The current generation of routers usually incorporate Layer 2 switches, and many modern switches include Layer 3 routing functionality. Routers offered by Cisco, the producer of 90% of the industry's routers, have improved dramatically in capability and performance and Cisco makes an extensive product line that includes routers built to handle the needs of users ranging from households to the world's largest service providers.
The latest ISR routers from Cisco have the performance and built-in functionality to support IP voice and video plus virtual environments while also offering high availability, remote administration, seamless extensibility, and advanced protection. Cisco's ISR routers allow you to build a firm foundation for an information network that can grow seamlessly as you hire more employees, establish new sites, deploy new services, extend your system to customers and vendors, and support an an increasingly mobile workforce. Progent's Cisco CCIE network engineers can provide fast and affordable online support to help your company to plan, deploy, manage, update, and troubleshoot Cisco's latest router technology and can help you to support your legacy routers or move non-disruptively to Cisco's current router products.
Cisco Routers Designed for Home and Small Offices and Branch Offices
Cisco's routers for small companies and remote offices offer low-cost and dependable entry-level solutions that enable small sets of workers to have secure access to the Internet. All these single-configuration desktop devices feature at least four Ethernet switches with Wi-Fi options plus built-in firewall to provide advanced security. Built for simple installation, administration, and support, Cisco's small business and home routers minimize total cost of ownership by cutting acquisition and maintenance expenses. Progent's online support specialists have in-depth backgrounds providing fast and economical IT help for small organizations to set up and support these routers, and Progent's CCIE network consultants can assist you to determine how these routers can add to the strategic value of your information network.
ISR 900 Series Integrated Services Routers
Cisco's ISR 900 Series routers are compact, quiet, fixed-configuration devices intended for small to medium-sized businesses, branches, and home offices. These value-priced routers include four managed GE LAN ports and offer Metro Ethernet, LTE, and DSL WAN connections. The ISR 900 router family delivers triple the IPsec performance of Cisco's ISR 800 Series routers. All ISR 900 Series routers offer Group Encrypted TransportVPN (GETVPN), dynamic multipoint virtual private network VPN (DMVPN), Cisco FlexVPN, and firewall. VPN performance is as high as 250 Mbps. All models allow up to 50 virtual LANs. Supported automatic failover protocols for high availability and business continuity include VRRP, Hot Standby Router Protocol (HSRP), and MHSRP. Setup and management can be performed with Cisco CP Express, Cisco DNA Center, and Cisco IOS. ISR 900 Series devices do not work with Cisco's SD-WAN solution.
The Cisco ISR 921 router features dual GE WAN ports, Category 4 LTE, and a built-in power supply. VPN performance is 150 Mbps. Cisco's ISR 926 and ISR 927 routers have external power supplies and feature a single WAN interface, LTE Cat 4, plus VDSL2 and ADSL2/2+ high-speed broadband. VPN performance for both routers is 150 Mbps. The high-performance ISR 931 router supports dual GE WAN ports and has an internal power supply. GE WAN VPN throughput is 250 Mbps.
Cisco Meraki MX Series SD-WAN Security Appliances
The Cisco Meraki MX series of desktop routers combine SD-WAN and cloud-based unified threat management in a single small-footprint appliance able to support 50 to 200 users. Each MX router needs to be licensed for the Meraki cloud. For sites having several WAN network options (e.g., MPLS, fiber optic, cellular), SD-WAN technology permits administrators to assign the WAN connection a given app should use or to create performance-based rules to determine the preferred interface. Cisco Meraki MX fixed-configuration desktop security appliances share important features including:
Cisco 1000 and 1100 Series ISR Branch Routers
Cisco 1000 family Integrated Services Routers (ISRs) using Cisco IOS XE software are a line of fanless appliances intended to deliver network connectivity, wireless support, and multilayer cybersecurity for small and midsize businesses, enterprise branch offices, retail stores, customer premises equipment (CPE), and machine-to-machine (M2M) venues. Multiple parallel CPU cores and the ability to run Cisco IOS XE enable these routers to offer capabilities consistent with Cisco's complete line of modern Enterprise routers. 1000 and 1100 Series ISR models are available with 4 or 8 LAN ports and provide Gigabit Ethernet packet forwarding. Available features include PoE and PoE+, auto provisioning, plus a selection of built-in or pluggable options for LAN, WAN, wireless LAN, SHDSL, 4G LTE wireless, 802.11 Wi-Fi, and SFP. Cisco 1000 family ISR models can be used with Cisco's SD-WAN subscription services for seamless multiple-cloud connectivity, advanced cybersecurity, and cohesive administration of hybrid network models.
Cisco's rackmount or desktop 1100-4G ISR router comes with four integrated GE WAN/LAN ports, built-in 3G/4G LTE wireless with two LTE antenna SMA sockets, and one micro-SIM plug-in slot. Encryption speed is 200 Mbps. The Cisco 1100-6G ISR router also includes two 1G SFP connections and features encryption throughput of 520 Mbps. Cisco's desktop-only 1101-4P ISR router includes four integrated GE interfaces, supports 802.11ac and 3G/4G LTE, and delivers encryption speed of 280 Mbps. The ISR 1109-2P/4p desktop routers include two or four integrated GE connections and two pluggable 3G/4G LTE wireless ports. Encryption speed is 200 Mbps.
The Cisco rackmount or desktop ISR 111x-4P/8P routers come with four or eight built-in switched GE ports (two or four with Power over Ethernet) and support VDSL2/ADSL2+, 802.11ac, 3G/4G LTE, and SFP. Encryption packet processing performance is 280 Mbps. Cisco's 1RU or desktop 1111X-8P ISR router includes eight integrated GE interfaces (four with Power over Ethernet) and supports SFP Fiber. Encryption rate is 340 Mbps. The ISR 112x-8P router features eight integrated GE connections with Power over Ethernet and supports SHDSL, VDSL2/ADSL2+, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, 3G/4G LTE wireless, and SFP Fiber. Encryption speed is 340 Mbps. The Cisco 1161X-8P ISR router has eight GE connections with Power over Ethernet and provides 3G/4G LTE and SFP Fiber. Encryption rate is 450 Mbps.
Cisco Catalyst 8000 Series Branch and WAN Edge Platforms for SD-WAN and Routing
Cisco's Catalyst 8000 line of routers are modular appliances intended to operate at the enterprise branche and the WAN edge to support hybrid networks that can incorporate multiple public and private clouds and cloud-hosted applications. Catalyst 8000 routers are powered by Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Software and offer expandability, advanced cybersecurity, and 5G connectivity. Throughput is optimized via custom hardware, a multicore design, high port capacity, and line-rate encryption. Cisco's subscription software services provide ongoing access to current SD-WAN technology and enable centralized management with enhanced cybersecurity, application-optimized policies, segmentation, and cloud readiness.
Catalyst 8200 Enterprise Edge Routers
Catalyst 8200 routers are upgrades to Cisco's 4300 Series ISRs, delivering higher IPsec performance and expandability, hardware-accelerated encryption, plus higher built-in WAN interface density. These 1RU routers are designed to provide Cisco's Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), SD-WAN and 5G-connection technology to enterprise branch offices and the enterprise access edge. Cisco's Catalyst C8200L-1N-4T router features four CPU cores, enables 500 Mbps IPsec throughput, and permits 1,500 SD-WAN tunnels. Cisco's Catalyst 8200L router does not support container-based apps. Cisco's Catalyst C8200-1N-4T router features eight CPU cores, delivers 1Gb IPsec performance, permits 2,500 SD-WAN tunnels, and enables edge computing with existing container models. Both appliances come with a Network Interface Module (NIM) slot, one Pluggable Interface Module (PIM) slot, two 1G Ethernet WAN ports, and two 1G Ethernet WAN Small-Form-Factor Pluggable interfaces. Four-port and eight-port 1G Ethernet switch NIM modules are available for both 8200 models.
Catalyst 8300 Enterprise Branch Edge Routers
Cisco Catalyst 8300 WAN Edge routers are intended to supersede Cisco's 4400 line of Integrated Services Routers, delivering Cisco's secure SD-WAN technology to mid-sized and large company branches seeking high WAN IPSec throughput with cohesive SD-WAN services. Advanced features include 5G wireless connectivity, integrated cybersecurity, WAN MACSec, integrated enhanced Layer 2 switching, and Deep Packet Inspection with application-aware optimization. Cisco Catalyst 8300 WAN Edge routers support edge computing for an in-place container environment for Cisco UCS-E modules available on Cisco's 4000 family of ISR appliances. All models in the Cisco Catalyst 8300 Series portfolio allow 4,000 SD-WAN tunnels and include dual power supplies for high availability.
The Catalyst 8300-1N1S-6T router is a 1RU device that features eight CPU cores and delivers 2G SD-WAN throughput and IPsec performance of up to 1.9Gbps. The router comes with a single SM plug-in slot, a Network Interface Module slot, and six built-in 1G Ethernet WAN interfaces. The Catalyst 8300-2N2S-6T appliance is a two-rack unit device that includes 8 CPU cores and supports 2G SD-WAN throughput and IPsec performance of up to 1.9Gbps. The appliance has two SM plug-in slots, two Network Interface Module slots, and six built-in 1G Ethernet WAN interfaces. The Cisco Catalyst C8300-1N1S-4T2X router model is a one-rack unit device that includes 8 CPU cores and delivers 5G SD-WAN performance and IPsec throughput up to 15Gbps. The unit has one a single Service Module plug-in slot, a NIM slot, two integrated 10-Gigabit Ethernet WAN ports, and four integrated 1G Ethernet WAN ports. The Cisco Catalyst C8300-2N2S-4T2X device is a 2RU appliance that includes 12 CPU cores and supports 5G SD-WAN performance and IPsec performance as high as 18Gbps. The router includes two Service Module plug-in slots, two NIM slots, two integrated 10-Gigabit Ethernet WAN interfaces, and four built-in 1G Ethernet WAN interfaces. LAN plug-in modules available from Cisco range from a 4-port 1G Ethernet switch NIM module to a 50-port Catalyst L2 switch Service Module.
Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series Aggregation Edge Routers
The Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series Aggregation Edge routers are fixed form factor, one-rack unit aggregation models for SD-WAN and colocation environments. Built-in features include route processor, embedded services processor (ESP), plus aggregation hardware for multiple connection choices. IPsec throughput is twice that of Cisco's earlier generation ASR1001-X aggregation services router. Available connectivity alternatives include 1GE, 10GE, 40GE, and 100GE WAN ports. 8500 routers come with redundant power units for enhanced availability. Software subscription suites allow ongoing use of Cisco DNA Center Software for SD-WAN and routing and enable unified management of cybersecurity, application-based policies, network segmentation, and cloud support.
The Catalyst C8500L-8S4X Aggregation Edge router is intended to offer a similar experience as Cisco's ASR 1000 appliance. The C8500L-8S4X includes four 1/10GE WAN interfaces and can deliver up to 20 Gbps aggregate performance. SD-WAN IPsec performance can reach 19Gbps. The Catalyst C8500-12X router has 12 built-in 1/10GE WAN ports and delivers up to 120 Gbps Cisco Express Forwarding aggregate data rates. SD-WAN IPsec throughput can reach 51 Gbps. The C8500-12X4QC unit includes four integrated 1/10GE WAN interfaces and eight 1GE interfaces and delivers up to 200 Gbps aggregate performance. SD-WAN IPsec performance can reach 68 Gbps.
Cisco ISR G2 Routers
Cisco's ISR Generation 2 routers are intended to provide branch offices of enterprises with advanced collaboration, virtualization, security, and reliable WAN access. Integrated Services Generation 2 routers introduce an architecture that preserves prior investments in service modules for first-generation ISR routers and lowers future expenses by permitting easy installation of additional modules as they become available. In comparison to previous Integrated Services Routers, Cisco's Integrated Services Generation 2 routers offer 2-7 times more performance, substantially greater expandability, and easier support. All Integrated Services Generation 2 routers offer gigabit switching and include multi-core processors and ultra-fast fabric for higher throughput. ISR G2 routers also offer smart power management for better energy conservation.
A key advance with ISR Generation 2 routers is the IOS Software Universal image which includes all of the Cisco IOS technology sets so that your company can rapidly authorize and activate new functions as required without needing to acquire and copy a new IOS image over to yourrouter. Progent's group of CCIE network engineers can provide world-class expertise to help your business to plan, implement, and maintain multi-site installations of Cisco Integrated Services G2 routers that enhance satellite office efficiency and reduce the costs of expansion and support.
Cisco's ISR 800 Series Routers
Cisco's 800 Series of ISR routers has been functionally replaced by the higher performance Cisco ISR 900 series but remains widely deployed. Cisco's extensive line of 800 Series ISR routers is made up of desktop appliances intended for small organizations, branch locations, retail shops, telecommuters, and clients of ISPs. A wealth of devices in Cisco's 800 product line have been developed with various options over many years. Cisco's 881 Series of ISR routers suggests the vast array of options offered within Cisco's 800 Series line of routers. Models in Cisco's 881 router catalog can support unified media environments by providing voice and video, Wi-Fi and cellular wireless and data in one integrated appliance. Advanced data protection can include encryption, VPN, firewall, and URL filtering. For survivability, available options for 881 routers include redundant WAN links or support for landline high-speed WAN connections such as DSL as well as multiple 3G and 4G wireless connections all on a single desktop appliance.
The basic Cisco 881 router includes a 4-port fast Ethernet managed switch with up to 15 Mbps performance, support for 20 users, two-port integrated PoE, and IPv6 compatibility. The Cisco 881W ISR router supports 802.11g/n Wi-Fi. Cisco's 881 SRST router features 4 FXS ports and 1 FXO port for PSTN fallback with Cisco Survivable Remote Site Telephony. With a Cisco Unified Border Element (CUBE) license, Cisco's 881 ISR router allows SIP trunking as a replacement for outdated PRI lines or FXO voice connectivity to a PSTN service provider. SIP trunks also support remote agents in Cisco Call Center deployments.
4000 Series Integrated Services Routers
Cisco's 4000 Series Integrated Services Routers (ISRs) are compact modular and scalable platforms intended for businesses with multiple branches and offsite workers who need direct communication with private data centers and public clouds via VPN tunnels and the Internet. The 4000 series provides the throughput needed for hybrid WAN environments to accommodate mobile users, Cloud-based services, and HD video applications by utilizing WAN optimization, deep packet inspection, and traffic-management technology. Models in the ISR 4000 product line are powered by Cisco's IOS XE operating system, come in a 1-rack-unit (RU) or 2RU package, can support as much as 2 Gbps of throughput, and can include up to 3 interface slots, 2 service module slots, 4 built-in Gigabit Ethernet ports, and 8 CPU core server modules. ISR 4000 models can support integrated Gigabit Ethernet, T1/E1, T3/E3, PRI and xDSL. To manage unified communications, the 400o ISR offers extensive edge support for SBC, telephony survivability, and TDM gateways.
The primary difference between the Cisco 4400 and 4300 Series Routers is redundant power supply support in the 4400 Series, providing a greater level of availability. Cisco's 4321 ISR Router comes in a 1 RU desktop package and includes two network interface modules (NIMs), offers as much as 100 Mbps throughput, and allows up to 240 Digital Voice/Video Channels. The 4331 router has a 1 RU form factor with two NIMs, delivers as much as 300 Mbps performance, and allows up to 360 Digital Voice/Video Channels. The 4351 router comes in a 2 RU form factor with three NIMs, provides up to 400 Mbps throughput, and allows up to 720 Digital Voice/Video Channels. The power-redundant 4431 router features a 2 RU form factor and includes three network interface modules, provides up to 1 Gbps throughput, and can handle 720 Digital Voice/Video Channels. The redundant-power 4431 Integrated Services Router features a 2 RU form factor and includes three network interface modules, delivers up to 2 Gbps throughput, and supports 1200 Digital Voice and Video Channels.
Cisco's WAN Edge Routers and Service Provider Routers
Cisco's WAN edge and service provider routers offer larger businesses with high-performance, secure head ends to aggregate branch office and remote user data packets and to offer carriers cost-optimized wide area network edge solutions. Cisco's WAN aggregation and service provider router portfolio features the ASR 1000 product line and the 9000 Series Aggregation Services family.
Progent's national team of CCIE certified network consultants have in-depth experience helping enterprises and Internet service providers to plan efficient installations and seamless expansion of Cisco's WAN edge routers. Progent's GIAC-certified information assurance consultants offer unbiased, third-party network security inventory evaluations, stealth penetration services and advanced SIEM solutions to help enterprises that use Cisco's WAN aggregation routers to meet industry standards and government regulations for IT data security and incident reporting.
Cisco ASR 1000 Aggregation Services Routers
Cisco's ASR 1000 Series Aggregation Services line of routers is designed to fill the middle of Cisco's midrange products that concentrate on acting as headends at the wide area network edge. Cisco's ASR 1000 routers offer a small footprint, single-product solution for enterprises looking for branch office service aggregation at supergigabit Ethernet speeds. ASR 1000 Series routers incorporate a revolutionary architecture that mixes on-board acceleration with programmable flexibility to offer a rich set of concurrent services without sacrificing consistent responsiveness.
Cisco's ASR 1000 Series WAN Edge routers include Cisco's proprietary QuantumFlow Processor composed of 40 purpose-built Packet Processing Engines that in combination can support as many as 160 simultaneous processor threads. This multi-processing structure, combined with on-board acceleration for every service, allows the top-of-the-line ASR 1006 router to expand up to 128 hardware queues, 32,000 subscribers, 4K IP security VPN tunnels at 10,000 sessions/second, and 2 million Netflow records. This CPU capability allows ASR 1000 Aggregation Services routers to support a broad range of sophisticated services simultaneously in massive volume without suffering throughput decay that might threaten compliance with service level agreements. These advanced services include Cisco Firewall, IPS, Network Address Translation, FPM, and deep packet inspection. The Cisco ASR 1000 also permits sophisticated traffic management for applying numerous levels of QoS to a data packet in a single operation, improving responsiveness for resource-intensive voice, video, and conferencing applications.
Cisco ASR 9000 Series Aggregation Services Routers
Cisco ASR 9000 Series Aggregation Services Routers are intended as WAN-edge routers for service providers who need to deliver world-class data, voice and video services to residential, business, and mobile users by providing non-stop availability, high performance, and application awareness. All models in the ASR 9000 line of Routers run Cisco's IOS XR operating system, a self-healing, distributed OS built for non-stop uptime. Throughput of the ASR 9000 line of Routers can be expanded to as high as 96 Tbps per system. the Cisco ASR 9000 family of Aggregation Services Routers support Gigabit Ethernet (GE), 10 Gigabit Ethernet, and 100 GE and have redundant fabric and power supply, power entry modules, and fan trays plus redundant control planes.
The ASR 9001 model is a provider-edge router that comes in a 6 RU package that delivers 120 Gbps of nonblocking fabric capacity. The ASR 9001 has two bays to support adapters for 1 Gigabit, 10 Gigabit, and 40 Gigabit Ethernet. The chassis incorporates four 10 GE SFP+ ports and ports for GPS Stratum 1 clocking, BITS, and management. The Cisco ASR 9904 Router comes in a 6 RU chassis and offers dense 10 and 100 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity in space-constrained environments. The 4-slot ASR 9094 can scale up to 4 Tbps of capacity in a single chassis. The ASR 9912 platform has a 30 RU chassis with 12 slots slots that can provide 550 Gbps of switching capacity. The ASR 9912 Router includes 2 route CPUs as well as 6+1 Fabric Cards for N+1 redundancy.
Ways Progent Can Help Your Business to Support Cisco Router Products
Progent's CCIE and CCNP certified consultants can assist your business to plan, configure, and manage a converged business network that can simplify processes, reduce expenses, and accelerate time to positive ROI. By combining Cisco integrated services routers with Catalyst switches expertise and Cisco Catalyst and Meraki Wi-Fi wireless expertise, Progent can significantly enhance the business value of your connectivity environment. Progent can provide onsite and remote troubleshooting and offers data center support throughout the U.S.
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