Unified Branch Overview

Unified Branch is Cisco’s solution that consolidates essential networking components—routers, switches, and wireless access points—into a unified, centrally managed platform for branch locations. Built on Cisco Validated Designs (CVDs) and enhanced with an automation toolkit featuring Branch as Code (BaC), it helps streamline deployment, management, and scaling of branch networks while focusing on operational simplicity, security, and performance.

For a comprehensive overview of the solution, see the Unified Branch Solution Brief.

Full-stack Integration: Combines routing, next-generation firewall, Wi-Fi, IoT, and switching into a single, cohesive platform managed through a unified dashboard.

Cisco Validated Designs (CVDs): Provides prescriptive, tested blueprints that embed Cisco’s best practices to reduce deployment risk and accelerate implementation.

Automation Toolkit with Branch as Code: Enables declarative, code-driven configuration and management of branch networks using tools like Terraform and validated YAML templates.

Built-in Assurance and Security: Incorporates ThousandEyes for network visibility and proactive performance monitoring, alongside embedded security features.

Scalability and Simplification: Designed to make branch deployments faster, simpler, and easier to maintain at scale, addressing IT resource and skill gaps.

For detailed implementation guidance, refer to the Cisco Unified Branch Small Branch CVD, which provides comprehensive deployment and configuration guideliness.

Branch as Code (BaC) is a core automation capability within Unified Branch that applies Infrastructure as Code principles to branch network deployment and management. It allows network teams to define, provision, and manage branch infrastructure programmatically, leveraging Cisco’s validated designs and automation frameworks.

Declarative Configuration: Uses Terraform data models and validated YAML templates to define branch services consistently and repeatably.

Rapid, Repeatable Deployments: Standardized, version-controlled templates enable scalable branch rollouts with consistent configurations across multiple sites.

Operational Efficiency: Automated workflows simplify management and updates, reducing manual errors and operational complexity.

DevOps Integration: Supports version control, testing, validation, and continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines, bringing software development best practices to network operations.

CVDs serve as the foundational, thoroughly tested blueprints that embed Cisco’s best practices for branch network deployment. Branch as Code operationalizes these CVDs by integrating them into an automated, code-driven framework.

This integration:

• Embeds CVD best practices directly into code templates for consistent, repeatable, and validated branch configurations
• Enables faster, more agile, and scalable deployments
• Supports version control, testing, and CI/CD pipelines to enhance reliability and reduce manual errors

In summary, Cisco Unified Branch combines validated design expertise with modern automation through Branch as Code, enabling enterprises and partners to deploy, manage, and scale branch networks with consistency and reliability aligned with contemporary DevOps practices.