Cisco Cisco Prime Network Control System Appliance Getting Started Guide

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AN INNOVATIVE NETWORK MANAGEMENT STRATEGY AND PRODUCT PORTFOLIO THAT SIMPLIFIES MANAGEMENT,   
SPEEDS TROUBLESHOOTING, AND IMPROVES OPERATIONS EFFICIENCY
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At-A-Glance
Network Management Challenge
Networks are being transformed and IT departments must be empowered to effectively 
manage this transformation, which includes:
•  End-user demands for anywhere, anytime network access that is changing 
traditional workplace borders
•  Use of intelligent mobile devices like iPhones and iPads in the workplace for 
business operations, changing the profile of end-user devices
•  Use of real-time video, multimedia, and Cisco TelePresence® for collaboration and 
communication
•  Business imperatives to save costs and implement green best practices
These changes are challenging the IT department’s ability to effectively manage, 
secure, and scale the network infrastructure, services, and applications. To address 
these challenges, network managers need to move from a traditional bottom-up, 
infrastructure-level management approach that uses packet captures, sniffers, and 
time-consuming manual reviews of device data to a top-down, service-level approach 
that begins at the network application layer and progresses down through the services 
to the infrastructure.
Most IT departments are using a variety of disparate nonintegrated network 
management products and in-house scripts to manage the network. This 
infrastructure-level, bottom-up approach using disparate management products makes 
lifecycle management disjointed and limits network visibility. The result is management 
operations that are complex, manual, error prone, and inefficient.
Cisco Prime for IT
 is an innovative strategy and portfolio of management products 
that empower IT departments to more effectively manage their networks and the 
services they deliver.
The Cisco Prime for IT strategy is built on a network services management foundation 
and a set of common attributes. It delivers an intuitive workflow-oriented user 
experience across Cisco® architectures, technologies, and networks. The Cisco 
Prime for IT portfolio of products simplifies network management, improves operations 
efficiency, reduces errors, and makes the delivery of network services more predictable.
The Cisco Prime for IT strategy supports integrated lifecycle management of the 
networks, services, and endpoints for Cisco Borderless Networks, data center, and 
collaboration architectures. It helps IT departments achieve:
•  Improved operational efficiencies: Reduce network errors, speed troubleshooting, 
and improve the delivery of network services