Challenges
Hydranautics, a leading organization in the water treatment industry, faced challenges related to their Cisco Unified Communications (UC) solution which supports over 100 end users. The existing IP address configuration needed an overhaul to improve efficiency, scalability, and network reliability. The project aimed to reconfigure legacy IP addresses for critical UC components while ensuring minimal disruption.
Hydranautics faced several challenges related to their Cisco UC solution. Their IP address scheme was inefficient and prone to errors. It used a flat network topology with no subnetting or VLANs, which resulted in poor performance and increase the complexity to manage the infrastructure.
The existing UC components, such as Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM), Cisco Unity Connection (CUC), and Cisco Emergency Responder (CER), were assigned static IP addresses that were hard to manage and update. Moreover, they were in the same subnet as the data network, which increased security risks and reduced availability.
The project required careful planning and coordination to avoid any service disruption or downtime for the UC users and applications. The reconfiguration involved changing the IP addresses of multiple UC devices, servers, gateways, and endpoints across different sites and regions.
Solution: Re-Iping Cisco UC
This project consisted of discovery to make sure that the clients vision was understood, document risks and constraints and conduct workshops to assess the current UC environment and gaps. Technologies utilized continued to be Cisco.
During design, the implementation and migration approach was defined and applied to a design document with the method of implementation which addressed 1 UCS server
- Created a design document with the method of implementation (MOP).
- Addressed the following UC components:
- Collaborated with the customer’s Change Advisory Board (CAB) for approval.
Implementation Phase:
- Executed the approved design.
- Reconfigured IP addresses for the identified UC components.
- Ensured minimal disruption during the transition.
Benefits
- Efficiency: Streamlined IP addressing reduced maintenance complexities.
- Scalability: The new configuration allowed for seamless growth.
- Network Reliability: Replaced the legacy design and enhanced overall network reliability.
By re-iping their Cisco UC solution, Hydranautics achieved a more robust and future-ready communication infrastructure, aligning with their commitment to excellence in water treatment.
