Catalyst 8000 — From Small Branch to Enterprise Hub
Compact 1U SD-WAN edge for small-medium branches. 8-core CPU, 1Gbps IPsec, 4 built-in GE ports, NIM expansion. Fanless variant available.
- ✓1G SD-WAN throughput
- ✓8-core CPU + hardware crypto
- ✓4x GE ports (2 RJ45 + 2 SFP)
- ✓1x NIM expansion slot
- ✓Fanless variant option
- ✓IOS XE + Catalyst SD-WAN
High-performance 5G-ready branch and hub SD-WAN. 12-core CPU, 9.3Gbps IPsec, dual modular expansion, dual redundant PSU.
- ✓9.3G IPsec hardware-accel.
- ✓12-core CPU; 10G IP
- ✓5G-ready NIM expansion
- ✓Dual NIM + SM + PIM slots
- ✓Dual redundant PSU option
- ✓5G + cellular WAN support
Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager (vManage) — single dashboard, ZTP, ThousandEyes, cloud-on-ramp, Umbrella security, REST API.
- ✓Single dashboard all branches
- ✓Zero Touch Provisioning
- ✓ThousandEyes integration
- ✓Cloud-on-ramp: AWS/Azure/GCP
- ✓Umbrella cloud security
- ✓REST + NETCONF/YANG API
From Branch to Cloud — with Full Visibility
Deploy Catalyst 8000 at Branch
Install a Catalyst 8200 or 8300 edge platform at each branch location. Connect multiple WAN interfaces — broadband, MPLS, 4G/5G — to the built-in GE/SFP ports or NIM expansion modules. LAN ports connect to the branch switch.
Catalyst 8000 platforms support Zero Touch Provisioning — pre-register devices in SD-WAN Manager before shipping. On first boot, devices authenticate with SD-WAN Manager and receive their full configuration automatically without manual on-site setup.
Onboard to SD-WAN Manager
All Catalyst SD-WAN devices connect to Cisco SD-WAN Manager (formerly vManage) — the centralised orchestration platform. SD-WAN Manager provides the single dashboard for all branch devices, policy management, real-time monitoring, and ZTP onboarding across the entire WAN fabric.
SD-WAN Manager communicates with branch devices via the SD-WAN control plane (vSmart controllers manage routing policy; vBond handles device authentication). All control and management traffic is encrypted and separated from data plane traffic.
Define Application-Aware Policy
Configure SD-WAN policies in SD-WAN Manager: define SLA thresholds per WAN link, create application steering rules for 1,600+ recognised applications, and set load-balancing and failover behaviour. Policies deploy to all branches simultaneously.
Cisco SD-WAN's DIA (Direct Internet Access) policies allow branch traffic to break out directly to cloud services like Microsoft 365 and Salesforce from the local WAN link — avoiding unnecessary backhauling through the data centre for latency-sensitive SaaS applications.
Activate ThousandEyes Visibility
ThousandEyes active monitoring agents on Catalyst 8000 devices probe WAN paths, internet routes, and cloud applications — correlating actual application performance with SD-WAN path selection decisions. Operators see why traffic routes the way it does.
ThousandEyes Internet Insights provide a global network intelligence layer — identifying when application slowdowns are caused by the WAN, by the ISP, by the CDN, or by the application server itself. This contextualises SD-WAN performance data with external internet topology data.
Connect to Cloud via Cloud-On-Ramp
SD-WAN Manager's cloud-on-ramp automatically provisions gateway instances in AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud — creating encrypted SD-WAN tunnels from all branches to cloud. Traffic routes to the nearest cloud gateway for optimal cloud application latency.
For Microsoft 365 and SaaS applications, SD-WAN Manager's SaaS cloud-on-ramp measures performance from each branch to Office 365, Salesforce, and other SaaS endpoints — automatically steering traffic to the best-performing path for each application from each branch.
Apply Cloud Security via Umbrella
Cisco Umbrella provides DNS and web security applied to all branch internet traffic without on-premise security hardware at each site. SD-WAN Manager integrates Umbrella policy centrally — branches route internet traffic through Umbrella's cloud security stack automatically.
For branches requiring on-premise security inspection, integrated firewall, application-aware firewall, IPS, and TrustSec micro-segmentation are available on Catalyst 8000 platforms — with policy managed centrally through SD-WAN Manager alongside the SD-WAN routing policy.
Catalyst 8300 — 9.3Gbps, 5G-Ready, Enterprise Branch
The Cisco Catalyst 8300 is the large enterprise branch and regional hub SD-WAN platform. A 12-core processor with hardware crypto delivers 9.3 Gbps IPsec throughput — handling the WAN bandwidth demands of large branches running video, cloud applications, and inter-site VPN simultaneously.
The Enterprise WAN Standard
ThousandEyes — Real App Visibility
Active probes from Catalyst 8000 devices to cloud apps, internet paths, and SaaS services. Correlate actual user experience with SD-WAN path decisions — a capability unique to Cisco's integrated portfolio.
Cloud-On-Ramp Automation
Automated gateway provisioning in AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. Branch-to-cloud traffic routes to the nearest gateway with per-application SaaS path optimisation built into SD-WAN Manager.
5G-Ready Architecture
NIM slots on Catalyst 8200 and 8300 accept 5G cellular modules — upgrading existing platform hardware to 5G WAN without platform replacement as 5G enterprise coverage expands.
Cisco Security Ecosystem
Umbrella (cloud security), ISE (network access control), TrustSec (micro-segmentation), and DNA Center integrate natively with Catalyst SD-WAN — no custom integration required for enterprises already running Cisco security.
IOS XE Programmability
Full YANG model support, NETCONF/RESTCONF APIs, Python/Ansible automation, and gRPC telemetry. Integrate Cisco SD-WAN into existing DevOps pipelines and network automation platforms without proprietary tooling.
Gartner WAN Edge Leader
Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN is recognised in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for WAN Edge Infrastructure — validated enterprise SD-WAN platform with the largest enterprise install base globally.
Enterprise SD-WAN. Enterprise Scale.
Servnet is a Cisco UK partner supplying Catalyst 8000 Series edge platforms, SD-WAN Manager licences, and Cisco SD-WAN security subscriptions.
Industries Servnet supports with this stack
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