Cisco Systems Intelligent Switching manual Network Intelligence-from the Core to the Edge

Network Intelligence—from the Core to the Edge

Whatever the size of the network, intelligent services can ease the strain of migration and expansion. By delivering Layer 2– 4 services across the entire network, from the core to the edge, Cisco Catalyst switches provide the advanced quality of service, enhanced security, and high availability evolving networks require. All Cisco Catalyst network platforms run on Cisco IOS® Software, creating a unified network and a solid foundation for building Internet applications.

Medium-Sized Network

High Availability

M Si Si

Si

Security

QoS

IP

Internet VPN

PSTN Network

Quality of Service

QoS features ensure critical applications receive the bandwidth they need by differentiating and prioritizing traffic, so time-sensitive packets like voice and video are handled accordingly. With Cisco Catalyst switches, QoS can be extended to the network edge, minimizing both upstream and downstream congestion. This also makes it easy to set policies on a per-user basis and frees up router processing power.

Small-Business Network

Internet VPN

High Availability

QoS

Security

Enhanced Security

The need for security increases as services and devices are added to the network. Safeguards must be taken to ensure only authorized users can gain access to the network, to restrict access to sensitive network areas, and to prevent data and voice traffic from traveling to the wrong PC or IP phone. Cisco Catalyst switches support multiple layers of security for end-to-end protection of network controls and resources.

High Availability

The Cisco Catalyst family also increases network uptime—and employee productivity—through a unique combination of features designed to ensure maximum availability. Capabilities include high-performance IP routing, Layer 2 and Layer 3 load balancing, bandwidth aggregation technology, multicast management via Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) snooping and Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM), and Cisco Spanning-Tree Protocol enhancements such as BackboneFast, UplinkFast, PortFast, and CrossStack UplinkFast.