Branch office network design

Branch office networking requires companies to understand their bandwidth consumption and application usage among remote and branch sites. Find out the factors to consider, including capacity planning, ease of scalability, management capabilities and secure access to corporate resources. Read about branch office network design, technologies, strategies and trends.

October 08, 2020 08 Oct'20
Cisco ordered to pay $1.9B in Centripetal security patent suit

U.S. District Judge Henry Coke Morgan Jr. ruled that Cisco's infringement of Centripetal Network's patents was 'willful and egregious.' Cisco said it would appeal the ruling.
July 18, 2019 18 Jul'19
AT&T-Microsoft deal secures use of 5G wireless, Azure cloud

The latest AT&T-Microsoft partnership announcement lacked details for buyers of enterprise products and services but gave a big boost to Microsoft's Azure public cloud.
June 19, 2018 19 Jun'18
Aruba taps ClearPass, Central for SD-Branch management

Aruba has introduced a software-defined branch offering. The product works with Aruba ClearPass and Central for management and includes an SD-WAN within a gateway appliance.
February 15, 2018 15 Feb'18
SD-branch network concept as next stage of WAN connectivity

SD-branch uses SD-WAN technology to simplify the branch network. It integrates multiple network functions now housed in separate components into software that runs in a single box.

Bring yourself up to speed with our introductory content

SD-WAN (software-defined WAN)

Software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) is technology that uses software-defined networking (SDN) concepts to distribute network traffic across a wide area network (WAN). Continue Reading
What does a VPN concentrator do?

As more employees work remotely and VPN use rises, VPN concentrators have become trendy. But what does a VPN concentrator do exactly, and how do you deploy one? Continue Reading
SD-branch devices promise network, security benefits

SD-branch technology integrates network and security functions in branch offices, thus promoting safer and more efficient connectivity for companies with multiple locations. Continue Reading

Weigh the pros and cons of technologies, products and projects you are considering.

SASE options for the branch of one -- work from anywhere

More than ever, enterprises need to support individual employees that make up a branch of one. These setups require reliable connectivity, application performance and security. Continue Reading
Site-to-site VPN security benefits and potential risks

Not every enterprise needs the functionality of a standard VPN client. A site-to-site VPN may be a better choice for some companies, but it's not without risk. Continue Reading
Gain SD-branch benefits through automation, orchestration

SD-branch technology is evolving, but don't put off learning about what this tool can do now and the advantages it will deliver in the near future. Continue Reading

Learn to apply best practices and optimize your operations.

Pandemic pushes enterprise connectivity to take a new path

COVID-19 delivered a connectivity shock to businesses. But savvy network execs were primed -- and are now showing the way forward in 2021 with SD-WAN, 5G and Wi-Fi 6. Continue Reading
How secure is a PPTP VPN in comparison with other types of VPNs?

In this Ask the Expert response, VPN expert Rainer Enders discusses the lack of safety associated with PPTP and offers these safer VPN solutions. Continue Reading
Best practices for the wireless branch office network

Here are some tips for how to deploy Wi-Fi services to users in your wireless branch office network. Continue Reading

We’ve gathered up expert advice and tips from professionals like you so that the answers you need are always available.

Dental group slashes downtime by 99% with Meraki SD-WAN

In this SD-WAN case study, a dental group with chronic network outages deployed Cisco Meraki to eliminate downtime. Learn more about the software-defined win. Continue Reading
Virtual branch office in a box (vBOB) devices may replace hardware

As you introduce your enterprise WAN to virtualization, a virtual branch office in a box (vBOB) may take shape in remote offices. Learn in this tip how BOBs are being reinvented. Continue Reading
FTP accelerator may be more of a quick than long-term fix

One of the top challenges for many companies is transferring large files between network locations, so they are looking for ways to simply speed up the transfer of files from one point to another. FTP or file acceleration alternatives not only solve... Continue Reading