Latest Innovations in Cisco DNA Software for Switching

Cisco continues to deliver on its promise of innovation in our Cisco DNA software for Switching subscription. By deploying the latest innovations in Cisco DNA software for Switching along with Cisco DNA Center, you can unlock the full power of your Catalyst switches in a user-friendly way. It’s no question that Cisco DNA Center is the most powerful management platform for your Catalyst devices over any third-party network management system.

What’s new?

ThousandEyes integration (Application assurance): Cisco DNA Center can provide visibility into how your applications are performing, which is improved as a result of the out-of-the-box integration with ThousandEyes (TE). TE agents are included in Cisco DNA Software subscriptions at the Advantage level in specific models, they just need to be deployed out to your switches. You can see applications that TE agents are monitoring in the dashboard and get a performance summary (loss, latency, jitter) with the ability to drill down further. Not only does TE provide insight into your internal network, but also service providers.

Figure 1: ThousandEyes integration in Cisco DNA Center

Client Health: This feature allows you to quickly and efficiently understand how well the network is supporting end-users. The impact of any issues can be minimized for end users as well as IT staff in terms of issue resolution. You have the ability to drill down and search for specific users and get a 360 view of the health of their devices to pinpoint any downtimes.

Figure 2: Client 360 in Cisco DNA Center

PoE analytics: As people return to the office, it is important to be able to understand the power in remote offices. PoE analytics will allow IT to troubleshoot issues by looking at key attributes of PoE. For example, if a device is pulling more power, it is usually an indication that it may break. Action can be taken to disable specific ports or even power cycle ports.

Figure 3: PoE Analytics

Group Policy with ISE: The integration of Cisco DNA Center and ISE to control policy on a Cisco network provides a level of security that is unmatched in the industry. You can visualize what’s going on in your network and what devices and servers are communicating with each other. This allows you to make corrections as needed and ultimately prevent any security breaches.

Figure 4: Cisco DNA Center integration with ISE

Cisco DNA Spaces for Smart Buildings: Cisco DNA Spaces, a cloud-based data platform for IoT devices, gives smart building managers an all-encompassing view of operations and power consumption of smart lighting and shades, conference room availability, and cleaning frequency, and asset location, to name a few. Cisco DNA Spaces entitlement for Smart Buildings (See and Extend) is included in Cisco DNA Advantage licenses for Cisco Catalyst 9300 and 9400 Series Switches.

Figure 5: Cisco DNA Spaces

How can I get these features and more?

If you already have a Cisco DNA Advantage subscription in Switching along with Cisco DNA Center, you will get to utilize these features at no additional cost to you.

If you do not have a Cisco DNA Advantage subscription or if you have a Cisco DNA Essentials subscription, the time to upgrade is now. We will continue to innovate and add more wireless features to our advantage tier.

Cisco is expanding the deployment options of Cisco DNA Center to provide greater operational flexibility and choice.

Cisco DNA Center is currently installed on a dedicated appliance. However, we recently announced at Cisco Live a new option for Cisco DNA Center customers, the Cisco DNA Center Virtual Appliance. The virtual appliance which is targeted for general availability next year will give customers new deployment options for a network controller to deploy in a public cloud on AWS or on VMware ESXi within a company data center or in a private cloud.

Source: cisco.com