1.6 SD-WAN Readiness Assessment¶

Document Information¶

Item	Details
Document Version	1.0
Last Updated	December 2025
Author	Network Architecture Team
Organization	Abhavtech.com
Classification	Internal Use Only

1.6.1 Overview¶

This section provides a comprehensive readiness assessment for Abhavtech.com's migration to Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN. The assessment evaluates technical, operational, and organizational readiness to ensure a successful deployment.

Assessment Methodology¶

Technical infrastructure evaluation
Skills and knowledge assessment
Process and procedure review
Vendor and partner readiness
Risk and dependency analysis

Readiness Scoring Legend¶

Score	Status	Description
✅ Ready	90-100%	No action required
⚠️ Partial	60-89%	Minor remediation needed
❌ Not Ready	0-59%	Significant work required

1.6.2 Infrastructure Readiness Assessment¶

Data Center Infrastructure¶

Component	Requirement	Current State	Gap	Status
Compute (vManage)	32 vCPU, 128 GB RAM per node	ESXi cluster available	None	✅ Ready
Storage (vManage)	2 TB SSD per node	vSAN available	None	✅ Ready
Network (vManage)	10 GbE connectivity	Available	None	✅ Ready
Compute (vSmart)	8 vCPU, 16 GB RAM per node	ESXi available	None	✅ Ready
Compute (vBond)	4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM per node	Cloud or on-prem	Decision pending	⚠️ Partial
DR Site	Chennai DC	Infrastructure ready	Testing required	⚠️ Partial

SD-WAN Controller Resource Requirements¶

                    SD-WAN CONTROLLER SIZING
    ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

    PRODUCTION (Mumbai DC):
    ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
    │  vManage Cluster (3 nodes)                                  │
    │  ┌─────────┐  ┌─────────┐  ┌─────────┐                     │
    │  │ Node 1  │  │ Node 2  │  │ Node 3  │                     │
    │  │ 32vCPU  │  │ 32vCPU  │  │ 32vCPU  │                     │
    │  │ 128GB   │  │ 128GB   │  │ 128GB   │                     │
    │  │ 2TB SSD │  │ 2TB SSD │  │ 2TB SSD │                     │
    │  └─────────┘  └─────────┘  └─────────┘                     │
    │                                                             │
    │  vSmart Controllers (2 nodes)                               │
    │  ┌─────────┐  ┌─────────┐                                  │
    │  │vSmart-1 │  │vSmart-2 │                                  │
    │  │ 8vCPU   │  │ 8vCPU   │                                  │
    │  │ 16GB    │  │ 16GB    │                                  │
    │  │ 100GB   │  │ 100GB   │                                  │
    │  └─────────┘  └─────────┘                                  │
    └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

    DR SITE (Chennai DC):
    ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
    │  vManage DR (1 node - can scale to cluster)                 │
    │  ┌─────────┐                                                │
    │  │vMng-DR  │  vSmart Controllers (2 nodes)                 │
    │  │ 32vCPU  │  ┌─────────┐  ┌─────────┐                     │
    │  │ 128GB   │  │vSmart-3 │  │vSmart-4 │                     │
    │  │ 2TB SSD │  │ 8vCPU   │  │ 8vCPU   │                     │
    │  └─────────┘  └─────────┘  └─────────┘                     │
    └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

    CLOUD (vBond):
    ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
    │  vBond Validators (2 instances - Cloud)                     │
    │  ┌─────────┐  ┌─────────┐                                  │
    │  │vBond-1  │  │vBond-2  │                                  │
    │  │ 4vCPU   │  │ 4vCPU   │                                  │
    │  │ 8GB     │  │ 8GB     │                                  │
    │  │ AWS     │  │ Azure   │  (Multi-cloud redundancy)        │
    │  └─────────┘  └─────────┘                                  │
    └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

WAN Edge Router Readiness¶

Site	Current Router	SD-WAN Ready	Action Required	Status
Mumbai-R1	ISR4451-X	Yes (controller mode)	Upgrade to 17.15.x	⚠️ Partial
Mumbai-R2	ISR4451-X	Yes (controller mode)	Upgrade to 17.15.x	⚠️ Partial
Chennai-R1	ISR4351	Yes (controller mode)	Upgrade to 17.15.x	⚠️ Partial
Chennai-R2	ISR4351	Yes (controller mode)	Upgrade to 17.15.x	⚠️ Partial
Bangalore-R1	ISR4331	Yes (controller mode)	Upgrade to 17.15.x	⚠️ Partial
Delhi-R1	ISR4331	Yes (controller mode)	Upgrade to 17.15.x	⚠️ Partial
Noida-R1	ISR4331	Yes (controller mode)	Upgrade to 17.15.x	⚠️ Partial
London-R1/R2	ISR4351	Yes (controller mode)	Upgrade to 17.15.x	⚠️ Partial
Frankfurt-R1/R2	ISR4351	Yes (controller mode)	Upgrade to 17.15.x	⚠️ Partial
New Jersey-R1/R2	ISR4451-X	Yes (controller mode)	Upgrade to 17.15.x	⚠️ Partial
Dallas-R1/R2	ISR4351	Yes (controller mode)	Upgrade to 17.15.x	⚠️ Partial

New Hardware Requirements¶

Site	Recommended Model	Quantity	Purpose	Status
Mumbai	C8500-12X4QC	2	DC aggregation	❌ To order
Chennai	C8500-12X4QC	2	DR aggregation	❌ To order
All Hubs	C8300-2N2S-6T	8	Hub sites	❌ To order
Branches	C8200L-1N-4T	6	Branch sites	❌ To order

1.6.3 Network Readiness Assessment¶

Connectivity Prerequisites¶

Requirement	Status	Notes
Internet connectivity at all sites	✅ Ready	10 sites covered
Public IP addresses for vBond	⚠️ Partial	Need 2 public IPs per DC
DNS resolution for controller FQDNs	✅ Ready	Infoblox configured
NTP synchronization	✅ Ready	All sites synced
Firewall rules for SD-WAN	❌ Not Ready	Ports need opening

Required Firewall Rules¶

Source	Destination	Port	Protocol	Purpose
WAN Edge	vBond	12346	UDP	DTLS control
WAN Edge	vSmart	12346	UDP	DTLS control
WAN Edge	vManage	443	TCP	HTTPS management
WAN Edge	WAN Edge	12346	UDP	IPsec data plane
WAN Edge	WAN Edge	12346	TCP	TCP fallback
Admin	vManage	443	TCP	Web UI
Admin	vManage	8443	TCP	API

SD-Access Integration Readiness¶

Component	Status	Notes
Border nodes configured	✅ Ready	L3 handoff interfaces ready
VRF-Lite subinterfaces	⚠️ Partial	Need SD-WAN side config
BGP peering prepared	✅ Ready	eBGP AS numbers allocated
SGT inline tagging	⚠️ Partial	CTS manual needed on WAN Edge
Route filtering prepared	✅ Ready	Prefix lists defined

1.6.4 Technical Skills Assessment¶

Team Capability Matrix¶

Skill Area	Current Level	Required Level	Gap	Remediation
Cisco SD-WAN Architecture	Basic	Advanced	Significant	Training required
vManage Administration	None	Advanced	Critical	Training + lab
SD-WAN Policies (AAR, QoS)	Basic	Advanced	Significant	Training required
SD-WAN Troubleshooting	None	Intermediate	Significant	Training + practice
SD-Access Integration	Intermediate	Advanced	Moderate	Workshop
Python/API Automation	Intermediate	Advanced	Moderate	Self-study
Terraform/Ansible	Basic	Intermediate	Moderate	Training

Recommended Training Plan¶

Course	Provider	Duration	Priority	Team Members
ENSDWI (Implementing Cisco SD-WAN)	Cisco	5 days	High	4 engineers
SD-WAN Design Workshop	Cisco	3 days	High	2 architects
SD-WAN Operations	Cisco	3 days	Medium	3 operators
SD-Access/SD-WAN Integration	Cisco	2 days	High	2 engineers
DevNet SD-WAN Automation	Cisco	3 days	Medium	2 engineers

Training Timeline¶

                    TRAINING SCHEDULE
    ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

    MONTH 1:
    Week 1-2:  ████████████████ ENSDWI Course (Team A)
    Week 3:    ████████ SD-WAN Design Workshop
    Week 4:    ████████ Lab Practice

    MONTH 2:
    Week 1-2:  ████████████████ ENSDWI Course (Team B)
    Week 3:    ████████ SD-Access Integration Workshop
    Week 4:    ████████ Lab Practice

    MONTH 3:
    Week 1:    ████ Operations Training
    Week 2-3:  ████████████ DevNet Automation
    Week 4:    ████████ Final Certification Prep
    ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

1.6.5 Operational Readiness Assessment¶

Process Readiness¶

Process	Current State	Required State	Gap	Status
Change Management	Mature (ITIL)	SD-WAN specific templates	Minor	⚠️ Partial
Incident Management	Mature	SD-WAN runbooks	Moderate	⚠️ Partial
Problem Management	Mature	SD-WAN RCA procedures	Minor	⚠️ Partial
Configuration Management	Basic	IaC with GitOps	Significant	❌ Not Ready
Capacity Management	Basic	vAnalytics integration	Moderate	⚠️ Partial
Monitoring/Alerting	SolarWinds	vManage + SolarWinds	Moderate	⚠️ Partial

Documentation Requirements¶

Document	Status	Priority
SD-WAN Architecture Design	In progress	High
SD-WAN Operations Runbook	Not started	High
SD-WAN Troubleshooting Guide	Not started	High
SD-WAN Change Templates	Not started	Medium
SD-WAN DR Procedures	Not started	High
SD-WAN Security Policies	In progress	High

1.6.6 Vendor and Licensing Readiness¶

Cisco Licensing Requirements¶

License Type	Quantity	Duration	Status
DNA Advantage for WAN Edge	15 devices	3 years	❌ To procure
vManage License	1 cluster	3 years	❌ To procure
Umbrella DNS Security	3,000 users	1 year	✅ Existing
ThousandEyes	10 agents	1 year	❌ To procure
ISE Advantage	Existing	Existing	✅ Ready

Licensing Cost Estimate¶

Component	Annual Cost	3-Year Total
DNA Advantage (15 devices)	$XX,XXX	$XXX,XXX
vManage + vSmart	$XX,XXX	$XX,XXX
ThousandEyes	$XX,XXX	$XX,XXX
Support (SmartNet)	$XX,XXX	$XX,XXX
Total	$XXX,XXX	$XXX,XXX

Partner/Vendor Support¶

Partner	Role	Status
Cisco Account Team	Primary vendor	✅ Engaged
Cisco Partner (Integrator)	Implementation support	⚠️ Evaluation
Cisco TAC	Technical support	✅ SmartNet active
Cisco CX	Success services	⚠️ Proposal pending

1.6.7 Risk Assessment¶

Technical Risks¶

Risk	Probability	Impact	Mitigation	Owner
Controller deployment complexity	Medium	High	Cisco CX engagement	Architect
SD-Access integration issues	Medium	High	Detailed design, lab testing	Network Team
Performance degradation during migration	Medium	Medium	Parallel operation, staged rollout	Operations
Cellular failover reliability	Low	Medium	Multiple carriers, testing	Network Team
Certificate management complexity	Medium	Medium	Enterprise PKI integration	Security

Organizational Risks¶

Risk	Probability	Impact	Mitigation	Owner
Skills gap delays deployment	High	High	Accelerated training program	Manager
Resource constraints	Medium	High	Partner augmentation	PMO
Change resistance	Low	Medium	Communication, training	Leadership
Parallel project conflicts	Medium	Medium	Resource planning, prioritization	PMO

1.6.8 Readiness Gap Remediation Plan¶

Critical Gaps (Must Fix Before Deployment)¶

Gap	Remediation Action	Owner	Timeline	Status
Controller VM deployment	Deploy vManage/vSmart/vBond	Infrastructure	Week 1-2	Planned
WAN Edge IOS upgrade	Upgrade to 17.15.x	Network	Week 2-4	Planned
Firewall rules	Open SD-WAN ports	Security	Week 1	Planned
Team training	Complete ENSDWI course	HR/Training	Month 1-2	Planned
Licensing procurement	Purchase DNA licenses	Procurement	Week 1	In Progress

Medium Priority Gaps¶

Gap	Remediation Action	Owner	Timeline
New hardware procurement	Order C8300/C8500	Procurement	Month 1
Operations runbooks	Develop SD-WAN runbooks	Operations	Month 2-3
Monitoring integration	Configure vManage alerts	NOC	Month 2
DR procedures	Document and test DR	Operations	Month 3

Low Priority Gaps¶

Gap	Remediation Action	Owner	Timeline
GitOps implementation	Implement config-as-code	DevOps	Month 4-6
Advanced automation	Python SDK scripts	Automation	Month 4-6
ThousandEyes deployment	Deploy agents	Network	Month 3-4

1.6.9 Readiness Assessment Summary¶

Overall Readiness Score¶

                    READINESS ASSESSMENT SUMMARY
    ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

    CATEGORY                    SCORE    STATUS
    ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
    Infrastructure              75%      ⚠️ Partial
    Network Connectivity        80%      ⚠️ Partial
    Technical Skills            55%      ❌ Not Ready
    Operational Processes       65%      ⚠️ Partial
    Vendor/Licensing            60%      ⚠️ Partial
    Documentation               40%      ❌ Not Ready
    ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
    OVERALL READINESS           62%      ⚠️ Partial

    ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

    RECOMMENDATION: Proceed with 8-week readiness phase before
                   production deployment begins.

Readiness Phase Timeline¶

Week	Activities	Exit Criteria
1-2	Licensing, firewall rules, DNS	Controllers deployable
3-4	Controller deployment, training start	vManage operational
5-6	Lab environment, training complete	Team certified
7-8	Pilot site preparation, runbooks	Ready for pilot

Go/No-Go Criteria¶

Criterion	Required State	Current State	Go/No-Go
Controllers deployed	Operational	Not deployed	No-Go
Team trained	80% certified	0% certified	No-Go
Firewall rules	Implemented	Not implemented	No-Go
Licenses procured	Available	In procurement	No-Go
Lab validated	Complete	Not started	No-Go
Runbooks documented	Draft complete	Not started	No-Go

References¶

Document	Description
Cisco SD-WAN Deployment Prerequisites	Official requirements
Abhavtech IT Skills Matrix	Current team capabilities
Project Resource Plan	Staffing and training
Procurement Pipeline	License and hardware status

Document Version: 1.0 Last Updated: December 2025 Classification: Internal Use Only Abhavtech.com - SD-WAN Documentation