What is CISCO ACI:
The Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) provided by CISCO is a best-in-class software-defined networking (SDN) solution that ensures seamless activities of applications through data center automation. Cisco’s ACI first identifies and measures multi-cloud networks that follow a steady policy model. Then it enables applications to flawlessly travel between different cloud servers or different locations without compromising a bit with security and safety and maintaining high availability. It mainly concentrates on those applications which are business-related, rather than focusing on network products. Thus, Cisco’s ACI offers an organized and centralized platform to conduct business activities and control applications both physically and virtually. One big facility of it is that it automates all IT related works and security issues by micro-segmentation (logically separate data centers into small security segments), whitelisting (allowing certain applications access for specific activities or granting particular privilege to some applications), and policy enforcement. And this system helps users and businesses to build next-generation data centers with optimum security and agility.
Microsegmentation for Cisco ACI:
A major plus point for software-defined networking (SDN) systems such as CISCO ACI is that it allows and works on the principle of micro-segmentation. Due to the effective technology of micro-segmentation, securing data and applications becomes considerably easier and smoother. It also reduces the possibility for hackers to move agilely between networks. For CISCO ACI, it provides something more than just securing data and applications from hackers. It enables individual servers to be detached from each other and reside in secure zones within the data center. For hardware-based network systems, this type of granular function traffic filtering can be super expensive and highly complex. But as the whole process here is automatic, it seems feasible. So, whether it is a business requirement or sudden urgency, organizations can change networks anytime without any hassle by integrating CISCO ACI into their systems.
Resolving complex issues in or outside CISCO ACI fabric:
As several functions such as granular operation, rapid provisioning is involved in CISCO ACI, so it can become very complicated very fast. Besides, when things start to get complex, human errors make it even more difficult, eventually leading towards security holes and misconfigurations. In addition, the CISCO ACI design consists of different network and security routing options such as virtual firewalls, leaf switches, etc. It is also very crucial to automate these options to avoid any manual error and reduce the wastage of time.
Benefits:
Integrating CISCO ACI can help businesses in many ways. It provides automated audit-ready reports anytime which you can even present in board meetings. Thus, it saves both time and money. With constant policy checking and analysis, it finds out application policies that are obsolete and aligns them correctly. It also makes the network segmentation process fully automatic, thus allowing you with more privileges to run your business successfully.
Final thoughts:
While using CISCO ACI SDN, always integrate it with a renowned security management solution to manage your network system more efficiently.