Project Drivers
- The client had an outdated network infrastructure consisting of End-of-Life (EOL) hardware from a multitude of vendors
- Using a multi-vendor approach caused spanning tree protocol (STP) issues resulting in network outages
- Existing wireless infrastructure was outdated and access points had to be individually managed
- The client didn’t have a guest network, there was no way for the IT staff to control employees connecting their own devices on the network
- The three-layer network design was comprised of core, distribution, and access layer. The configuration meant in the event of a floor distribution switch failure there would be a complete wired and wireless network outage for that floor
Solution Components
- Two-tier network topology with core and access layers
- Cisco Catalyst series switches in the core and access layers
- Cisco Wireless Controller for access point management
- Cisco ISE for wired and wireless access
- Single vendor approach
Impact
- Two-tier network topology resulted in a more resilient network design
- Single vendor approach eliminated spanning tree protocol (STP) issues that used to cause network outages
- Cisco Wireless Controller allowed for access points to be centrally managed
- Cisco ISE allowed the client to create and implement guest and BYOD access policy