Software Defined Access with Cisco

Often I am asked what it is I do for a living, what I do for work. Over the next few months I'll be writing about what it is I do on a high-level, the 25,000 foot view. Here is my first thought, 24th of July 2017:

When it comes to implementing best practices we are often faced with the challenge of re-engineering and existing solution vs the risk of leaving that solution in place with work-arounds. Rearchitecting an enterprise network segment is a monumental challenge encumbered not only by the technical execution, but also the possible interruption of business continuity and flow where the expectation of a service is more often than not, 100% up-time. The coordination to change existing infrastructure can be daunting, requiring implementation from multiple departments and contributors from each. Complexity and time drive costs beyond the threshold, causing a delay or cancellation of the required security implementation.

Fortunately there are ways to re-architect an integrated system without having to disturb the underlying connectivity, instead relying upon a logical reassignment through a software-defined access and segmentation. These solutions can often be put into place without forklifting the existing solution and interrupting data and business flow. Let me know if you are interested in exploring the options from Cisco or another vendor for your enterprise. - Matthew Earley