Get Application Aware With Your Cisco Network Devices

An important part of shifting a network management strategy from up/down availability measurements to one based on performance is moving beyond a limited, "Device-aware" approach to a focus on application delivery - an "Application-aware" approach. This entails understanding the content flowing over the links and prioritizing traffic based on the value and importance of that content. Some of the most advanced application-aware technologies already exist within Cisco routers and switches and don't require the purchase of additional modules, cards, probes, or proprietary analytical engines.