Cisco Cisco Catalyst 6000 Multilayer Switch Feature Card MSFC2 White Paper
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White Paper
Building the Mobile Business with a Unified Wireless Network
Decision making is happening at Internet speed. Providing access to information in real time has emerged as a new challenge for IT and presents the
business with an opportunity to create sustainable competitive advantage. To respond to market demands, businesses require fluidity of information
to enable decision makers and employees to be more productive. Mobility is enabling enhanced productivity by delivering real-time access to
information and bridging the gap between resources and individuals.
The effectiveness with which employees make decisions promotes the success (or failure) of the business. As a result, the business must enable
employees to access the information needed to exceed corporate expectations. Mobility allows employees to access business applications, services,
and tools from any location, at any time. Mobility helps companies use existing business processes to deliver incremental value in real time through
innovative business applications and services.
CHALLENGE
Wireless networking is at the core of today’s business mobility strategy. Wireless networking has revolutionized the workplace, allowing companies
to introduce compelling new applications and extend mobility services to employees in a secure, scalable, reliable manner. Wireless guest access is
an example of the way in which mobility services have improved business processes by reshaping the way that businesses interface with external
partners, suppliers, contractors, and guests. Companies must have a solid, secure wireless infrastructure to gain the most from mobility services.
A corporate wireless network must be flexible enough to adapt to new business requirements, while integrating into the existing wired network
to simplify business processes and deliver a compelling total cost of ownership (TCO).
The wireless infrastructure must be capable of building on the strengths of the existing wired network to become a platform for innovative mobility
services and applications. By integrating the wired and wireless networks, enterprises can create a single network whose total value is greater than
the sum of its parts. To deliver on the promise of mobility, business applications and services must extend to the individual while remaining
transport and access independent.
Cisco Systems
®
has conducted extensive testing and analysis to determine the best approach to building a wireless infrastructure. As a leader in
enterprise networking, Cisco
®
can use its decades of experience in building enterprise-class data networks to help ensure that the wireless network
performs to the same standards as the wired network.
The goal of any infrastructure unification should be to support the business in value creation, either by serving as a platform for new applications
or by improving operating efficiencies. To provide the full benefits of unification, the initiative must extend across multiple layers. Unification of
components and products is necessary, but in no way a complete solution. True unification extends beyond the technology layer to include network
services, business applications, and business processes such as management and support, administration, and even procurement. The business will
see the rewards of unification in decreased capital and operational expenditures, single security and management frameworks, and improved
application support, leading to greater employee productivity.