For most organizations, network capacity is limited and cost is often one of the top constraints. It’s no exception for a leader in providing innovative IT infrastructure solutions to the world. Like its customers in IT operations centers, it’s also required to deliver expected performance levels within its own infrastructure. Visibility into network utilization and being able to proactively plan for capacity demands is just as crucial. Learn how this global provider of IT infrastructure solutions optimizes bandwidth utilization, avoids unnecessary circuit upgrades, and proactively resolves bandwidth issues that could impact critical business activities. To learn more about DevOps solutions from CA Technologies, please visit: http://bit.ly/1wbjjqX

1. ca Opscenter
Case Study: How Cisco Gained Visibility into Network
Utilization & Proactively Plan for Capacity Needs
OCT66SA #CAWorld
IT Engineer, Cisco Systems Inc.
slinky9@cisco.com
Andrea Di Lecce

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Abstract
For most organizations, network capacity is limited and cost is often one of the top constraints. It’s no exception for a leader in providing innovative IT infrastructure solutions to the world. Like its customers in IT operations centers, it’s also required to deliver expected performance levels within its own infrastructure. Visibility into network utilization and being able to proactively plan for capacity demands is just as crucial. Learn how this global provider of IT infrastructure solutions optimizes bandwidth utilization, avoids unnecessary circuit upgrades, and proactively resolves bandwidth issues that could impact critical business activities. (See related sessions: Meet the Experts: Q&A for “Case Study: How Cisco Gained Visibility into Network Utilization & Proactively Plan for Capacity Needs".)
Cisco

3. Overview

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Cisco Global Network Size
68,000+ employees
165+ countries
550+ offices
How to intelligently control cost while delivering the best possible service.
= a whole lot of network capacity to monitor and manage!

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Why WAN Capacity Management?
Very few large companies perform WAN network capacity management
Many believe that “throwing money at the problem” by upgrading highly utilized circuits is sufficient
Cisco’s requirement
Optimize cost while delivering sufficient bandwidth to do business
Cisco’s goal
Take a proactive approach to network WAN capacity management and planning.

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Benefits of WAN Capacity Management
Traffic Optimization
Free up existing bandwidth
Re-schedule non-time-sensitive traffic to after-hours
Remove non-business traffic having significant impact
(bandwidth abusers)
Cost Avoidance
Data-Driven Decisions
Avoid incurring costs for upgrades where bandwidth is extremely expensive
Only upgrade circuits that carry business-related traffic

7. WAN Capacity Management Strategy

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CA Technologies Products at Cisco
CA Network Flow Analysis
Collects hosts, conversations, protocols and ToSmetrics from WAN routers
Reports on circuit utilization
CA Performance Center
CA Infrastructure Management Data Aggregator
Metrics are displayed in one, easy to use interface
Collects circuit utilization and QoSqueue utilization from WAN routers
Gathers information using SNMP

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Data Gathering Strategy -WAN
CA Network Flow Analysis
WAN Circuit utilization
host/conversation/protocol information for WAN sites, backbone network circuits, ISP circuits
CA Performance Center
WAN circuit QoSqueue utilization especially voice and video
WAN circuit errors and discards
CA Infrastructure Management Data Aggregator

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WAN Capacity Thresholds
Cisco’s “60/10” Rule
Circuit > 60% utilized
More than 10% of the time
Reports are run over a period of 1 month
Data collected during local business hours
Allow for time to investigate & upgrade
95thPercentile
PEAK
Circuit is running >= 95%
More than 5% of the time
Commonly used guideline
Data Center link utilization > 90%
Voice QoSqueue utilization > 90%

11. WAN Bandwidth Planning

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WAN Bandwidth Planning
Scope
Calculate
Monitor
Upgrade
Employee head count
Video units requested and installed at the site
Call Center considerations (Voice QoS)
Determine the appropriate size of WAN circuit(s) to a given site
Proactively monitor circuit capacity usage
Request upgrades when traffic remains chronically high

13. WAN Capacity Management Case Study

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Scenario
A strategic leadership meeting was scheduled, which involved Cisco Telepresence video-conferencing at numerous sites around the globe.
All high-level executives were asked to attend this meeting virtually.
A CA PC dashboard was built to show all WAN sites involved in this meeting.
After the dashboard was built, we saw…

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High Utilization
The WAN site in question had anOC-12 (622 Mbps) circuit.
Utilization was much higher than normal as we can see here!!
Dashboard View

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Top Protocol Identified
The top protocol(NetFlow info) was very clearly shown here.
Drilldown View

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Top Conversation Identified
This was the top conversationon the link in question
It was a test lab that was leaking copious amounts of data on the production network
We asked the lab owner to please stop the stream!
Further drilldown of top conversation (NetFlow)

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Scenario Resolution
Total time from detection
to complete resolution
1 HOUR

19. Summary

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Summary
Cost Avoidance
Business aligned upgrades
Maximize existing bandwidth
Traffic Optimization
Solve problems proactively before users are impacted
Good Business Sense
CA Technologies and Cisco Systems
CA Technologies tools are Cisco’s partners in monitoring, detecting and troubleshooting issues related to network capacity

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For More Information
To learn more about DevOps, please visit:
http://bit.ly/1wbjjqX
Insert appropriate screenshot and text overlay from following “More Info Graphics” slide here; ensure it links to correct page
DevOps

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