Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Networking

    Cisco Brings Security, Network App Services to the Router

    By
    Jeff Burt
    -
    March 13, 2013
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      Cisco Systems officials are introducing a router they say is built for a more mobile business world that is increasingly housing its applications in the cloud or centralizing them in the data center.

      In its new Integrated Services Router with Application Experience (ISR-AX), Cisco is integrating features that in the past had been outside the appliance—such as security, WAN optimization, and networking monitoring and visibility tools—creating a converged networking offering that addresses such issues as security, reliability and performance, according to company officials.

      The ISR-AX, announced March 12, comes at a time when businesses are increasingly centralizing business applications in the cloud or in the data center, and when trends such as virtualization and bring-your-own-device (BYOD) are becoming more prevalent. Businesses are demanding products that will run applications for remote employees and customers—such as in a branch office—and that also give IT greater network visibility and network management capabilities.

      “The goal with the new offering is to lower the barrier to do whatever it takes to move the applications where they’re required” and to improve the user experience, Raakhee Mistry, senior marketing solutions manager for Cisco’s Enterprise Networking Group, told eWEEK. “It’s inefficient to move traffic through the data center to get it to the [Internet] edge. Campuses need to be able to directly connect to the cloud. … Ultimately, the new trends [in the data center] are putting more challenges on the network.”

      With the ISR-AX, Cisco is making the router a Layer 2-7 platform for delivering applications, and is offering the security and management capabilities that network administrators need, Mistry said.

      The appliance integrates Cisco’s ISR G2 1900, 2900 and 3900 models with security technologies—such as firewall, intrusion prevention and VPN—and Wide Area Application Services (WAAS) for WAN optimization. At the same time, the appliance includes application-management technologies and Cisco’s Services-Ready Engine or “maximum RAM,” all offered in a single box for the branch office or campus, Mistry said.

      Cisco is offering the 3900-AX, 2900-AX and 1900-AX models now, and eventually will extend the AX capabilities to the 800 ISR, ASR1000 and CSR1000V Series, which will bring integrated application services to teleworkers, the cloud and the data center.

      The ISR-AX not only offers an integrated appliance that brings greater capabilities that competing routers, but also costs 20 to 35 percent less than traditional stand-alone WAN optimization offerings aimed at remote offices, she said. Cisco is looking to price the ISR-AX appliances at up to 45 percent less than Cisco routers without the application services features.

      “Getting app services at this price point is just not heard of,” Mistry said.

      Zeus Kerravala, principal analyst with ZK Research, said that with the ISR-AX, Cisco is moving capabilities that had only been found in the data center to the edge of the network, which is important as enterprises move their applications to the cloud.

      “In actuality, Cisco has had these features for a while, but they weren’t truly integrated (they ran as separate functions) and they were sold separately,” Kerravala wrote in a blog post on the NetworkWorld site. “Cisco had attempted to use a ‘burger and fries’ model to sell some of these features, but in some cases the fries would cost three times the price of the burger, and were thus less appealing. By integrating the services into the operating system, customers can get the same set of features at over a third less than it would cost to buy separate modules or appliances.”

      Cisco’s Mistry said the ISR-AX is taking aim at both Juniper Networks and Riverbed Technology, offering more capabilities at a lower cost. Juniper and Riverbed in July 2012 announced a partnership that officials for both companies said would improve application delivery in traditional data centers and the emerging cloud environments.

      Jeff Burt
      Jeffrey Burt has been with eWEEK since 2000, covering an array of areas that includes servers, networking, PCs, processors, converged infrastructure, unified communications and the Internet of things.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×