Cisco Borderless Networks: Now with New and Improved Access Management for Wired & Wireless Networks

If you’re an IT manager, at times it may seem like user demands are changing on a monthly basis. Employees are demanding access to the network at any time on a multitude of devices that is expanding like wildfire, and they’re not just demanding access to email and small files – it’s also real-time video, multimedia and telepresence for collaboration and communication.

These changes are challenging the IT department’s ability to effectively manage, secure, and scale the network infrastructure, services, and applications. To effectively address these challenges, IT departments need an integrated management solution that unifies disparate networks, supports all phases of the network lifecycle, automates best practices, and delivers simplified network operations.

And that’s just what Cisco is now providing.

As part of the latest Borderless Networks portfolio announced today, Cisco is introducing Cisco Prime Network Control System (NCS), which converges user and access management for wired and wireless networks with complete visibility into endpoint connectivity―regardless of device, network, or location. This first-of-a-kind platform provides converged wired, wireless and policy visibility in a single solution, allowing IT managers to streamline troubleshooting by starting at the end-user device, where the majority of access problems occur, reducing problem resolution times and getting users back online faster. Basically, Cisco Prime NCS helps IT move from an element or box-focused approach, which is becoming less and less effective, to a user-focused approach. This user-focused approach better aligns to how IT organizations are evolving to manage the proliferation of devices. Cisco Prime NCS is built on Cisco Wireless Control System (WCS) technology, which enables IT organizations to plan, deploy and manage RF environments while simultaneously addressing end user access issues.

Ben Stricker | April 19, 2011 at 10:05 am PST

Cisco Prime NCS is part of Cisco Prime for Enterprise, which was also announced today. Cisco Prime for Enterprise is a portfolio of products that deliver the industry’s only converged management solution for Borderless Networks, Collaboration, and Data Center, enabling IT departments to more effectively manage their networks and network services. Cisco Prime for Enterprise is built on a service-centric foundation and a set of common operational attributes. It delivers an intuitive workflow-oriented user experience across Cisco architectures, technologies and networks to simplify network management, improve operational efficiency, speed troubleshooting, and increase network services predictability.

Cisco Prime for Enterprise and Cisco Prime NCS are just part of new security, management and video solutions in the Borderless Networks portfolio that were announced today, helping IT departments more efficiently manage the proliferation of mobile devices, ongoing changes in workforce habits, and the impact of video on the network.