Connect. Secure. Manage.
Cisco Storage Networking
Plan Cisco storage networking with your storage team, checking fabric support, resilience and responsibilities without taking on storage administration.
Devices supported
across the UK
Client locations
supported
Traffic handled
at peak time
Average
response time
Average response is not a resolution time or a contractual guarantee. Support scope and response commitments are agreed for each engagement.
Cisco storage networking carries data between hosts and storage systems. A fault on that path can stop an app even when management screens still work. We design and support the network part with the host and storage teams. The scope makes each team’s role clear, including path checks, recovery and access to stored data.
Workload-led design
Start with application, compute and storage dependencies rather than the switch model.
Clear failure domains
Understand which links, devices and sites can fail together.
Operational clarity
Make fabrics, external routing and management responsibilities supportable.
Establish the storage transport and responsibilities
We identify whether the service uses Fibre Channel, Ethernet-based storage or a supported combination. Cisco MDS and Nexus platforms have different roles, capabilities and operating models. So the design starts with the actual storage system and its supported network access needs. A familiar switch family should not determine the transport before those needs are understood.
The scope separates networking from storage administration. Creating volumes, assigning storage permissions and managing host multipath software remain with their designated owners unless separately agreed. Those teams still participate in design and testing because a functioning fabric alone does not prove that the intended host can safely access the correct data.
Standards & partnerships
Confidence in the team behind your network.
Cisco Partner
Cisco Meraki
Cyber Essentials
Cyber Essentials PlusMCI Network Services is operated by Proxar Ltd. Certifications apply to the certified legal entity and the scope of its certificates. View accreditation information
Map hosts, targets and failure domains
A storage network access record identifies initiators, target ports, physical interfaces and the paths between them. We check that the inventory uses the correct identifiers and distinguishes independent paths from connections that share a component. Clear records are particularly important when several ports belong to the same server or storage controller.
Resilience is assessed across the complete service. Two logical fabrics on shared hardware may not provide the independence required by the customer. We review power, cabling, switches, controllers and host network access, and document what remains available when a chosen component fails.
A useful starting point
Not sure where to start?
Bring the requirement. We will help you define the engineering work.
Design capacity for the actual workload
Storage demand can vary with app activity, backups, replication and recovery operations. We examine the traffic pattern and the capacity of shared links rather than sizing solely from the number of attached hosts. Degraded operation may place extra load on surviving paths and should be included in the assessment.
Performance symptoms also need context. Congestion can arise from a slow endpoint, an overloaded interconnect or a physical fault, and those conditions require different remedies. We set out the observations needed from both the Cisco fabric and the host or storage system before drawing conclusions about the limiting component.
Different environments. The same care.
Built around the work
your network supports.
Finance, banking and the wider private sector. We start with the systems and people that depend on your connections.
Finance & banking
Market-data paths, routing and provider coordination on clients’ behalf.
Financial-market services ↗Offices & multi-site teams
Reliable access between people, workplaces and business applications.
Office network design ↗Data centres & cloud
Network boundaries, workload connections and operational ownership.
Data centre networks ↗Keep connectivity permissions controlled
For Fibre Channel, zoning determines permitted fabric communication, while storage-side controls govern access to presented resources. We coordinate the two without treating them as interchangeable. The approved mapping should identify why each host needs each target connection and who authorised that access.
For Ethernet-based storage, segmentation, routing, MTU and any required congestion treatment are considered according to the platform guidance. We do not apply Fibre Channel assumptions to IP storage or enable specialised Ethernet features without a supported need. The design should remain understandable to the engineers responsible for ongoing operation.
Plan maintenance around application dependencies
A software upgrade or cable replacement can be safe only when the surviving path and host behaviour are known. We check those dependencies with the storage team before relying on redundancy. The maintenance plan records the sequence, pre-checks, expected impact and the conditions that require work to stop.
Rollback also needs joint planning. Restoring a switch setup may not undo changes made to host or storage settings during the same window. We find the recovery actions at each layer and avoid presenting a network-only rollback as sufficient for the entire storage service.
Validate access and recovery together
Acceptance tests confirm the intended fabric state and representative host access, with the storage owner checking that only the correct resources are presented. Where safe, chosen path failures show whether multipathing and app behaviour meet the need. The test record states what was observed rather than assuming every session survives because the fabric is redundant.
Monitoring should identify loss of a path before it becomes a complete outage. We agree useful alerts for interfaces, fabric events and relevant performance conditions, alongside a clear escalation route. A healthy overall service can still be operating without its intended resilience.
Agree the right engineering engagement
MCI can provide Cisco MDS SAN design, zoning support, migration planning or focused troubleshooting. The proposal defines the Cisco components included and the participation required from other teams. Hardware procurement, storage administration and data recovery are not silently bundled into the networking scope.
Our specialist network services support customers throughout the UK. A redacted fabric diagram, supported-platform information and a description of the need provide a useful starting point. We then agree the evidence, permissions and change controls needed to work safely around the systems on which your apps depend.
Talk to a specialist
What does your network need next?
Tell us what you are planning, changing or trying to improve. We will help define a practical next step and the engineering scope.
+44 203 196 6566Choose option 1
sales@proxar.co.ukUK-wide service.
Most of our engineers are based in Kent, with a focus on London, Sussex, Essex and Berkshire.
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