About NetworkArc Insights
NetworkArc Insights is a newsletter and library focused on providing guidance and actionable information about Cisco products and solutions in plain English. NetworkArc Insights was created because the majority of information about Cisco products is too technical, difficult to digest, or not closely tied to business benefits. NetworkArc Insights is written by a team of Cisco technical experts who are charged with helping customers make the right technology decisions for their business.

NetworkArc Insights is a publication of Network Architects, Inc., a Cisco-Certified Premier Partner. Since 2001, Network Architects has helped small and mid-size businesses (SMBs) find not just the best Cisco technology, but the Cisco technology that works best for their business. Our team understands that it’s not about buying cool devices with blinking lights, but it’s about solving real business problems. NetworkArc Insights captures some of the collective experience of a team that has helped deploy over 2,000 different Cisco devices!

Why NetworkArc Insights
From 1996 through 2001, the founders of Network Architects were technology executives of other companies, building IT applications and technical infrastructure. We had a horrible time sorting through waves of vendors that only seemed interested in closing a sale, and sifting through piles of resumes from self-proclaimed “Cisco experts” who couldn’t answer basic technical questions. The few engineers we found who really had some technical skills usually couldn’t speak ROI or build a plain-English business case around why Product X instead of Product Y. We knew we could do better and we decided to start a company to fill this void. Since 2001, we’ve helped over 1,000 companies find the right solution for their business.

NetworkArc Insights is our effort to advertise our capabilities by giving away some of our knowledge. Our hope is that prospective customers will find our content, appreciate its value, and engage us as their partner to solve their business problems. We believe that, in the same way that an honest, knowledgeable, and friendly master mechanic builds a reputation and a business, we can build a loyal client base through providing authoritative knowledge, measureable value, and reliable service. Even if readers of NetworkArc Insights choose to never engage us, we’re happy to have helped with our content!

Coming Soon
The first NetworkArc Insights articles will be a series of Cisco product buyer’s guides. Network Architects understands the challenge that many companies have in selecting the right Cisco router, switch, firewall, load balancer, VoIP phone system, or wireless solution. Cisco has a constantly growing catalog of over 70,000 products, which only gets more complex with every acquisition that Cisco closes.

The product content on the Cisco web site is full of data, but lacking in actionable information. Finding unbiased, knowledgeable advice is difficult. We have frequently encountered situations where clients were frustrated trying to navigate foreign waters on their own, or even worse, were being guided by an advisor whose interest appeared to only be in closing the largest sale they could.
Check back soon for the following buyer’s guides:

• Cisco Router Buyer’s Guide (scheduled for release in December 2007)
• Cisco Firewall Buyer’s Guide (scheduled for release in January 2008)
• Cisco Load Balancer Buyer’s Guide (scheduled for release in February 2008)
• Cisco Voice / Unified Communications Buyer’s Guide (scheduled for release in March 2008)
• Cisco Ethernet Switch Buyer’s Guide (scheduled for release in April 2008)