On Friday, November 29, we had the pleasure of hosting Customers and engineers from Cisco Systems at a business breakfast dedicated to network solutions for industry. Extreme conditions in production halls, steel mills, on the railway or in the power industry place high demands on network devices - high and low temperatures, dust, high humidity and an aggressive atmosphere mean that none of the devices designed for office applications, such as the Catalyst 9000 series, will provide stable operation for OT systems. That is why there is a whole range of products dedicated to industry. In addition to resistance to environmental conditions, industrial devices should be resistant to various types of threats from cybercriminals.

The meeting was divided into several modules.

More about UpGreat

The meeting began with a short presentation by UpGreat Systemy Komputerowe, known for specializing in network solutions and a long-time partner of Cisco Systems. Participants had the opportunity to learn about the history of the company, its offer and clients.

The UpGreat presentation is available for download -> here.

What are the general characteristics of industrial networks and what are their use cases?

In this part of the presentation, Michał Małuszek from Cisco told the audience in which industries industrial networks operate (production, energy, petrochemical and gas, energy, railways, road infrastructure and others), as well as in what conditions devices operate (from -50°C to +75°C, humidity, dust, vibrations, aggressive atmosphere). The portfolio and advantages of Cisco industrial devices were also presented.

The presentation on industrial networks is available for download -> here.

What is the specificity of industrial wireless networks?

Marcin Szreter from Cisco presented specific Cisco wireless solutions and showed that wireless networks are not just WiFi. Some of the applications require extremely low latency, roaming without packet loss or data transmission from objects moving at very high speed. Cisco Ultra-Reliable Wireless Backhaul (URWB) was also presented - a wireless network "as reliable as fiber". URWB means latency < 10ms, transfer up to 4.8Gbps, unlicensed frequencies and availability up to 99.995%.

The presentation on industrial wireless networks is available for download -> here.

How OT and IT networks can be integrated and what is Cisco SDA

In the next session, Miłosz Wrona talked about the family of software defined networks solutions – Cisco SDA (Software Defined Access). This approach allows for the creation of a structure (fabric) of wired and wireless devices that provide secure, efficient, reliable access to the network for end devices based on user identification. Cisco SD-Access enables efficient management of access to the network as a whole from a single console – everyone has access to what and only what they should have. The network is managed using Cisco DNA Center with the support of Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine).

The Cisco SDA presentation is available for download -> here.

How to keep your OT network safe

Finally, Marcin Szreter once again brought up the subject of OT network security. The specificity of some devices used in industry, until recently not having contact with IT networks, is the possibility of various vulnerabilities exposing companies to disruptions in the continuity of key processes. At the same time, the requirements of the NIS-2 directive will soon be imposed on many companies in the industrial sector. Cisco Systems proposes a comprehensive approach to OT security issues based on Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), division of the network into trust zones related to, for example, production lines and active analysis of events in the network and response to threats (Incident Investigation & Response). In this context, Cisco Talos Threat Intelligence and Talos Incident Response were discussed.

Additionally, full situational awareness in the OT environment is provided by Cisco Cyber Vision Center and Cyber Vision Sensors, which enable passive analysis of network communications to continuously inventory the network and obtain information about possible vulnerabilities of used devices.

The presentation on OT network security is available for download -> here.

We believe that the business breakfast with UpGreat and Cisco was a success thanks to the presence of our guests, the competence of the engineers and the excellent organization of the meeting, for which the Concordia Design team in Poznań was responsible.

We invite you to contact us – together with engineers from Cisco Polska, we will be happy to present the topics discussed, prepare a dedicated online presentation, come to you for a meeting or implement a POC.

Thank you!

On October 4, 2023, a unique technological event took place in Poznań, which attracted the attention of IT professionals and enthusiasts of modern network solutions. "Technology Breakfast with Cisco" was a joint venture of UpGreat, Cisco Polska and Ingram Micro. The aim of this meeting was to discuss key innovations in the field of computer networks and present modern technologies - Cisco SD-WAN (Software Defined WAN) and Cisco ACI (Application Centric Infrastructure).

The highlights of the event are:

1. Introducing UpGreat

The meeting began with a short presentation by UpGreat Systemy Komputerowe, known for specializing in network solutions and a long-time partner of Cisco Systems. Participants had the opportunity to learn about the history of the company, its offer and clients.

The UpGreat presentation is available for download here.

2. Cisco SD-WAN: Revolution in Enterprise Networks

During the first session, Rafał Telbusiewicz from Cisco, SD-WAN solution architect, presented key concepts related to Cisco SD-WAN. The importance of this technology in the context of the digitization of companies and the need for flexible network reconfiguration were discussed. SD-WAN mechanisms that allow for optimizing the use of Internet connections are discussed in detail. Participants also had the opportunity to watch a short live demonstration of SD-WAN configuration.

The Cisco SD-WAN presentation is available for download here.

3. Cisco Enterprise Networking – product overview

The brilliant speech by Ola Sosnowska, an expert in network solutions from Cisco, refreshed the knowledge about the portfolio of network products and supplemented it with new products, of which there are many, and which change the balance of power on the market of solutions offered by the most important manufacturers. It was about new network standards (WiFi 6E and Cisco mGig - Cisco Multigigabit Technology) and plans to develop Cisco's offer. The presentation, which contained a lot of technical knowledge, interested everyone present.

The Cisco Enterprise Networking presentation is available for download here.

4. Cisco ACI: Modern Solutions in Data Centers

In the third session, Grzegorz Gondek from Cisco focused on the development of the needs of modern data centers and how Cisco ACI (Application Centric Infrastructure) responds to these needs and the importance of ACI (spine & leaf) in network management in data centers. Participants learned how this technology can streamline application deployments, support the use of cloud services, and ensure reliable network security. The presentation included case studies and practical examples of Cisco ACI applications.

The Cisco ACI presentation is available for download here.

5. Question and answer session

At the end of the meeting, participants had the opportunity to ask questions to experts from Cisco and UpGreat. This session was an excellent opportunity to clarify any doubts and deepen knowledge about the technologies discussed.

The "Technology Breakfast with Cisco" in Poznań was an excellent opportunity to deepen knowledge about the latest trends and solutions in the field of computer networks. Participants had the opportunity to learn what benefits can result from implementing Cisco technology and what innovations can be introduced to their company. This event certainly contributed to increasing awareness of modern network solutions and enabled the exchange of experiences and networking between IT professionals.

Please contact us - Cisco SD-WAN and Cisco ACI are here! Time for changes.

On September 21, 2023, an extraordinary technology event took place in Koszalin, which gathered technology enthusiasts, industry experts and representatives of UpGreat, Netapp, Fortinet and Microsoft Azure. The meeting was devoted to hybrid IT environments, which are a key element of today's business world.

During the event, participants had the opportunity to learn about the latest solutions and technologies offered by leading industry companies. Business upGreat presented its approach to the implementation of modern technologies, focusing on providing solutions tailored to the individual needs of customers.

netapp, a well-known manufacturer of storage management solutions, introduced the participants to a hybrid storage system ONTAP, which integrates perfectly with the platform Microsoft Azure. The presentation showed how to effectively combine on-premise with cloud solutions in the context of data storage.

Fortinet, an expert in network security, presented its security solutions, including firewalls, threat intelligence, SD-WAN and cloud security. Participants had the opportunity to learn how to effectively protect their networks against threats.

The event agenda also included descriptions of some implementations, which allowed participants to deepen their knowledge and compare their own experiences with the examples presented.

Not only valuable presentations, but also informal conversations and networking with experts and other participants made this event unique. Participants had the opportunity to exchange experiences and establish contacts with people from the industry.

We would like to thank all participants, speakers and partners for participating and co-creating this extraordinary event. "September morning with technology" turned out to be an excellent opportunity to deepen knowledge, share experiences and build relationships in the world of technology.

Stay tuned with us as we plan more exciting events that will help our customers and partners stay at the forefront of today's technology revolution.

Here you can download the presentation about upGreat, about solutions netapp, cloud Microsoft Azure and about cybersecurity according to Fortinet.

Summer has come and it's time to start the holiday season. However, this does not mean that the "cucumber season" has arrived in UpGreat. On the contrary, many of our clients use their holidays for various implementations, tidying up systems, renovations and "shutdowns".

Therefore, we are also busy during the holidays, but at the same time we want to make good use of the time when it is green, warm and the sun is shining. Cycling, professionally or with the family, is a great way to spend your free time. A few days ago, we organized a BIKE DAY in our company - a professional review of all family bikes combined with non-business conversations, eating chips, pizza and drinking non-alcoholic beer, as befits responsible cyclists.

The service was carried out by our friendly company BIKE MASTER from Poznań, whom we sincerely support. In total, 14 bicycles were inspected.

We believe that safe use of bicycles and a healthy and ecological lifestyle are important. Of course, we also encourage our customers to go on bicycle trips 🙂

Our "Spring Morning with Technology - Netapp / Fortinet / Microsoft Azure Hybrid Environments" is behind us! As planned, we met with our clients yesterday, June 13 at the Mercure Poznań Centrum Hotel.

We provided a large dose of information about our services and Netapp, Fortinet and Microsoft solutions. Despite several hours of technical presentations, the Customers persevered and assessed the whole event well in surveys. Thank you!

Yesterday's presentations are also available for download upGreat, netapp, Fortinet and Microsoft.

A brief summary is provided below.

NetApp this leader in data storage technology – their domain is safe and efficient disk arrays, allowing for tens of times faster application work and shortening the backup time. NetApp is one of the few companies that successfully offers hybrid solutions that combine on-premise and cloud computing. In Poland, we can observe an impressive increase in interest in the implementation of cloud solutions, including efficient and functionally rich ONTAP "arrays" in the cloud, which naturally integrate with other local resources. We will show some interesting examples of using Microsoft Azure resources.

Fortinet is a provider of network solutions designed with digital security in mind. The impressive development of the provided functionalities goes hand in hand with the maturity and stability of the technology. Their Security Fabric platform is an integrated system that includes network appliances, firewalls, threat intelligence, device protection, and cloud security. Fortinet is once again shown as a leader among providers in the Gartner Magic Quadrant SD-WAN based on their flagships FortiGate series firewalls.

Both NetApp and Fortinet provide on-premise hardware solutions, as well as virtual and cloud-based appliances. For this reason, Microsoft Azure is a natural environment for both vendors' products. The NetApp-Fortinet-Microsoft synergy is a functional wealth that cannot be overlooked. Our customers know this more and more often, choosing hybrid solutions that provide them with flexibility, scalability and reliability.

Our offer and competencies are tailored to the needs of our customers, which is why we are expanding our portfolio with SD-WAN from Fortinet. SD-WAN doesn't have to be expensive and can be a market-leader.

Quick implementation, scalability, ease of management are the features why companies choose software defined WAN.

A team of certified and experienced engineers will design and implement for you a network of several to several hundred branches. Feel free to contact us!