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Today's routers ordinarily incorporate Layer 2 switching capability, and many modern switches have Layer 3 routing functionality. Routers offered by Cisco, the supplier of 90% of the industry's routers, have advanced dramatically in capability and speed and Cisco now makes an extensive product line that includes routers engineered to handle the needs of users from individual telecommuters to nationwide service providers.

The latest ISR routers released by Cisco have the speed and integrated features to support data voice and video plus virtualization while at the same time offering fault tolerance, web-based management, seamless extensibility, and enhanced security and compliance. Cisco's ISR routers allow you to establish a firm foundation for an information network that can grow seamlessly as you hire more workers, open extra sites, deploy new functions, give access to your network to clients and partners, and support an an increasingly mobile user base. Progent's Cisco certified CCIE network consultants offer immediate and economical online support to help your company to select, deploy, administer, upgrade, and troubleshoot Cisco's most advanced routers and can help you to support your older routers or move non-disruptively to Cisco's newer router solutions. Cisco Routers for Home Offices and Small Offices and Branch Offices
Cisco's routers for small organizations and remote offices offer low-cost and dependable entry-level alternatives that allow limited sets of users to have secure access to wide area networks. All these single-configuration desktop devices include at least four Ethernet switches with wireless options and integrated firewall for advanced protection. Built for simple setup, administration, and support, Cisco's entry-level routers reduce TCO by lowering equipment and maintenance expenses. Progent's remote troubleshooting specialists have extensive experience delivering fast and affordable technical help for small organizations to configure and support these devices, and Progent's CCIE network consultants can help your company to understand how Cisco's small office routers can add to the strategic value of your IT system.

Cisco ISR 900 Series Integrated Services Routers
The Cisco ISR 900 Series desktop routers are compact, quiet, set-configuration appliances designed for small to medium-sized businesses, branches, and home offices. These entry-level routers include four managed GE LAN ports and offer Metro Ethernet, LTE, and DSL WAN connections. The ISR 900 router family delivers triple the IPsec throughput of Cisco's ISR 800 Series family of routers. All ISR 900 models feature Group Encrypted TransportVPN (GETVPN), dynamic multipoint virtual private network VPN (DMVPN), FlexVPN, and firewall. VPN throughput is as high as 250 Mbps. All router versions support up to 50 VLANs. Supported dynamic failover technology for business continuity include Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol, Hot Standby Router Protocol (HSRP), and MHSRP. Setup and management can be performed with Cisco CP Express, Cisco DNA Center, and Cisco IOS. ISR 900 Series routers do not work with Cisco SD-WAN.

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

Cisco Meraki MX Series SD-WAN Security Appliances
The Cisco Meraki MX family of desktop routers combine SD-WAN and cloud-based unified threat management in one small-footprint device able to support 50 to 200 users. Each MX router must be licensed to the Meraki cloud. For venues having multiple WAN network connections (e.g., MPLS, broadband, cellular), SD-WAN technology allows admins to assign the WAN interface a given app should use or to create performance-based algorithms to determine the appropriate connection. Cisco Meraki MX fixed-configuration desktop security appliances share important features including:

• Application and identity-based firewalling
• Content and web search filtering
• PCI-compliant Intrusion Detection and Prevention
• Cisco Advanced Malware Protection with sandboxing
• Load balancing to aggregate multiple WAN links into one high-speed interface with policy-based QoS, traffic shaping, and failover
• Works with all IPsec VPN devices and services
• USB port for fast 3G/4G failover
• Wi-Fi versions have 802.11ac Wave 2 2x2 MU-MIMO

Cisco 1000 and 1100 Series ISR Branch Routers
Cisco 1000 family Integrated Services Routers powered by Cisco IOS XE software are a line of fanless appliances intended to provide high-performance network service, wireless access, and advanced cybersecurity for small and midsize businesses, branch offices, retail stores, kiosks, and M2M environments. Parallel CPU cores and the ability to run Cisco IOS XE software allow these routers to deliver features consistent with Cisco's entire family of Enterprise routers. 1000 and 1100 family ISR models are available with 4 or 8 LAN ports and offer Gigabit Ethernet (GE) packet forwarding. Available features include PoE and PoE+, zero-touch provisioning, plus a selection of integrated or pluggable connections including LAN, WAN, wireless LAN, G.fast DSL, 3G/4G Advanced wireless, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and SFP Fiber. Cisco 1000 Series ISR routers can be used with Cisco's SD-WAN services for seamless multiple-cloud connectivity, multilayer security, and centralized monitoring and management across hybrid networks.

Cisco's rackmount or desktop ISR 1100-4G router includes four integrated GE WAN/LAN ports, built-in 3G/4G LTE wireless with two LTE SMA sockets, and a micro-SIM plug-in slot. Encryption throughput is 200 Mbps. The ISR 1100-6G router adds two 1G SFP ports and delivers encryption throughput of 520 Mbps. Cisco's desktop 1101-4P ISR router includes four built-in switched GE ports, offers 802.11ac Wi-Fi and 3G/4G LTE wireless, and delivers encryption throughput of 280 Mbps. Cisco's ISR 1109-2P/4p desktop routers have two or four built-in GE ports and two pluggable 3G/4G LTE wireless ports. Encryption throughput is 200 Mbps.

The rackmount or desktop 111x-4P/8P ISR routers have four or eight integrated GE interfaces (two or four provide Power over Ethernet) and feature VDSL2/ADSL2+, 802.11ac, 3G/4G LTE, and 1G SFP. Encryption rate is 280 Mbps. Cisco's rackmount or desktop ISR 1111X-8P router has eight integrated GE connections (four with POE) and a port for SFP. Encryption rate is 340 Mbps. The ISR 112x-8P router features eight built-in GE connections with PoE and features SHDSL, VDSL2/ADSL2+, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, 3G/4G LTE wireless, and SFP Fiber. Encryption packet processing speed is 340 Mbps. The ISR 1161X-8P router features eight integrated GE connections with PoE and supports 3G/4G LTE and SFP Fiber. Encryption rate is 450 Mbps. Cisco Catalyst 8000 Series Branch and WAN Edge Platforms for SD-WAN and Routing
Cisco Catalyst 8000 Series routers are modular devices intended to work at the enterprise branche and the WAN edge in support of hybrid network environments that can incorporate a mix of public and private clouds and cloud-hosted applications. All Catalyst 8000 devices use Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Software and provide expandability, intelligent cloud security, and 5G connectivity. Throughput is enhanced via custom hardware, a multicore architecture, high port density, and line-rate encryption. Cisco's subscription software suites offer continual access to current SD-WAN technology and enable unified management with advanced cybersecurity, application-based policies, segmentation, and cloud readiness.

Catalyst 8200 Enterprise Branch Edge Routers
Catalyst 8200 Series routers are successors to Cisco's 4300 Series Integrated Services Routers, delivering higher IPsec performance and scale, hardware-accelerated crypto, plus higher built-in WAN port density. These 1RU appliances are built to provide Cisco's Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), Software-Defined WAN and 5G-connection technology to enterprise branch offices and the enterprise access edge. Cisco's Catalyst C8200L-1N-4T router features four CPU cores, enables 500 Mbps IPsec traffic, and allows 1,500 SD-WAN tunnels. Cisco's Catalyst 8200L platform does not support container-based apps. The Catalyst C8200-1N-4T model features eight CPU cores, delivers 1Gb IPsec performance, supports 2,500 SD-WAN tunnels, and enables edge computing with in-place container models. Both appliances come with one NIM slot, a Pluggable Interface Module (PIM) slot, two 1G Ethernet WAN copper interfaces, and two 1 Gigabit Ethernet WAN Small-Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP) ports. 4-port and 8-port 1 Gigabit Ethernet switch NIM modules are available for both 8200 models.

Catalyst 8300 Series Enterprise Edge Routers
Cisco Catalyst 8300 Series WAN Edge routers are intended to replace Cisco's 4400 family of Integrated Services Routers, providing Cisco's secure SD-WAN solution to mid-sized and large enterprise branches looking for high WAN IPSec throughput with unified SD-WAN services. Enhanced features include 5G wireless connectivity, built-in security, WAN MACSec, enhanced Layer 2 switching, and Deep Packet Inspection with application optimization. Catalyst 8300 Series routers enable edge computing for an existing container architecture for Cisco UCS-E modules offered on Cisco's 4000 Series ISR routers. All models in the Cisco Catalyst 8300 family support 4,000 SD-WAN tunnels and include backup power supplies for improved uptime.

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

Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series Aggregation Edge Routers
The Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series Aggregation Edge routers are fixed, one-rack unit aggregation routers for SD-WAN and colocation deployments. Built-in features include route processor, embedded services processor (ESP), and aggregation hardware for various interfaces and connectivity choices. IPsec performance is double compared to Cisco's earlier generation ASR1001-X router. Available interface alternatives include 1GE, 10GE, 40GE, and 100GE WAN ports. The routers come with redundant power supplies for improved resilience. Software subscription suites allow continuing access to Cisco DNA Center Software for SD-WAN and routing and offer centralized management of cybersecurity, application-based policies, network segmentation, and cloud connectivity optimization.

The Catalyst C8500L-8S4X router is intended to offer the same key features as Cisco's ASR 1000 appliance. The C8500L-8S4X includes four 1/10GE WAN interfaces and delivers up to 20 Gbps Cisco Express Forwarding aggregate throughput. SD-WAN IPsec performance can reach 19Gbps. The Cisco Catalyst C8500-12X router includes 12 built-in 1/10GE WAN ports and delivers as high as 120 Gbps Cisco Express Forwarding aggregate data rates. SD-WAN IPsec performance is up to 51 Gbps. The C8500-12X4QC aggregation router comes with four integrated 1/10GE WAN ports and eight 1G ports and delivers up to 200 Gbps aggregate throughput. SD-WAN IPsec performance can reach 68 Gbps. The Catalyst C8500-20X6C high-density router includes 20 integrated SFP+ interfaces and 6 x QSFP+ interfaces. The Catalyst C8500-20X6C delivers up to 500 Gbps Cisco Express Forwarding aggregate performance. Cisco Integrated Services G2 Routers
Cisco's ISR Generation 2 routers are designed to provide satellite offices of enterprises with advanced collaboration, virtual networking, security, and reliable connectivity. ISR Generation 2 routers feature an architecture that protects past investments in service modules for older Integrated Services Routers and reduces down-the-line expenses by permitting easy upgrades to new modules when they are developed. In comparison to older Integrated Services Routers, Cisco's Integrated Services G2 routers feature 2-7 times more performance, substantially more, and more affordable maintenance. All Cisco Integrated Services G2 routers offer Gbit switching and include multi-core processors and ultra-fast fabric for faster performance. Integrated Services Generation 2 routers also offer intelligent power management for better energy conservation.

A key advance with Integrated Services G2 routers is the Cisco IOS Software Universal image which includes all of the Cisco IOS technology sets so that your company can quickly authorize and deploy new features as required without needing to download and copy a new IOS Software image to yourCisco router. Progent's team of Cisco-certified CCIE network consultants can provide world-class expertise to assist your business to design, implement, and support multi-site installations of Cisco ISR Generation 2 routers that improve branch office productivity and reduce the costs of upgrades and maintenance.

Cisco's ISR 800 Family of Routers
Cisco's 800 Series of ISR routers has been functionally replaced by the faster Cisco ISR 900 series but remains widely used. Cisco's comprehensive line of 800 Series ISR routers consists of desktop appliances intended for small businesses, branch locations, retail venues, teleworkers, and clients of broadband service providers. Many models in the 800 product line have been developed with various options over the course of many years. The 881 Series of ISR routers suggests the vast array of options offered within Cisco's 800 Series product family. Models in Cisco's 881 router portfolio can support converged media networks by delivering IP voice and video, wireless and data in a single integrated router and switch. Built-in data protection can include encryption, VPN, firewall, and URL filtering. For business continuity, available options for 881 routers include redundant wide area network connections or support for landline broadband WAN connections such as DSL plus multiple 3G and 4G wireless connections all on a single appliance.

The baseline Cisco 881 features a 4-port 10/100-Mbps managed switch that delivers 15 Mbps performance, support for 20 users, two-port integrated PoE, and IPv6 compatibility. The Cisco 881W router includes 802.11g/n Wi-Fi. The 881 SRST router includes four FXS ports and 1 FXO port for PSTN failover with Cisco Survivable Remote Site Telephony. With a Cisco Unified Border Element (CUBE) feature license, the Cisco 881 ISR router supports SIP trunking to replace outdated PRI lines or FXO voice connectivity to a PSTN carrier. SIP trunks can also support remote call agents in Cisco Call Center environments.

Cisco 4000 Series ISR Routers
The Cisco 4000 Series Integrated Services Routers are modular and scalable routers designed for businesses with multiple branch offices and remote workers requiring direct communication with in-house data centers as well as public clouds across VPNs and the Internet. The 4000 series provides the throughput needed for hybrid WAN environments to accommodate mobile users, cloud services, and HD video applications by using network optimization, deep packet inspection, and traffic-management technology. Devices in the ISR 4000 Series run Cisco's IOS XE software, come in a 1RU or 2RU form factor, are able to handle as much as 2 Gbps of traffic, and can include up to 3 interface module slots, 2 service module slots, 4 integrated Gigabit Ethernet switches, and 8 CPU core integrated server modules. Cisco ISR 4000 models can support integrated Gigabit Ethernet, T1/E1, T3/E3, PRI and xDSL. To manage unified communications, Cisco's 400o ISR offers extensive edge support for SBC, telephony fault tolerance, and TDM gateways.

The primary difference between the Cisco 4400 and 4300 Series Routers is the inclusion of dual power supply support in the 4400 Series, offering a greater degree of fault tolerance. Cisco's 4321 Integrated Services Router comes in a 1 RU desktop package and includes two network interface modules, offers up to 100 Mbps performance, and can handle 240 Digital Voice and Video Channels. The 4331 Integrated Services Router comes in a 1 RU package with two NIMs, delivers up to 300 Mbps throughput, 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, offers as much as 400 Mbps throughput, and supports 720 Digital Voice and Video Channels. Cisco's power-redundant 4431 Integrated Services Router has a 2 RU package and includes three network interface modules, offers up to 1 Gbps throughput, and supports 720 Digital Voice/Video Channels. Cisco's redundant-power 4431 Integrated Services Router comes in a 2 RU package with three NIMs, provides as much as 2 Gbps throughput, and allows up to 1200 Digital Voice/Video Channels. Cisco's WAN Edge Routers and Service Provider Routers
Cisco's WAN edge and service provider routers offer larger businesses with fast, secure headends to manage satellite office and remote user data packets and to offer ISPs cost-optimized WAN edge solutions. Cisco's WAN aggregation and service provider router product line features the Cisco ASR 1000 routers and the 9000 ASR family.

Progent's national team of CCIE certified network consultants have in-depth experience working with enterprises and ISPs to plan optimal deployments and seamless upgrades of Cisco's WAN edge routers. Progent's GIAC-certified information assurance experts can provide objective, third-party security vulnerability evaluations, penetration testing services and advanced SIEM solutions to help companies that use Cisco's Aggregation Services Routers to meet business guidelines and government requirements for network information protection and reporting. Progent also offers help with Horizon3.ai's NodeZero platform for threat assessment. NodeZero depends on AI technology to simplify the vulnerability assessment cycle of finding cybersecurity gaps in perimeters and inside the internal network infrastructure, prioritizing remediation, fixing problems, and verifying successful repairs.

Cisco ASR 1000 Series WAN Edge Routers
Cisco's ASR 1000 Aggregation Services family of routers is positioned in the middle of Cisco's midrange products that focus on aggregating services at the WAN edge. Cisco's ASR 1000 Series Aggregation Services routers provide a small form factor, multi-function answer for large businesses requiring satellite office aggregation at multigigabit Ethernet speeds. Cisco's ASR 1000 Series routers incorporate an innovative design that combines on-board acceleration with software flexibility to offer a multitude of simultaneous services without sacrificing dependable responsiveness.

Cisco's ASR 1000 routers include Cisco's proprietary QuantumFlow Processor made up of 40 custom Packet Processing Engines (PPEs) that together can handle up to 160 simultaneous threads. This parallel CPU architecture, combined with hardware acceleration for every service, allows the high-end ASR 1006 WAN Edge router to expand up to 000 queues, 32,000 subscribers, 4,000 IP security VPN tunnels at 10K sessions per second, and 2 million Netflow records. This processing capability permits Cisco's ASR 1000 WAN Edge routers to support a wide variety of advanced services simultaneously in massive volume without suffering throughput decay that could threaten adherence to SLAs. Examples of these services include Cisco IOS Firewall, IPS, NAT, FPM, and deep packet inspection. The Cisco ASR 1000 also permits tiered traffic management for performing numerous levels of QoS to a data packet in one pass, improving the user experience for next-generation IP voice and video applications.

Cisco ASR 9000 Series Routers
Cisco ASR 9000 Series Aggregation Services Routers are designed as WAN-edge routers for service providers who need to support world-class data, voice and video services to residential, business, and mobile users by providing always-on availability, high performance, and application-aware intelligence. All platforms in the Cisco ASR 9000 portfolio of Routers run Cisco's IOS XR, a distributed OS built for continuous availability. Throughput of Cisco's ASR 9000 line of Routers can be expanded to as high as 96 Tbps per system. the Cisco ASR 9000 line of Aggregation Services Routers support high-density Gigabit Ethernet (GE), 10 GE, and 100 GE and feature redundant fabric and power modules, power entry modules, plus backup control planes.

The ASR 9001 model is a provider-edge router in a 6 RU form factor with 120 Gbps of nonblocking fabric performance. The Cisco ASR 9001 has two modular bays which can support adapters for 1 GE, 10 GE, and 40 GE. The chassis includes four 10 GE enhanced Small Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP+) ports as well as ports for GPS clocking, building integrated timing supply (BITS), and management. The Cisco ASR 9904 Router has a 6 RU form factor and provides line-rate 10 GE and 100 GE connectivity in space-constrained sites. The 4-slot ASR 9094 can scale up to 4 Tbps of switching capacity in a single chassis. The ASR 9912 platform has a 30 RU chassis with 12 slots slots that can provide 550 Gbps of throughput. The Cisco ASR 9912 includes 2 route processors as well as 6+1 Fabric Cards to provide N+1 redundancy. How Progent Can Help Your Company to Support Cisco Router Products
Progent's CCIE certified consultants can help your company to plan, configure, and support a converged network infrastructure that can streamline processes, reduce expenses, and speed time to positive ROI. By combining Cisco routers with Catalyst switches support and Catalyst and Meraki Wi-Fi wireless expertise, Progent can dramatically increase the strategic value of your integrated network. Progent offers on-premises and remote support and can provide data center support throughout the U.S. To see more information concerning Progent's engineering help for Cisco networking products, choose a subject:

• Introduction to Progent's Cisco Expertise
• Timely Online Support from a CCIE Engineer
• Cisco Firepower Firewalls: Configuration and Management Services
• ASA 5500-X Series Firewall with Cisco Firepower: Consulting and Management Services
• Cisco ASA 5500 Firewalls Integration Support
• PIX 500 Firewall Maintenance Support
• Cisco Wireless Engineering Support
• Aironet Access Points Engineering Services
• Cisco Small Business WiFi APs Consulting Help
• Cisco Catalyst 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6/6E Wireless APs Planning, Configuration and Debugging Consulting
• Cisco WiFi Controllers Integration Consulting
• Cisco Meraki Access Points Deployment Services
• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM or Unified CM) and CallManager Integration and Technical Support
• Cisco Voice over IP Phones and IP Video Phones Expertise and Cisco Wireless VoIP Phone Integration
• Cisco Jabber Consulting and Support Expertise
• Catalyst Switches Deployment Services
• Cisco Nexus Switches Configuration and Maintenance Services
• Meraki Switches Configuration and Maintenance Expertise
• Cisco VPN and Network Security Integration Services
• SIP and CUBE Integration Solutions: SIP PSTN Trunks and CUBE Integration Consulting
• Cisco Duo MFA Two-factor Authentication Services for Remote Workers
• Design Expertise for Cisco-based Data Centers
• Data Center Optimization Expertise for ISPs
• Centralized Cloud-based and Hybrid Network Management Strategies for Cisco-powered Infrastructure

If you wish to get in touch with Progent about engineering help for Cisco technology, call 1-800-993-9400 or go to Contact Progent.