5 min read
$679,699 saved. Zero Catalyst Center licensing fees. One hospital network refresh.
How one hospital network saved 57% on a Cisco switch and access point refresh — without sacrificing hardware quality or lead time. Most healthcare IT...
Networking Solutions
4 min read
How to Handle Meraki End-of-Support Alerts Without Replacing Your Hardware
Eric Sommers: 02.19.2026
What does Meraki End-of-Support (EoST) actually mean? — and how to silence dashboard alerts without a forced hardware upgrade.
7 min read
Why Companies Should Think Twice Before Adopting Catalyst Center for Access-Layer Switches
Eric Sommers: 02.18.2026
Is Catalyst Center for Access-Layer Switches Worth It? The short answer: Access-layer switches don't benefit from Catalyst Center the way core and...
8 min read
AI in Networking
Eric Sommers: 12.01.2025
What an explosion we’ve seen with Artificial Intelligence (AI)! My initial scope for this article was to explain how AI works for network management...
6 min read
Cisco Smart Licensing: Disabling Smart Agents for Enhanced Control
Eric Sommers: 11.19.2024
Cisco’s Smart Licensing has sparked ongoing debate—impacting how businesses manage hardware, software, and licensing policies. As Cisco shifts gears,...
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6 min read
Cisco Catalyst: Understanding Cloud Monitoring vs. Cloud Management
Eric Sommers: 10.28.2024
Cisco has been making significant changes to its Digital Network Architecture (DNA) offerings, particularly with the rebranding of DNA Center to...
7 min read
Cisco Catalyst Center vs. the Meraki Dashboard
Eric Sommers: 10.07.2024
DNA Center has been rebranded to Catalyst Center In today’s fast-paced networking world, managing complex systems is no longer just about using the...
3 min read
Which Cisco Nexus Switch is Right For Me?
Eric Sommers: 05.24.2024
Among the wide range of modular and fixed-configuration switches Cisco offers, Catalyst and Nexus switches are the most popular. The main difference...
2 min read
How to Reduce Your Risk of Network Downtime
Eric Sommers: 09.22.2023
When the network goes down, all eyes are on you. Downtime means lost business, lost revenue, more overtime, and lots of stress spread between you and...
5 min read
Catalyst 9300s Explained
Eric Sommers: 04.18.2023
Cisco has managed to blow our minds with switch options so I am going to try and simplify what the 9300 options are and how they compare. There are...
1 min read
PANIC! At the Cisco
Eric Sommers: 10.20.2021
Unfortunately, high hopes won’t get you very far if you’re trying to purchase and install new Cisco before year end. Lead times continue to grow and...
3 min read
How To Configure Cisco Catalyst 9300 Switch?
Eric Sommers: 08.05.2020
Designed to leverage assurance, security, and automation capabilities for the Cisco SD access and DNA center, the Catalyst 9300 Switches set the...