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The current generation of routers typically incorporate Layer 2 switches, and many modern switches include L3 routing functionality. Routers developed by Cisco, the supplier of 90% of the world's routers, have improved dramatically in capability and speed and Cisco now offers an extensive portfolio that includes routers built to meet the needs of users from households to the world's largest service providers.

The latest ISR routers released by Cisco have the performance and integrated functionality to support data voice and video plus virtualization while at the same time offering fault tolerance, remote administration, seamless scalability, and advanced security and compliance. Cisco's ISR routers enable your company to build a solid basis for an IT network that can grow smoothly as you hire more workers, open extra sites, deploy new services, extend your network to clients and vendors, and support an an increasingly mobile workforce. Progent's Cisco CCIE network consultants offer fast and economical remote expertise to help you to plan, configure, manage, update, and support Cisco's most advanced routers and can assist you to support your legacy routers or move non-disruptively to Cisco's newer router solutions. Cisco Routers for Home and Small Offices and Branch Offices
Cisco's routers for small companies and remote offices provide affordable and reliable entry-level alternatives that allow limited sets of workers to share safe connectivity to the Internet. All these fixed-configuration desktop routers feature at minimum four 10/100 Ethernet switches with Wi-Fi options and integrated firewall for enhanced security. Designed for simple installation, administration, and support, Cisco's entry-level routers reduce TCO by cutting acquisition and maintenance investments. Progent's online support specialists have in-depth experience delivering immediate and economical IT assistance for small organizations to configure and support these devices, and Progent's CCIE-certified network consultants can assist your company to understand how Cisco's small office routers can add to the business value of your IT network.

ISR 900 Series Integrated Services Routers
Cisco's ISR 900 Series routers are small-footprint, quiet, fixed-configuration devices intended for small to medium-sized businesses, branch offices, and home offices. These entry-level routers include four GE LAN ports and can support Metro Ethernet, LTE, and DSL WAN connections. The ISR 900 router product line provides triple the IPsec performance of the ISR 800 Series routers. All ISR 900 Series routers offer GETVPN, dynamic multipoint virtual private network VPN (DMVPN), Cisco FlexVPN, and firewall. VPN throughput is as high as 250 Mbps. All models allow up to 50 VLANs. Supported automatic failover protocols for high availability and business continuity include Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol, Hot Standby Router Protocol (HSRP), and MHSRP. Provisioning and management can be done with Cisco CP Express, Cisco DNA Center, and Cisco IOS Software. Cisco ISR 900 Series routers do not support Cisco's SD-WAN solution.

Cisco's ISR 921 router comes with dual GE WAN ports, LTE Cat 4, and an internal power supply. GE WAN VPN throughput is 150 Mbps. The ISR 926 and ISR 927 routers use external power and feature one GE WAN port, Category 4 LTE, VDSL2 and ADSL2/2+ high-speed broadband. VPN performance for both devices is 150 Mbps. The top-of-the-line Cisco ISR 931 features dual GE WAN ports and includes an internal power supply. GE WAN VPN performance is 250 Mbps.

Cisco Meraki MX Series SD-WAN Security Appliances
The Cisco Meraki MX series of desktop routers provide software-defined wide area networking and cloud-hosted unified threat management (UTM) in a single small-footprint device able to support 50 to 200 users. Each MX router must be licensed to the Meraki cloud. For venues having multiple external network connections (e.g., MPLS, fiber optic, cellular), SD-WAN technology allows admins to specify the WAN interface a given app should use or to create performance-based algorithms to select the preferred interface. MX fixed-configuration desktop security appliances share important features that include:

• App and identity-based firewalling
• Content and web search filtering
• PCI-compliant Intrusion Detection and Prevention
• Cisco Advanced Malware Protection with reputation-based filtering
• Load balancing to combine multiple WAN links into a single fast interface with policy-based Quality of Services, traffic shaping, and failover
• Works with all IPsec VPN devices and services
• USB port for fast 3G/4G failover
• Wi-Fi versions of each model have 802.11ac Wave 2 2x2 MU-MIMO

Cisco 1000 Series ISR Branch Routers
Cisco 1000 and 1100 family Integrated Services Routers (ISRs) using Cisco IOS XE software are a line of fanless appliances intended to provide network connectivity, wireless support, and advanced security for small and midsize businesses, enterprise branch offices, retail outlets, customer premises equipment (CPE), and M2M environments. Parallel processing cores and the ability to run Cisco IOS XE enable these routers to deliver features consistent with Cisco's complete family of Enterprise routers. 1000 and 1100 Series ISR models are available with 4 or 8 LAN ports and offer GE packet forwarding. Various models include Power over Ethernet (PoE) and PoE+, zero-touch provisioning, plus a range of built-in or pluggable options such as LAN, WAN, wireless LAN, G.fast DSL, 3G/4G wireless, 802.11 Wi-Fi, and SFP Fiber. Cisco 1000 Series ISR routers work with Cisco's SD-WAN services for transparent multi-cloud access, multilayer security, and unified administration across hybrid network models of any complexity.

Cisco's 1RU or desktop 1100-4G ISR router includes four built-in GE WAN/LAN ports, built-in 3G/4G LTE with two LTE SMA sockets, and one micro-SIM plug-in slot. Encryption performance is 200 Mbps. The Cisco 1100-6G ISR router adds two 1G SFP Fiber ports and delivers encryption throughput of 520 Mbps. Cisco's desktop 1101-4P ISR router comes with four built-in GE connections, supports 802.11ac Wi-Fi as well as 3G/4G LTE, and features encryption throughput of 280 Mbps. The Cisco 1109-2P/4P ISR desktop routers include two or four integrated GE ports and two pluggable 3G/4G LTE wireless ports. Encryption packet processing throughput is 200 Mbps.

The rackmount or desktop ISR 111x-4P/8P routers have four or eight built-in switched GE interfaces (two or four with Power over Ethernet) and support VDSL2/ADSL2+, 802.11ac, 3G/4G LTE wireless, and SFP Fiber. Encryption packet processing speed is 280 Mbps. Cisco's rackmount or desktop 1111X-8P ISR router comes with eight integrated GE connections (four with POE) and supports SFP Fiber. Encryption rate is 340 Mbps. The 112x-8P ISR router has eight built-in switched GE interfaces with PoE and supports SHDSL, VDSL2/ADSL2+, 802.11ac, 3G/4G LTE wireless, and 1G SFP. Encryption rate is 340 Mbps. The Cisco ISR 1161X-8P router features eight GE interfaces with Power over Ethernet and provides 3G/4G LTE and SFP Fiber. Encryption packet processing throughput is 450 Mbps. Cisco Catalyst 8000 Series Branch and WAN Edge Platforms for SD-WAN and Routing
Cisco's Catalyst 8000 line of routers are modular devices designed to operate at the enterprise branche and the WAN edge in support of hybrid network environments that can include multiple public and private clouds and SaaS applications. All Catalyst 8000 devices are powered by Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Software and offer scalability, intelligent cloud security, and 5G connectivity. Performance is optimized via custom silicon, a multicore design, high port density, and line-rate encryption. Cisco's subscription software suites offer ongoing access to the latest SD-WAN technology and allow centralized management with enhanced cybersecurity, application-based policies, segmentation, and cloud readiness.

Catalyst 8200 Enterprise Edge Routers
Catalyst 8200 routers are upgrades to Cisco's 4300 Series Integrated Services Routers (ISRs), delivering higher IPsec performance and scale, accelerated crypto, plus higher integrated WAN interface density. These 1RU routers are built to bring Cisco's Secure Access Service Edge, Software-Defined WAN and 5G-connection technology to enterprise branch offices and the enterprise WAN edge. The Catalyst C8200L-1N-4T router includes four CPU cores, supports 500 Mbps IPsec traffic, and permits 1,500 SD-WAN tunnels. Cisco's Catalyst 8200L platform does not support container-based applications. The Catalyst C8200-1N-4T router features eight CPU cores, provides 1Gb IPsec performance, supports 2,500 SD-WAN tunnels, and enables edge computing with in-place container architectures. Both appliances include one Network Interface Module (NIM) slot, one PIM slot, two 1G Ethernet WAN copper ports, and two 1 Gigabit Ethernet WAN Small-Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP) interfaces. Four-port and eight-port 1 Gigabit Ethernet switch NIM modules are available for both 8200 models.

Catalyst 8300 Series Enterprise Branch Edge Routers
Catalyst 8300 WAN Edge routers are designed to replace Cisco's 4400 line of Integrated Services Routers, delivering Cisco's secure SD-WAN technology to medium-sized and large enterprise branch offices seeking high WAN IPSec throughput combined with unified SD-WAN services. Advanced capabilities include 5G wireless support, built-in cybersecurity, WAN MACSec, integrated enhanced Layer 2 switching, and Deep Packet Inspection with application optimization. Cisco Catalyst 8300 WAN Edge routers support edge computing for an in-place container architecture for Cisco UCS-E modules available on Cisco's 4000 family of ISR appliances. All versions in the Catalyst 8300 family allow 4,000 SD-WAN tunnels and include backup power supplies for improved uptime.

The Cisco Catalyst 8300-1N1S-6T router is a 1RU device that includes 8 CPU cores and offers 2G SD-WAN performance and IPsec performance of up to 1.9Gbps. The unit comes with one SM plug-in slot, one Network Interface Module slot, and six integrated 1G Ethernet WAN interfaces. The Catalyst 8300-2N2S-6T model is a 2RU appliance that includes 8 CPU cores and supports 2G SD-WAN performance and IPsec performance of up to 1.9Gbps. The model has two SM plug-in slots, two NIM slots, and six built-in 1G Ethernet WAN interfaces. The Catalyst C8300-1N1S-4T2X router model is a one-rack unit device that includes 8 CPU cores and offers 5G SD-WAN performance and IPsec data rates as high as 15Gbps. The appliance features one one SM plug-in slot, a Network Interface Module slot, two built-in 10-Gigabit Ethernet WAN ports, and four integrated 1G Ethernet WAN interfaces. The Catalyst C8300-2N2S-4T2X appliance is a 2RU device that features 12 CPU cores and supports 5G SD-WAN data rates and IPsec throughput as high as 18Gbps. The device includes two SM plug-in slots, two Network Interface Module slots, two integrated 10-Gigabit Ethernet WAN interfaces, and four fixed 1-Gigabit Ethernet WAN ports. LAN expansion modules available from Cisco range from a four-port 1-Gigabit Ethernet switch Network Interface Module module to a 50-port Catalyst L2 switch SM module.

Catalyst 8500 Aggregation Edge Routers
The Catalyst 8500 Series Aggregation Edge routers are fixed form factor, one-rack unit aggregation devices for SD-WAN and colocation deployments. Integrated features include route processor, ESP, and aggregation hardware for various connection choices. IPsec throughput is twice that of Cisco's earlier generation ASR1001-X aggregation services router. Flexible interface alternatives include 1GE to 100 GE WAN ports. 8500 Series routers come with redundant power units for enhanced resilience. Software subscription packages allow continuing use of Cisco DNA Center Software for SD-WAN and routing and offer unified management of cybersecurity, application-aware policies, network segmentation, and cloud connectivity optimization.

The Catalyst C8500L-8S4X router is intended to provide a similar basic functionality as Cisco's ASR 1000 appliance. The C8500L-8S4X includes four 1/10GE WAN ports and offers up to 20 Gbps Cisco Express Forwarding aggregate data rates. SD-WAN IPsec performance can reach 19Gbps. The Catalyst C8500-12X router has 12 built-in 1/10GE WAN ports and delivers up to 120 Gbps aggregate performance. SD-WAN IPsec throughput is up to 51 Gbps. The C8500-12X4QC model comes with four integrated 1/10GE WAN ports and eight 1G interfaces and can support up to 200 Gbps aggregate performance. SD-WAN IPsec throughput can reach 68 Gbps. Cisco's C8500-20X6C router comes with 20 built-in SFP+ ports and 6 x 40/100GE ports. Cisco's C8500-20X6C delivers up to 500 Gbps Cisco Express Forwarding aggregate performance. Cisco ISR G2 Routers
Cisco's ISR G2 routers are intended to provide satellite offices of enterprises with advanced collaboration, virtualization, protection, and reliable connectivity. ISR Generation 2 routers introduce an architecture that preserves past investments in modules for older Integrated Services Routers and lowers down-the-line expenses by allowing easy upgrades to new modules when they become available. In comparison to older ISR routers, Cisco's Integrated Services G2 routers feature 2-7 times more throughput, far more, and more affordable maintenance. All Cisco Integrated Services G2 routers offer Gbit switching and include multi-core CPUs and ultra-fast fabric for faster performance. Integrated Services G2 routers also support smart power control for better energy conservation.

A major advance with ISR Generation 2 routers is the Cisco IOS Software Universal image which contains all of the IOS technology sets so that your company can rapidly authorize and deploy new services when desired without having to download and transfer a new IOS image to yourrouter. Progent's group of CCIE network consultants can provide world-class skills to help your business to design, implement, and maintain multi-location deployments of Cisco ISR Generation 2 routers that improve satellite office efficiency and reduce the costs of upgrades and maintenance.

Cisco's ISR 800 Family of Routers
Cisco's 800 Series of ISR routers has been superseded by the faster Cisco ISR 900 line but is still widely deployed. Cisco's comprehensive portfolio of 800 Series ISR routers is made up of desktop appliances intended for small businesses, branch locations, retail shops, telecommuters, and customers of broadband service providers. Many devices in Cisco's 800 product line have been released with many options over the course of many years. Cisco's 881 line of ISR routers suggests the vast selection of options available within Cisco's 800 Series product family. Models in Cisco's 881 Series router catalog can enable unified media environments by providing IP voice and video, Wi-Fi and cellular wireless and data in a single integrated router and switch. Built-in security can include encryption, VPN tunneling, firewall, and URL filtering. For business continuity, available features for Cisco 881 ISR routers include redundant wide area network connections or support for wired broadband WAN connections like DSL plus multiple different 3G and 4G wireless connections all built into one appliance.

The baseline Cisco 881 has a 4-port 10/100-Mbps managed switch with up to 15 Mbps performance, the ability to handle up to 20 users, two-port integrated PoE, and IPv6 support. The Cisco 881W ISR router supports 802.11g/n Wi-Fi. Cisco's 881 SRST router includes four FXS ports and 1 FXO port for PSTN fallback with Cisco Survivable Remote Site Telephony. With a Cisco Unified Border Element (CUBE) feature license, the Cisco 881 ISR router allows SIP trunking to replace outdated Primary Rate Interface (PRI) lines or foreign exchange-office (FXO) voice connectivity to a PSTN carrier. CUBE-based SIP trunks can also support offsite agents in Cisco Call Center deployments.

Cisco 4000 Series Integrated Services Routers
Cisco's 4000 Line of Integrated Services Routers are compact modular and expandable routers intended for organizations with a large number of branches and offsite users requiring direct access to private data centers as well as public clouds across VPN tunnels and the Internet. Cisco's 4000 series provides the bandwidth required for distributed enterprise sites to support mobile users, Cloud-based services, and HD multimedia applications by utilizing wide area network optimization, deep packet inspection, and traffic-management technology. Models in Cisco's ISR 4000 product line run Cisco's IOS XE software, come in a 1-rack-unit (RU) or 2RU form factor, are able to support Up to 2 Gbps of traffic, and can have up to 3 interface module slots, 2 service module slots, 4 built-in 10/100/1000 Ethernet switches, and 8 CPU core server modules. Cisco ISR 4000 models can support integrated Gigabit Ethernet, T1/E1, T3/E3, PR1, xDSL and other interfaces. To handle unified communications, Cisco's 400o ISR provides extensive edge support for session border control, branch telephony fault tolerance, and TDM gateways.

The major difference between Cisco's 4400 ISR and 4300 Series is the inclusion of redundant power supply support in the 4400 Series, offering a greater level of availability. The 4321 Integrated Services Router comes in a 1 RU desktop form factor with two network interface modules, provides up to 100 Mbps performance, and can handle 240 Digital Voice/Video Channels. Cisco's 4331 model has a 1 RU form factor with two network interface modules, delivers up to 300 Mbps performance, and can handle 360 Digital Voice and Video Channels. The 4351 router comes in a 2 RU form factor and includes three network interface modules, delivers as much as 400 Mbps throughput, and allows up to 720 Digital Voice and Video Channels. Cisco's dual power supply 4431 model features a 2 RU form factor and includes three network interface modules, delivers up to 1 Gbps performance, and can handle 720 Digital Voice/Video Channels. Cisco's redundant-power 4431 ISR Router features a 2 RU package and includes three NIMs, provides as much as 2 Gbps performance, and can handle 1200 Digital Voice and Video Channels. Cisco's Midrange WAN Aggregation Routers and Carrier-class Routers
Cisco's WAN aggregation and carrier routers can provide enterprises with high-performance, protected head ends to aggregate branch office and remote user traffic and to offer ISPs cost-optimized WAN edge routing. Cisco's WAN aggregation and service provider router product line includes the ASR 1000 routers and the 9000 ASR routers.

Progent's national team of CCIE network engineers have extensive backgrounds helping global businesses and service providers to plan optimal deployments and seamless expansion of Cisco's WAN edge routers. Progent's GIAC-certified information assurance consultants offer unbiased, independent network security inventory assessments, penetration testing and comprehensive Security information and Event Management (SIEM) solutions to help enterprises that use Cisco's Aggregation Services Routers to meet business guidelines and government regulations for IT information protection and reporting. Progent also offers expertise with Horizon3.ai's NodeZero platform for threat assessment. NodeZero relies on AI technology to simplify the vulnerability evaluation cycle of finding security gaps in network perimeters and inside the internal network infrastructure, prioritizing remediation, mitigating weaknesses, and confirming fixes.

Cisco ASR 1000 Aggregation Services Routers
Cisco's ASR 1000 Aggregation Services family of routers is designed to fill the center of Cisco's midrange devices that focus on aggregating services at the WAN edge. ASR 1000 Series routers provide a small form factor, multi-function answer for enterprises requiring branch office service aggregation at supergigabit Ethernet speeds. Cisco's ASR 1000 WAN Edge routers incorporate a revolutionary design that combines on-board acceleration with software flexibility to offer a multitude of simultaneous services without sacrificing consistent performance.

Cisco's ASR 1000 routers feature Cisco's new QuantumFlow Processor composed of 40 custom Packet Processing Engines that in combination can handle as many as 160 concurrent threads. This massive parallelism, combined with on-board acceleration for every service, enables the high-end ASR 1006 Aggregation Services router to scale up to 000 hardware queues, 32K clients, 4K IP security tunnels at 10,000 sessions/second, and 2M Netflow records. This processing capability permits Cisco's ASR 1000 Series Aggregation Services routers to support a broad range of advanced services concurrently in high volume while avoiding performance decay that could threaten compliance with service level agreements. These advanced services include IOS Firewall, IPS, NAT, FPM, and in-line deep packet inspection. The Cisco ASR 1000 also allows sophisticated traffic management for applying numerous levels of QoS to a packet in a single pass, enhancing the user experience for resource-intensive multimedia applications.

Cisco ASR 9000 Series Aggregation Services Routers
Cisco's ASR 9000 Series Routers are designed as WAN-edge routers for service providers who are required to deliver the highest quality HD multimedia services to home, commercial, and mobile users by providing always-on availability, high speed, and application-aware intelligence. All models in Cisco's ASR 9000 portfolio of Routers are powered by the IOS XR, a distributed OS built for continuous availability. Throughput of Cisco's ASR 9000 Series of Aggregation Services Routers can scale up to 96 Tbps per system. the ASR 9000 family of Routers can handle Gigabit Ethernet, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, and 100 GE and have redundant fabric and power supply, power entry modules, plus backup switch fabric.

The Cisco ASR 9001 platform is a provider-edge router in a 6 RU form factor that delivers 120 Gbps of nonblocking fabric performance. The ASR 9001 has two bays which can accept port adapters for 1, 10, and 40 Gigabit Ethernet. The chassis includes four 10 GE enhanced Small Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP+) ports and ports for GPS clocking, building integrated timing supply (BITS), and management. The Cisco ASR 9904 Router has a 6 RU form factor and provides dense 10 and 100 GE connections in space-limited environments. The 4-slot ASR 9094 can scale up to 4 Tbps of capacity in one chassis. The ASR 9912 Router comes in a 30 RU form factor with 10 line-card slots able to support 550 Gbps of switching capacity. The ASR 9912 includes 2 route CPUs and 6+1 Fabric Cards to provide N+1 redundancy. Ways Progent's Consultants Can Assist Your Company to Support Cisco Router Products
Progent's Cisco certified consultants can assist you to design, setup, and manage an integrated network infrastructure that can automate processes, reduce costs, and accelerate time to positive ROI. By combining Cisco integrated services routers with Catalyst switches expertise and Cisco Catalyst and Meraki Wi-Fi wireless integration, Progent can dramatically increase the strategic value of your network infrastructure. Progent can provide in-person and remote support and can provide data center support throughout the U.S. To see additional information about Progent's professional help for Cisco networking products, select a subject:

• Introduction to Progent's Cisco Engineering Services
• Timely Online Help from a Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) Engineer
• Cisco Firepower NGFW Firewalls: Integration and Management Expertise
• ASA 5500-X Series Firewall with Cisco Firepower Services: Configuration and Management Support
• Cisco ASA 5500 Firewalls Upgrade. Migration Assistance
• Cisco PIX Series Firewall Engineering Help
• Cisco Wireless Network Design Services
• Cisco Aironet Wireless Access Points Engineering Expertise
• Cisco Small Business WiFi Access Points Deployment Help
• Cisco Catalyst 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6/6E Wireless Access Points Planning, Configuration and Debugging Support
• Cisco Wireless Controllers Consulting
• Cisco Meraki Wireless APs Design Expertise
• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM or Unified CM) and Cisco CallManager Consulting and Troubleshooting
• Cisco Voice over IP Phones and IP Video Phones Expertise and Wireless IP Phone Configuration
• Cisco Jabber Deployment Expertise
• Cisco Catalyst Switches Deployment Services
• Cisco Nexus Switches Deployment Services
• Meraki MS Switches Deployment Services
• Cisco Security and VPN Setup and Troubleshooting Services
• SIP and CUBE Infrastructure Solutions: SIP Trunks and CUBE Integration Expertise
• Cisco Duo MFA Two-factor Authentication (2FA) Services for an At-Home Workforce
• Design Solutions for Cisco-powered Datacenters and Colocation Centers
• Infrastructure Optimization Services for Service Providers
• Unified Cloud-based and Hybrid Management Techniques for Cisco-based Infrastructure

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