Only three months after our last Book Sprint on Cisco’s AI-driven approach to Digital Transformation, we had the pleasure of returning again to the Cisco Campus in San Jose, California in July 2022. A dedicated and diverse group of 14 authors – from Technical Marketing, Engineering, Sales and UX – wrote a 280-page book on the Cisco Software-Defined Access for Industry Verticals. This is the 22nd book in our Cisco series and will be available not only as an online resource but also as a printed copy.

Image 1: The book cover

The book provides a brief review of the components of the SD-Access architecture and introduces commonly used features from industry verticals, i.e. Operational Technology (OT), Healthcare, Large Enterprise, Finance, and Universities. The final section focuses on migration, and provides the next steps to evolve from the traditional network architecture to the SD-Access architecture.

The technical nature of this book is best suited for network architects in Cisco’s customer and partner community and intended for practitioners of all architectural levels.

Executive Summary

Digital transformation is creating new opportunities in every industry. In healthcare, doctors can monitor patients remotely and leverage medical analytics to predict health issues. In education, technology is enabling connected campuses, providing personalized and equal access to learning resources. In retail, shops can provide a seamless, engaging experience in-store and online using location awareness. In the world of finance, digital technology enables users to securely bank anywhere, anytime, using the device of their choice. In today’s world, digital transformation is essential for businesses to stay relevant.

For any organization to successfully transition to a digital world, investment in its network is critical. The network connects all things and is the cornerstone where digital success is realized or lost. The network is the pathway for productivity, collaboration, and an enabler of improved end user experience. And the network is also the first line of defense in securing enterprise assets and intellectual property.
(extract from the book)

Image 2: Participants during the Cisco Verticals Book Sprint (photo credits: Karina Piersig)

The list of authors

• Devi Bellamkonda | CCIE (DC, SP)
  Technical Marketing Technical Leader, Cisco SD-Access
• Dhrumil Prajapati | CCIE (R&S, SP), CCDE
  Senior Multi-Domain Architect — CX GES Architectures
• Jonathan Cuthbert
  Technical Marketing Engineer, Cisco SD-Access CVD Author, UI Architecture
• Kedar Karmarkar
  Principal, SD-Access Technical Marketing Engineer
• Keith Baldwin | CCIE (R&S, Wireless), CCDE
  Senior Technical Solutions Architect, Campus Automation Center of Excellence
• Mahesh Nagireddy | CCIE (R&S)
  Technical Marketing Technical Leader, Cisco SD-Access
• Parthiv Shah
  Principal Engineer, Cisco SD-Access Enterprise Networking Engineering
• Pete Kavanagh
  Solution Architect, Industrial IoT
• Prakash Jain
  Principal Engineer, Cisco SD-Access Enterprise Networking Engineering
• Prashanth Kumar Davanager Honneshappa
  Technical Marketing Engineering, Cisco SD-Access | SD-WAN CVD Author
• Raja Janardanan
  Principal Engineer, Cisco Enterprise Solutions Engineering
• Sanjay Hooda
  Distinguished Engineer, Cisco SD-Access Design and Architecture
• Scott Hodgdon
  Technical Marketing Technical Leader, Cisco SD-Access

Congrats to the authors, we can’t wait to hold a printed copy in our hands!