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Discovery & Assessment

This chapter provides comprehensive discovery and assessment procedures for planning an SD-WAN deployment. It covers infrastructure inventory, traffic analysis, application requirements, and readiness assessment.

Chapter Overview

The discovery phase is critical for understanding your current WAN infrastructure and requirements before migrating to Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN. This chapter guides you through systematic assessment of:

  • Current WAN infrastructure and device inventory
  • Traffic patterns and application requirements
  • Transport options and security requirements
  • Business requirements and success criteria
  • Risk assessment and mitigation strategies

Sections in This Chapter

  • 1.1 Current WAN Infrastructure Inventory - Document existing WAN devices, circuits, and configurations
  • 1.2 WAN Traffic Analysis - Analyze traffic patterns, bandwidth utilization, and application flows
  • 1.3 Application Requirements - Identify critical applications and their network requirements
  • 1.4 Transport Assessment - Evaluate MPLS, Internet, and other transport options
  • 1.5 Security Requirements - Define security policies and compliance requirements
  • 1.6 SD-WAN Readiness Assessment - Assess organizational readiness for SD-WAN migration
  • 1.7 Business Requirements - Document business drivers and objectives
  • 1.8 Success Criteria & KPIs - Define measurable success criteria and KPIs
  • 1.9 Risk Assessment - Identify and mitigate migration risks

How to Use This Chapter

  1. Start with Infrastructure Inventory (1.1) to document your current state
  2. Analyze traffic patterns (1.2) to understand bandwidth and application needs
  3. Define requirements (1.3-1.5) for applications, transport, and security
  4. Assess readiness (1.6-1.7) to ensure organizational and technical preparedness
  5. Establish metrics (1.8-1.9) for measuring success and managing risks

Each section includes templates, checklists, and examples specific to the Abhavtech deployment scenario.

Part of: Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Implementation Guide | Next Chapter: Architecture Design →