The ongoing trend towards consolidating branch infrastructure started with consolidating services likefirewall and VPNinto your branch router. Next came server consolidation and virtualization using modules like theUCS E-Seriesfor theISR G2.  All bring the benefits of lowering total cost of ownership, maintenance costs and reducing network complexity in the branch.

One of the great things about working for Cisco is that we get to see the full spectrum of customer requirements. The next trend that I am seeing is customers asking about how to integrate standalone switches into a branch router without compromising on security or performance.

The 2013 Global IT Impact Survey identified trends such as BYOD, Cloud Migration and Data Center Consolidation that are driving more devices and traffic into the branch increasing the need for robust high performance network security as sensitive business data is exposed to an increasing number of threat vectors. Administering network security policies is also becoming a more complex task and the possibility that unauthorized people or devices will gain access to confidential information is increasing.

Today I am pleased to announce the availability of the new SM-X Layer2/Layer3 EtherSwitch modules for the ISR G2, which are designed to meet all above requirements and much more. These modules represent an enterprise class line of switches that bring:

• Converged infrastructure with all Gigabit Ethernet (GE) and PoE+ ports for ISR 2900, 3900 and 4451-X routers.
• Data confidentiality and integrity on the LAN by using MAC Security (IEEE 802.1AE standard), which secures communication for authorized endpoint on the LAN using strong encryption at Layer 2.
• Support for Cisco TrustSec, which helps to simplify your security architecture, and provide you with a scalable, intuitive and flexible way to assure the right security policies for all your network segmentation requirements.

We have number of customers who participated in early field trials for these switch modules including a leading telecommunication equipment company and one of the largest financial services company in the United States. You can find out more details about these new modules here.