco’s Innovation
Cisco was founded in 1984, and the company very quickly became a major player in the Ethernet router market, releasing its Advanced Gateway Server (AGS) router in 1986. After acquiring some other big players, Cisco later expanded its offering to include solutions for enterprise networks. Perhaps one of the biggest wins for Cisco was the Catalyst 6500 Ethernet switch, introduced in 1999, as it solidified the company’s dominance in the enterprise network industry.
Later in 2004, Cisco introduced the Integrated Services Router (ISR), which became a successful networking product for branch offices. During this same year, Cisco launched the CRS-1 system for core service provider routing. In 2008, Cisco released yet another impactful product – the Nexus 7000 data center switch. This became the core of Cisco’s data center network, which supports unified computing, networking, and storage.
In the past decade, Cisco has continued to innovate, introducing yet another popular converged solution to the market – the Unified Computing System (UCS). Released in 2009, this product combines servers, switching, virtualization, and storage, helping to bring together different elements of the data center.
Cisco is also known for acquiring the best companies in the industry and integrating their technologies into their own product offering. For instance, in 1993, Cisco acquired Crescendo Communications, an Ethernet switch startup, and then in 1994, they acquired Kalpana, another important Ethernet switch company. These and other acquisitions speak to Cisco’s ability to recognize where the industry is going and anticipate the growing and changing enterprise networking needs of today’s organizations.
Why Cisco: Innovation and Forward-Thinking
Cisco’s history of innovation and forward-thinking have made them a de facto standard in the enterprise market.
Trusted Certifications
In fact, the Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) certification has become a recognized indicator of deep technical expertise within the industry. This certification from Cisco helps to distinguish the top internetworking experts across the globe by assessing both theoretical and practical network design skills. That so many within the industry hold this certification in high regard is a testament to Cisco’s industry reputation.
Comprehensive Documentation
One of the biggest differentiators when it comes to Cisco is their documentation and support. If there are any issues during configuration, architects can easily find the answers they are looking for within Cisco’s effective and reliable documentation. This makes Cisco a number one choice for solution architects who want to be able to design reliable and secure solutions while benefiting from access to clear and comprehensive documentation and game-changing support.
How to Choose a Cisco Partner
Selecting the right Cisco partner is an important decision for your organization. Here are a few different factors that you should consider when choosing an enterprise networking partner:
Consultative Approach
When choosing a Cisco partner, look for a technology solutions provider that takes a consultative approach to working with your company. Enterprise networking solutions are not one-size-fits-all, so you want to work with an organization that is willing to consult with your internal team to define the project scope and make strategic recommendations, as well as an effective roadmap for how to implement these recommendations. Keep in mind that more equipment is not always better, and sometimes you only need to finetune your equipment, not replace it.
CCIEs on Staff
Deep knowledge matters. When it comes to maintaining a secure enterprise network, you want to make sure that there is someone within reach who has a high level of technical expertise to answer your questions and ensure that everything is running smoothly. As you evaluate Cisco partners, choose an organization that has Cisco Certified Internetwork Experts on staff. The CCIE certification assures you that your organization is in the best of hands, as its team members have proven their network design skills and expertise.
Individualized Attention
A good partner must also be available. Is the provider able to offer your organization the individualized attention it deserves? Many larger technology providers often see each customer as just another project, which can cause your organization to feel lost or neglected. It doesn’t matter how many CCIE’s a partner employs if you are never able to speak with them. A boutique Cisco partner, however, has the same technical expertise and skill while still being small enough to provide more individualized attention and comprehensive support for your organization.
Creating a Best-in-Class Network
Since the mid-1980s, Cisco has been a leader in enterprise networking for good reasons: innovation, reliability, performance, and excellent documentation. We know the technology is great, but it takes equally good engineering to make it run at its best. That’s why choosing the right Cisco partner, like ADAPTURE, means choosing best-in-class.
