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In collaboration with Vishal Gupta and Srinu Kalla
Most IT engineers can agree that machine provisioning for brand new places of work is tedious, time-consuming, and error-prone. Luckily, our Cisco IT Buyer Zero workforce—which tries out the newest Cisco options and integrations to show worth and share experiences—has found that it doesn’t have to be that approach.
By leveraging the Plug & Play (PnP) functionality in Cisco DNA Middle, we’ve managed to slash provisioning time by over 50%, whereas enhancing the engineer/consumer expertise, lowering configuration points, and enhancing safety.
Previous to PnP, provisioning new places of work was tedious and error-prone
Earlier than PnP, our course of was guide and gradual, with a excessive threat of manufacturing errors. Within the weeks earlier than we arrange a swap, engineers needed to scour a 501-page playbook to search out the correct configuration for the machine mannequin and workplace dimension. They might then journey to the workplace and paste within the acceptable code snippets by way of the command-line interface (CLI).
Throughout this course of, engineers may simply sort an incorrect character or miss a line/s of code. These kinds of errors have been answerable for the overwhelming majority of Day-1 issues. The method additionally required engineers to stay for Day-1 assist.
PnP offers the power to automate onboarding, eliminating errors and saving time
Immediately, Cisco DNA Middle’s PnP functionality permits us to onboard new websites a lot quicker by automating the onboarding of gadgets and the configuration of underlay routing (Determine 1). Switches routinely connect with Cisco DNA Middle and retrieve the proper template, based mostly on their serial quantity and tags. Engineers now not have to have interaction within the time-consuming exercise of looking out via the playbook for the correct configuration. PnP additionally reduces the necessity to sort command-line directions and cut-and-paste blocks of code. We at the moment are in a position to standardize our configuration with the usage of templates and model management. As an alternative of utilizing Microsoft Phrase or Excel spreadsheets, we are able to create templates which are used throughout a number of gadgets with the idea of variables permitting us to be adaptable to every machine utilizing templates and tags, saving time and guaranteeing compliance. Lastly, with PnP, engineers now not have to go on-site for Day-1 assist.
Determine 1: Day-0 provisioning with PnP
PnP allows zero-touch machine provisioning – guaranteeing simplicity, safety, and consistency:
Simplicity: When the machine boots up for the primary time, it routinely reaches out to the PnP Join Cloud, then is redirected to Cisco DNA Middle. From there, we are able to simply push the required Day-0 and Day-1 configs in addition to the software program photos to the machine—reducing the danger of an unintended enter.
Safety: The machine securely connects to the PnP cloud by way of https and is verified and redirected utilizing its product ID and serial quantity.
Consistency: This course of allows a constant workflow throughout all platforms— switches, routers, and wi-fi LAN controllers—whatever the variety of gadgets that have to be staged.
The Cisco IT Buyer Zero workforce lately performed an in depth worth evaluation to quantify the advantages of Cisco DNA Middle PnP (Determine 2). Here’s what the Buyer Zero workforce discovered:
Vital time financial savings: PnP lower the provisioning time of wi-fi controllers by 54 p.c—from 130 minutes utilizing the guide strategy, to 60 minutes utilizing Cisco DNA Middle with PnP. Equally, PnP lowered onboarding time for Cisco Catalyst 9300/9400 switches by 43 p.c—from 180 minutes manually to 77 minutes with PnP.
Enhanced NetOps expertise: As a result of PnP doesn’t require precise monitoring throughout machine provisioning, solely 45 p.c of the provisioning course of requires “lively engineering time.” In consequence, the expertise is much less tedious and worrying for community engineers.
Higher end-user expertise: By automating preliminary provisioning and underlay routing configurations, PnP ensures quicker web site readiness and seamless consumer onboarding.
Improved safety: PnP allows end-to-end safety, from Cisco DNA Middle to community gadgets, from Day-0 to Day-N, with no bodily entry required.
Determine 2. Key findings: Cisco DNA Middle Plug & Play advantages
The Cisco Buyer Zero workforce is dedicated to exploring different ways in which Cisco DNA Middle PnP can additional drive worth by leveraging automation to gas better effectivity, higher consumer experiences, and improved safety. We’re working in the direction of initiatives corresponding to configuration administration throughout a number of Cisco DNA Facilities and different automated use circumstances. Keep tuned…
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For extra info:
Cisco DNA Middle smooths community operations
5 methods automating software program picture administration is making Cisco IT engineers’ lives higher
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