Cisco links wireless, wired worlds with new Catalyst 9000 switches

Cisco is making it possible to run, manage, automate, and secure wired and wireless networks all on top of a single operating system. Key to the company's next step in operational efficiency is a new Catalyst 9000 switch, the 802.11ax-ready 9800 Wireless LAN Controller family, which is available in an on-premises chassis or as a software addition that can be run on select Catalyst 9000 switches or a private or public cloud, Cisco said. High-Efficiency Wireless or 802.11ax promises a fourfold increase in average throughput per user and is designed to handle high-density public environments. But it also will be beneficial in Internet of Things (IoT) deployments, in heavy-usage homes, in apartment buildings, and in offices that use bandwidth-hogging applications like videoconferencing. Announced at Cisco’s Partner Summit going on in Las Vegas this week, the company said the Catalyst 9800 controllers feature 40-100Gbps performance, depending on the model, hot-patching to simplify and eliminate software updated downtime, Encrypted Traffic Analytics (ETA), policy-based micro- and macro-segmentation and Trustworthy solutions to detect malware on the device. The Catalyst 9000 family, introduced a year ago, is Cisco’s primary delivery mechanism for its intent-based networking features. That means it brings with it tons of software that enables the network to identify and react to changing network conditions.