How ISVs Can Take Advantage of Cisco DNA in the New Era in Networking

With Cisco’s launch of The Network. Intuitive., we are delivering an open and extensible architecture that is constantly learning, adapting, and protecting. As Nirav Sheth pointed out in his blog about the new network on June 21, we are leading a breakthrough approach from the traditional, manual “set and forget” network to a new intuitive network that’s more agile, intelligent, automated, and secure.  This intuitive network can be a true game changer for all of Cisco’s different partners in the Cisco Partner Ecosystem.

If you are an Independent Software Vendor (ISV), you may be wondering—what’s in it for me? Cisco DNA offers extensibility and the potential for higher levels of software integration and partnerships for application vendors, including the ability to:

Reduce Application Performance Problems—Application vendors can proactively recognize and address performance issues before end users call to complain about application performance. This is all done through Cisco DNA Center, a central management dashboard for the network that enables customers to design, provision, automate policy and assure services centrally. It can predict issues before they occur with Cisco DNA Assurance & Analytics services, powered by the Cisco Network Data Platform; by leveraging open APIs, application vendors can tap into the incredible insights that only the network can provide and add new values for their customers.

Increase Customer Confidence with Enhanced Security—Application vendors can deploy their applications with better security by finding and addressing attacks, which helps them increase the integrity of their applications for customers. This is done through Cisco Encrypted Traffic Analytics (ETA) which can detect malware even when it is hidden in encrypted traffic. Cisco is the ONLY vendor with 99.99% accuracy that can find the “bad guys.”

Optimize Deployment of Applications—Application vendors can optimize their software by using our network APIs with Cisco Easy Quality of Service, create custom application policies, and use Dynamic Network Access Control (DNAC) to properly identify and classify those applications. In addition, Cisco Network Data Platform (NDP) will ensure those applications are working optimally for the best customer experience. Application vendors then can help customers easily roll out new business solutions faster and more securely using Cisco Software-Defined Access. SD-Access provides a single, secure network fabric that can simplify the onboarding of new applications and services, while extending value to the edge of the network for devices and things via automation and leveraging policy-based segmentation. Imagine rolling out applications in days versus months, and your customers’ satisfaction!

Optimize Mobile Application User Experience—Any application vendor that has an iOS business application can take advantage of Cisco DNA to offer our mutual end customers an optimized user experience. Cisco can help you develop and test your iOS application optimizations for a Cisco network, and go to market with this joint solution. For more information, take a look at Susie Wee’s latest blog.

Accelerate Your Virtual Service Adoption with Cisco Enterprise NFV—To address market growth in network functions virtualization (NFV), Cisco offers application vendors a way to help customers accelerate virtual service adoption and reduce complexity and support. Cisco offers Cisco Enterprise Network Functions Virtualization (Enterprise NFV), a solution that helps application vendors validate and deploy their virtualized network function (VNF) services on Cisco DNA.

Determine Network Readiness for Digital Transformation—For instance, application vendors can help customers determine if their enterprise network is ready for digital transformation with Cisco DNA Advisor, then use Cisco Readiness Planner to help customers build their roadmap, which can include a partner’s complementary products, solutions and services. Application vendors can also capture professional services dollars from offering this service to customers.

When ISVs work with Cisco on network-enabled digital transformation projects, the results can be powerful.  For example, Cisco ecosystem partner LiveAction has created a solution called LiveNX, a network performance analytics platform that simplifies the network to create better digital experiences for end users. LiveNX relies on Cisco APIC-EM and Cisco DNA to retrieve real-time information from the network, retain historical information for analytics, and deliver continuous insights to customers. One of LiveAction’s customers in the financial services space has already benefited from the improved WAN management and visibility made possible by LiveNX. As a result of implementing the solution, they extended their initial 125 site rollout to 825 sites in half the originally proposed time thus accelerating their time to value.

Cisco is excited to see the differentiated offers that innovative software vendors will deploy to help customers transform their businesses. If you want to explore possibilties for developing a joint solution based on what I’ve just shared, check out Cisco DevNet. If you’ve already developed an integration with Cisco DNA, and want to go to market together with Cisco, engage with us via the Solution Partner Program website.

Questions or comments? Feel free to connect with me on Twitter.