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Leveraging Cisco ACI APIC and MSO for Data Center Transformation

March 02, 2023 , ,

Leveraging Data Center Transformation
Cisco APIC vs Cisco MSO

Cisco APIC (Application Policy Infrastructure Controller) and Cisco MSO (Multisite Orchestrator) are both network management solutions offered by Cisco. However, they have different focuses and use cases.

Leveraging Cisco ACI APIC and MSO for Data Center Transformation


Cisco ACI APIC
Cisco APIC is the centralized controller for Cisco's Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) solution. It provides a single point of automation and management for ACI fabric, enabling administrators to easily manage and automate their data center networks. 

APIC also provides a rich set of APIs that allow integration with other management systems, further increasing its flexibility and usability.

Feature sets of Cisco ACI APIC

  • Cisco APIC provides a single point of automation and administration for ACI fabrics, making complex data center networks easier to manage and automate.
  • APIC automates using a policy-based approach, allowing administrators to establish policies and implement them consistently throughout their network. This helps to guarantee that network regulations are consistently applied and lowers the chance of human mistake.
  • APIC offers a robust set of APIs for integrating with various management systems such as cloud management platforms, security management systems, and orchestration systems.
  • APIC offers powerful analytics and monitoring features that enable administrators to monitor network performance and rapidly detect and remedy issues.
  • APIC enables multi-tenancy, which allows administrators to establish and administer numerous virtual networks inside the confines of a single physical network.
  • APIC is built to scale as your network develops, allowing you to easily manage big, complicated data center networks.
  • APIC has extensive security features such as role-based access control, encryption, and secure connection with other network components.

Cisco MSO
Cisco MSO stands for ACI Multi-Site Orchestrator. Cisco MSO, on the other hand, is designed for multisite network management. It provides a centralized approach to managing and automating network services across multiple sites, including both on-premises and cloud environments. 

MSO enables network administrators to easily manage network services, monitor network performance, and quickly resolve network issues across multiple sites.

Features of Cisco MSO

  • Network administrators may administer network services across numerous sites from a single place thanks to Cisco MSO's consolidated approach to network administration.
  • MSO simplifies network service management across numerous sites by automating network services such as network segmentation, VPN services, and network security.
  • MSO is intended for the management of network services across many locations, including on-premises and cloud settings.
  • MSO offers powerful analytics and monitoring features that enable administrators to monitor network performance and quickly detect and rectify issues.
  • MSO offers a robust set of APIs for integrating with various management systems, such as cloud management platforms and security management systems.
  • MSO is built to scale as your network develops, allowing you to easily manage big, complicated multisite networks.
  • MSO has sophisticated security features such as role-based access control, encryption, and secure communication between MSO and other network components.
Cisco ACI APIC Vs Cisco MSO
Fig-1.2- Cisco ACI: APIC Vs MSO

In summary, Cisco APIC is focused on providing centralized management and automation for data center networks for single site, while Cisco MSO is focused on multisite network management and automation includes cloud deployment as well.